Luis Mario Ochoa Afro-Latin music in the New World.
By michelle-lee
The City of Toronto is bursting with festivals and “happenings” taking place all through the summer months. Along with the largest event of its kind in Canada, “Scotiabank Caribana”, music is front and center throughout the city and surrounding suburbs. There are at least five boat cruises planned, Caribbean-themed dances, various music events such as, Salsa on St., Clair, and the 22nd Beaches International Jazz Festal which takes place from July 16 -25th and includes various concerts and a 3-day street festival (July 22-24). The street festival showcases upwards of 50 bands and music from Big Band, Swing, Dixieland, Afro-Cuban, Fusion, Funk, R&B and Soul along a 2 km stretch of Queen Street E. On July 24th Dan Hill is one of the performers and Bluesman Madagascar Slim appears July 25th. at the Kew Gardens venue. Also new this year is Latin Square Concerts on the boardwalk along the shores of Lake Ontario (July 23-25).
Caribana Update: Organizers are scrambling to raise funds to cover the shortfall in government funds this year. Despite raking in $4.83 million for the provincial economy and 1.2 million attendees last year, (IPSOS Reid Study), both the Marquee Tourism Events Program and the Province’s Celebrate Ontario fund by-passed Caribana this year and Heritage Canada scaled back their grant from $100,000 to $40,000. Caribana has managed to secure new corporate sponsors (Mobilicity, Grace Foods, Toronto Star) but has had to scale back their budget from $2.5 million to $1.8 million and staff members have taken a 30% pay cut. Caribana chair Joe Halstead says he is still hopeful the federal government may still come through with some last minute funding. Despite the financial concerns and cut backs, organizers promise Caribana will be a success and festival-goers will not notice any changes.
De Scotiabank Caribana Lime to be held August 1-2 at Ontario Place will feature 35 acts. Entertainers include: Steele, CFP Dancers, Iwer George, Jay Douglas, Roy Cape Band, and Macomere Fifi. Grace Tropical Rhythms Food Festival (Aug.1) is from noon to 8 PM.
Jazz Festival: Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews & Orleans Avenue a 6-piece band from Treme, a district in New Orleans, rocked and dazzled the large crowd at Woodbine Park July 18th. The band was the closing act at the day-long music extravaganza that is part of the 22nd Annual Beaches International Jazz Festival. Leader of the band is the charismatic Andrews who sings, plays and dances up a storm. Backed by fabulous musicians, Andrews and the band performed a mixed bag of music that included a jazzy rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On”, a funky extended James Brown mix, the New Orleans standard “When The Saints Go Marching In” and several tunes from their new CD “Backatown”. Woodbine Park, at the corner of Native Dancer Blvd and Lakeshore Road, used to be a race track but is now a huge beautiful space steps away from Woodbine Beach on Lake Ontario. This night, along with two stages were colorful venue tents, a beer garden and several food booths. An enjoyable surprise was the giveaways (i.e. free ice cream sandwiches, different types of bagged chips, etc. distributed all day long. The organizers also hired several people who walked through the crowd with garbage bags, keeping the site spotless. The free event, which began at 1 PM and ended at about 10:30 PM, was a huge success, complimented by gorgeous weather, a wide variety of jazz representing several countries such as Cuba and Argentina. The Caribbean was represented by the band CaneFire that showcased Trinidadian Pan Master Mark Mosca. And the Montreal Hip Hop group Nomadic Massive (also the title of their new album) presented a wide array of vocal styles and jazz/rap/hip hop that certainly pleased the crowd.
Also Luis Mario Ochoa (August 28). Born in Cuba he arrived in Canada in 1990 and formed his band Cimarron. Ochoa is legendary among Toronto’s Latin music scene. The Saturday Night Cabarets run all year. The Young Centre for the Performing Arts is an award-winning multi-venue performing arts facility located in Toronto’s historic Distillery District (55 Mill St. Building 49). The Centre is a home for Toronto’s leading artists and arts organizations across all performance disciplines.
Jambana Festival. To be held August 2nd at Downsview Park from 1-9PM is presented by Air Jamaica. Entertainers include Byron Lee’s Dragonaires, Baby Boyz, Kim Davis, Blessed, Steele and Kay Morris. Featuring fun for the entire family, there is also the “Lick-A-Six Domino Tournament, Children’s Village, Travel & Trade Village, Food Village and The Health Village. Cover Charge: Advance $5, Gate $7. VIP Village $20. Partial proceeds donated to “Friends of the Poor” and “He
