LULA MUSIC AND ARTS CENTRE proudly presents LULAWORLD 2011 – THE NEW CANADIAN SONGBOOK, a vital thread in the rich tapestry of the Canadian world music scene today. While the focus is on Canadian composers and musicians, the festival kicks off with sizzling Latin / jazz artist AMANDA MARTINEZ and a visit by Colombian sensation BOMBA ESTEREO. What follows are nine more nights of thrilling performances and workshops by multilingual vocal powerhouse PATRICIA CANO, Jewish-Cuban fusionists ODESSA HAVANA, Italian muse DANIELA NARDI, multi-instrumentalists DOMINIC MANCUSO & LOUIS SIMÃO w/ the award-winning ROBERTO OCCHIPINTI and more! There will also be an artist reception April 12 at Lula Lounge from 6-8pm with The Heavyweights Brass Band entertaining at 7:30 pm. For more information please visit www.lula.ca
The New Canadian songbook is sung in Spanish, Portuguese, Malagasy, French and Italian, as well as the more than one hundred and thirty other languages and dialects in which Canadians express themselves musically.
Canadians with roots around the globe continue to sing the traditional songs from their respective cultures and newcomers to Canada are also composing, performing and recording their own original pieces – redefining the meaning of Canadian music and enriching our cultural fabric.
Each year, the LULAWORLD festival provides a unique perspective on the dynamic world music scene being cultivated in Toronto. Many performers from previous years return to preview their latest compositions, or present new collaborative projects that cross the common boundaries of genre and culture.
In particular, the Latin music scene in Toronto and all of Canada is exploding – and the world is listening. Not long ago there were only a handful of Latin bands in Toronto; the city now boasts more than a dozen distinct groups comprised of professional A-list artists. This year the festival will also feature a two-part salsa presentation entitled SÍ CANADAwhich highlights Canadian salsa compositions and more top-notch musicians.
LULAWORLD 2011 CONCERT SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
May 12 Amanda Martinez @ 7:30 pm – $22 adv / $25 door
May 12 Bomba Estereo @ 10pm – $15 adv / $20 door
May 13 Patricia Cano @ 8pm – $13 adv / $15 door
May 13 Caché CD release @ 10pm – $13 adv / $15 door
May 14 Café Con Pan Mexican Fandango workshop for families @ 1pm – free (kid friendly event)
May 14 Family French World Cafe w/Joanna Moon & Donné Roberts @ 3pm – free (kid friendly event)
May 14 Sí Canada, part 1 featuring Luisito Orbegoso @ 10pm – $13 adv / $20 door
May 15 David Buchbinder’s Odessa Havana, featuring Hilario Durán @ 8pm – $18 adv / $20 door
May 17 Jaron Freeman Fox @ 8:30pm – $13 adv / $15 door
May 18 Daniela Nardi’s Espresso Manifesto @ 8:30 pm – $18 adv / $20 door
May 19 Dominic Mancuso & Louis Simão w/ Roberto Occhipinti @ 8pm – $13 adv / $15 door
May 19 Small World Music presents Socalled @ 10pm – $15 adv / $20 door
May 20 Samba Squad featuring Luanda Jones @ 10pm – $13 adv / $15 door
May 21 Sí Canada, part 2 featuring Roberto Linares Brown @ 10pm – $15 adv / $20 door
May 22 Aline Morales CD release w/ Heavyweights Brass Band @ 9pm – $13 adv / $15 door
ARTIST PROFILES / CONCERT DETAILS:
AMANDA MARTINEZ w/ SPECIAL GUEST FERNANDO OSORIO
Thursday, May 12 – Doors 6pm / show 7:30 pm
Tickets: $22 adv / $25 door
A distinctive Latin / jazz artist, Amanda Martinez brings flair and variety to each and every one of her songs. Her sound is a blend of musical influences, including flamenco-inspired rhythms, Afro-Cuban beats and Mexican folk music. Joining Amanda for the first time in Toronto (direct from Miami,) is Cuban guitarist/singer-songwriter Fernando Osorio. Osorio is best known as the composer of Celia Cruz’ hit La Negra Tiene Tumbao.
