KENNY KIRKWOOD
6.00
Kenny Kirkwood is a Juno award-winning musician who has toured internationally in a career spanning three decades. His soulful sax has been featured with Gord Downie, Kim Mitchell, Jacksoul, Kevin Breit, NOJO and Paul Reddick. As a singer-songwriter Kenny brings a message of love and understanding to audiences who experience his interactive Eco Soul Jazz Dance Party.
Kenny is thankful and humbled to live and work on Turtle Island. As a queer person of celtic ancestry, Kenny supports the work of 2-Spirited People of the First Nations. He has played sax with many Indigenous artists including Isaac Murdoch, Logan Staats, Joshua Arden Miller, Lacey Hill, Derek Miller, Cheri Maracle, Murray Porter, and The Ollivanders, in diverse genres from rock, jazz and blues, to spoken word folk, as well as traditional singing and drumming at land and water protector events.
Harlem-born, Kenny spent his formative years in Zambia, Central Africa. Growing up he heard the traditional Indigenous music of the Nyanja and Bemba speakers, as well as church choirs and the folk-rock fusion groups of the ZAMROCK movement of the 70's in central Africa. Building on these experiences, Kenny's original music highlights the value of humans making live music together, that we each bring and receive something deeply authentic everytime we make space to interact with sound, space and time.
OKAN
8.30
Charged with the profound power of their African ancestry. OKAN takes their name from the word for heart in the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria. Fusing these Cuban roots with indie jazz, folk and global rhythms, OKAN delivers songs about immigration, resistance and joy in Spanish, Yoruba and Spanglish.
Hot off their Tiny Desk NPR Alt Latino debut and a tour supporting Grammy-winners Rodrigo y Gabriela, OKAN’s recent release Okantomi was awarded the 2024 Juno Award and included in NPR Alt Latino, Le Monde, and CBC Music’s “Best of 2023” lists.
OKAN is co-led by Cuban-born Grammy & Latin-Grammy nominees: violinist and vocalist Elizabeth Rodriguez and her wife, percussionist & vocalist Magdelys Savigne.
$15 cover after 10PM and $20 after 2AM, with all proceeds going directly to the musicians performing.
MARTA ELENA
11.30
Marta Elena, Juno winner and Excellence Award winner (Celebration of Latin Culture and Community,) was born into a musical family in Havana, Cuba.
She belongs to a younger generation of Cuban musicians who are happy to honour the island nation's Afro-Latin musical roots while looking for new ways to express the music that courses through the country's veins.
She started to sing at 10, performing in all school events and amateur presentations. At 18, her professional performance was singing as part of the chorus of the Company of Zarzuelas and Operettas of the Teatro Lirico Nacional, one of the most famous theatres in Havana. After many years of performing with different bands in Cuba and worldwide, Marta Elena immigrated to Canada to pursue her musical career.
Moving to Toronto in 2011 puts her in demand, performing with the who-is-who in the Canadian scene at various local venues and festivals.
In Canada, Marta Elena's recent highlight performances include her Western Canadian tour in 2022, her Bader Centre appearance as a Guest of Hilario Duran and his Latin Jazz Big Band, and her performance as the special guest of the Ontario Pops Orchestra. In addition, she has a busy schedule for this summer 2024.
Marta Elena's personality, powerful voice, and stage presence make her a total entertainer, composer, and gifted artist.
OHM
2.30
The Architects, the debut album from Dan Bruce’s new trio Ohm!, is a journey through funky pockets and jazz/rock fusion for those who like surprises. This power trio performs a vibrant blend of genres underpinned by their irresistible energy and accessibility. They achieve an impressive variety of textures and moods while maintaining rhythmic momentum and a high level of interaction. A fun listen for those who like a little chaos with their grooves.