www.amandamartinez.ca / www.fernandoosorio.com
BOMBA ESTEREO (Presented in association with Small World Music)
Thursday, May 12 – Doors 9 pm / show 10 pm
Tickets: $15 adv / $20 door
Direct from Bogota, Colombia, this electro-tropical five-piece band combines traditional Colombiancumbia, bullerengue and champeta with electronica, reggae and hip-hop for a psychedelic edge. The group makes their Toronto debut as the headliner of the opening night of this year’s festival. www.bombaestereo.com
PATRICIA CANO
Friday, May 13 – Doors 7pm / Show 8pm
Tickets: $13 adv / $15 door
With roots in Peru, and having been raised in Sudbury, Ontario, this remarkable vocalist has worked and studied in Paris and Brazil. In 2009, Patricia recorded her debut album, showcasing traditional South American folk forms, including samba and Afro-Peruvian rhythms driven by jazz grooves and soulful folk/blues sounds. Along with the intensity of her smooth, sweet voice, the album also features stellar Brazilian guitarist Carlos Bernardo as well as percussionist and producer Luisito Orbegoso, Don’t miss this chance to hear one of the most exciting vocal talents in the country, in an intimate setting. www.patriciacano.com
CACHÉ CD RELEASE
Friday, May 13 – Doors 7pm / Show 10pm
Tickets: $13 adv / $15 door
One of Toronto’s best-loved salsa bands releases their much-awaited third release Looking from the Top.
Featuring the irresistible vocals of frontman Juan Carlos Cardenas, Caché has a truly unique, vibraphone-inflected sound that the group has been developing for nearly a decade. Most of the current players are original founding band members working collaboratively under the leadership of percussionist Wilson Acevedo and bassist Richard Morales, including vibraphonist Randy Stirtzinger and conguero Daniel Stone.
CAFÉ CON PAN – Mexican Fandango workshop for families
Saturday, May 14 – Doors 12:30 / Workshop 1pm
Tickets: Free!! (kid friendly event)
Café Con Pan play son jarocho music from Veracruz with an emphasis on the country roots of the tradition. Alec Dempster and Kali Niño take their audiences on a syncopated journey down the dirt roads of Southern Veracruz, where the music still thrives in the fandango celebration. Their performances are guided by Kali´s uplifting voice and her effusive zapateado dancing while Alec plays an array of traditional jarocho instruments such as la leona, la jarana and el pander. The workshop will focus on the dance of son jarocho known as zapateado, the different rhythms, and the importance of each instrument. www.cafeconpan.ca
JOANNA MOON w/ guest DONNÉ ROBERTS- Family French World Café workshop for families
Saturday, May 14 – Doors 2:30 / Show 3pm
Tickets: Free!! Complètement gratuit! (kid friendly event)
Quebecois singer-songwriter Joanna Moon takes us on a musical trip around the Francophone world. With her rich and powerful voice, she passionately gives life to the gypsy soul in the most universal sense. Sing along, learn to play the spoons and dance some traditional steps from the French countryside! www.joanna-moon.com
SÍ CANADA – PART ONE w/ LUISITO ORBEGOSO
Saturday, May 14 – Show 10pm
Tickets: $15 adv / $20 door
The Canadian Latin music scene is exploding and the world is listening! Under the leadership of musical director Luisito Orbegoso, this first part of a two-part LULAWORLD presentation, features representative players from the various bands that play regularly at Lula’s popular weekend salsa nights. With a focus on original Canadian compositions, Orbegoso and co-director Sean Bellaviti, have sought to highlight the variety and originality of the material with contributions from Daniel Stone, Diego Marulanda, Evaristo Machado, Lady Son, Luis Mario Ochoa and Mario Allende. www.luisorbegoso.com
DAVID BUCHBINDER’S ODESSA HAVANA FEATURING HILARIO DURÁN
Sunday, May 15 – Doors 7pm / Show 8pm
Tickets: $18 adv / $20 door
Odessa/Havana is an explosive Jewish/Cuban mash-up, a high-powered collision of two great musical styles predated but not predicted by the Jewish-fuelled American Mambo craze of the 1950s. Comprised of award-winning trumpeter/composer David Buchbinder, JUNO award-winning pianist/composer Hilario Durán, and a crew of Canada’s top jazz and world musicians, they will present a preview of new original compositions that will appear on their upcoming sophomore album. www.odessahavana.com
JARON FREEMAN FOX
Tuesday, May 17 – 8:30 pm
Tickets: $13 adv / $15 door
Playing in a style that is undeniably his own, Freeman-Fox contorts his fiddle into new traditions and dances down the line between the soulful and the ridiculous. With his new album Manic Almanac : Slow Möbius, and a new fiery band “The Opposite of Everything”, this young fiddler is ready to make some big changes to the world of instrumental music. www.jaronfreemanfox.com
DANIELA NARDI’S ESPRESSO MANIFESTO
Wednesday, May 18 – 8:30 pm
Tickets: $18 adv / $20 door
New York’s Italian flavours inspired award-winning vocalist and composer Daniela Nardi’s third recording project, Espresso Manifesto, that features timeless Italian songs set in a cool jazz environment. Along with some originals penned by Nardi herself, it’s a collection of songs by Italy’s cantautori – hip, universally loved and admired singer-songwriters like Paolo Conte, Luigi Tenco, Gino Paoli. All the tunes represent a new breed of Italian song – groovy, sophisticated, meaningful, emotional – and now blend with Nardi’s signature nujazz-world-electro sound.www.danielanardi.com
DOMINIC MANCUSO & LOUIS SIMÃO w/ ROBERTO OCCHIPINTI
Thursday, May 19 – 8pm
Tickets: $13 adv / $15 door
Dominic Mancuso and Louis Simão have been interested in performing a collaborative concert for several years. The two Toronto-based artists of Italian and Portuguese heritage, recognized their common interest in exploring their European musical heritage while drawing on various world jazz influences and still maintaining a totally contemporary North American sensibility. Bassist Roberto Occhipinti is the ideal anchor for this special concert, having been a pivotal force in innumerable world jazz projects – working with artists such as Hilario
Durán, Michael Occhipinti’s Sicilian Jazz Project, 2011 JUNO award-winning The Gryphon Trio and many more.
Also featured in this special concert are guitarist Tony Zorzi and percussionists Chendy Leon and Ravi Naimpally.www.dominicmancuso.com / www.louissimao.com / www.robertoocchipinti.com
SOCALLED (Presented in association with Small World Music)
Thursday, May 19 – Show 10pm
Tickets: $15 adv / $20 door
Known for his genre-bending approach and his collaborations with musical giants of funk, (Klezmer, hip hop, lounge and classical music), Klezmer hip-hop maestro Socalled is a musician, producer, composer, arranger, magician, filmmaker, photographer and visual artist based in Montreal. When Socalled first heard Klezmer music on an old Yiddish record, he was fascinated by the cool sounds he could sample to make hip-hop beats. Then he realized that integrating this Jewish music from the 1930s into his songs was a way of representing himself and his cultural heritage and having fun at the same time. www.socalledmusic.com
SAMBA SQUAD Featuring LUANDA JONES
Friday, May 20 – Doors 7pm / Show 10pm
Tickets: $13 adv / $15 door
Samba Squad gathers diverse global influences and drops them in a seething cauldron to produce raw, vibrant and drum-heavy original compositions that rock the New Canadian Songbook. Rick Lazar has put together this special night of both new compositions and originals from Samba Squad’s well-loved repertoire – with some funked-up covers of traditional pieces thrown in for good measure. Featuring emerging Brazilian singer/songwriter Luanda Jones. www.sambasquad.com
SÍ CANADA – PART TWO – w/ ROBERTO LINARES BROWN
Saturday, May 21 – Show 10pm
Tickets: $15 adv / $20 door
In the second night of our two part presentation, bandleader/arranger/pianist/composer extraordinaire Roberto Linares Brown continues LULAWORLD’s celebration of Canadian compositions, bringing us an all-star line-up of the finest Cuban musicians in the country performing original pieces by Canadian artists such as Alberto Alberto, Yani Borrell Latin Grammy winner Alex Cuba and Brown himself. Special guests onboard to perform this unique fusion of modern musica cubana and contemporary R&B are vocalists Samira Abdulle, Carlyn Christian, Simi Obidi and rapper Jamie Iagallo.
ALINE MORALES BAND – CD RELEASE
w/ THE HEAVYWEIGHTS BRASS BAND & DJ GENERAL ECLECTIC
Sunday, May 22 – Door 7pm / Show 9pm
Tickets: $13 adv / $15 door
Brazilian-born singer, percussionist and composer Aline Morales begins a new chapter in her remarkable career with the launch of her stunning solo CD Flores Tambores Amores. Accompanied by many of the musicians from the album including producer David Arcus and percussionist Maninho Costa, this evening will be a special occasion for those who love the MPB (Music Popular Brasileira) Brazilian sounds of samba, tropicalia and maracatu combined with a wide range of music from around the world. www.alinemorales.com
WHO: Amanda Martinez, Bomba Estereo, Patricia Cano, Caché, Café Con Pan, Joanna Moon w/ Donné Roberts, Luisito Orbegoso and Lula All Stars, Odessa Havana, Jaron Freeman Fox, Daniela Nardi, Dominic Mancuso & Louis Simão with Roberto Occhipinti, Socalled, Samba Squad featuring Luanda Jones, Roberto Linares Brown, Aline Morales w/ The Heavyweights Brass Band & Dj General Eclectic
WHAT: Lulaworld 2011, a world music festival extravaganza
WHEN: Thursday, May 12 – Sunday, May 22
WHERE: Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. West
TICKETS: $15 – $25 (two events are free. See below for details)
Dinner reservations guarantee seating. Call 416 588 0307 or email reserve@lula.ca
WEBSITES: www.lula.ca