home

From Qawwali to Zimbabwe & Free Tickets

Apr 15, 2015

We’re pleased to announce the final addition to the lineup for the 13th Annual Asian Music Series, sponsored by TD Bank. The series ends on a rousing note on Sunday May 31st in Mississauga, as we host an evening of qawwali. Fanna-Fi-Allah are an inspiring group of young devotees of the legacy of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. With their rich rhythmic grooves, soaring vocal melodies and the bright intensity of their live performances, Fanna-Fi-Allah urges us to lift our hearts in exaltation and devotion to the Divine. A fine way to enter summer! You can join us for this amazing event FREE if you respond to ali@smallworldmusic.com. Check out the video below for a taste of their music.This week, it’s India meets Japan as the YO trio grace the stage of the Small World Centre. Combing the talents of one of Zakir Hussain’s premier disciples in tabla master Ty Burhoe, with two of Japan’s up and coming instrumentalists on shamisen and shakuhachi, the group create a virtuosic and soulful intercultural dialogue. YO’s  onstage chemistry is a kind of musical alchemy of gorgeous melodies, sizzling rhythms and scintillating synergy.On Saturday, our good friend Oliver Mtukudzi returns to Toronto to celebrate Zimbabwean Independence Day at Koerner Hall. One of Africa’s greatest musical ambassadors, he and his band the Black Spirits will share the night with the fine young Ugandan singer Kinobe, whom we presented some  years ago. Should be a great night!

Next week, the Asian Music Series brings a unique event in Voices of Asia. We’re really looking forward to the results of this musical mixer. Four of the city’s finest performers from a variety of Asian musical backgrounds will spend next week in an intensive repertoire development incubator. The concert on the 25th will present the superb results.

                                                                      

YO – Spirit of Asia

Friday April 17th, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

Olive Mtukudzi & the Black Spirits w/ special guest Kinobe

Saturday April 18th, Koerner Hall

Get Tickets

Voices of Asia

Saturday April 25th, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

Dorjee Tsering

Saturday May 2nd, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

kLoX & Snowday w/ DJ medicineman

Sunday May 3rd, Lula Lounge

Get Tickets

Footsteps of Babur

Friday May 8th, Aga Khan Museum

Get Tickets

Niladri Kumar & Aditya Kalyanpur

Sunday May 17th, Glenn Gould Studio

Get Tickets

Sound of Dragon

Thursday May 21st, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

Fanna-Fi-Allah

Sunday May 31st, Living Arts Centre – RBC Theatre

Get Tickets

Domingão do Samba! (Big Samba Sunday) w/ Batucada Carioca & friends

LINK

Community Events

Small World Music supports our community partners and family of world music artists performing around the greater Toronto area. Visit the Small World Music site to learn more about all the great events happening in the city.

Support Small World

Small World Music Society is a charitable organization and presenter of culturally diverse music, supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Ontario Arts Council, the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Toronto Arts Council, as well as community and corporate partners.

Asian Music Series – Rhythm & Drone + Contests!

Apr 09, 2015

Last Thursday was a great launch to the 13th Annual Asian Music Series, sponsored by TD Bank. Ajinai rocked the Small World Centre with their Mongolia-meets-the-dance-floor sound. NOW Magazine chose it as one of the ‘Shows that Rocked Toronto’ last week! Speaking of media, our series partner CBC have a contest in which you can win an all access pass to the Centre. Check their page here.The Series continues with two compelling events this weekend, full of rhythm and meditative grooves. On Saturday at Harbourfront Centre, a reunion of two of the city’s global rhythm stalwarts brings the Japanese drumming of Nagata Shachu together with the Indian percussion of the Toronto Tabla Ensemble. These two groups will showcase the rhythmic possibilities created when crossing two great traditions.The following evening, at the Small World Centre, it’s a musical healing session featuring more Indian rhythms. For this special concert, DroneDoctor augments their lineup of accordion, banjo, viola and bass with tabla and dholak to create a cultural mix that will sooth and invigorate. The group’s ‘musical meditations’ have won praise from a wide range of listeners.

Next week, it’s more cross-cultural mixology. We’re looking forward to the Toronto debut of YO – Spirit of Asia. This Tokyo-based trio of master musicians pairs Japanese shamisen and shakuhachi with Indian tabla to create sizzling virtuosic interchange. A lucky few can join us for FREE if you respond quickly to ali@smallworldmusic.com

 

                                         
Executive Director

Nagata Shachu and Toronto Tabla Ensemble

Saturday April 11th, Brigantine Room – Harbourfront Centre

Get Tickets

DroneDoctor

Sunday April 12th, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

YO – Spirit of Asia

Friday April 17th, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

Olive Mtukudzi & the Black Spirits w/ special guest Kinobe

Saturday April 18th, Koerner Hall

Get Tickets

Voices of Asia

Saturday April 25th, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

Dorjee Tsering

Saturday May 2nd, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

kLoX & Snowday w/ DJ medicineman

Sunday May 3rd, Lula Lounge

Get Tickets

Footsteps of Babur

Friday May 8th, Aga Khan Museum

Get Tickets

Niladri Kumar & Aditya Kalyanpur

Sunday May 17th, Glenn Gould Studio

Get Tickets

Sound of Dragon

Thursday May 21st, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

Celebration: Quique Escamilla’s Juno Award win for “500 Years of Night”

LINK

Community Events

Small World Music supports our community partners and family of world music artists performing around the greater Toronto area. Visit the Small World Music site to learn more about all the great events happening in the city.

Support Small World

Small World Music Society is a charitable organization and presenter of culturally diverse music, supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Ontario Arts Council, the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Toronto Arts Council, as well as community and corporate partners.

Asian Music Series Kick-off and Ticket Giveaway!

Apr 01, 2015

No April Fools joke here – tomorrow’s launch of the 13th Annual Asian Music Series is going to rock! Ajinai arrived in town yesterday and their teaser lunchtime performance at the Small World Centre offered a taste of some awesome music to come! Check out our 15 sec Asian Music Series video below to see what I mean.Two more announcements in the series: On May 17th, in association with Raag Mala Music Society, one of the rising stars of Indian music returns. Niladri Kumar is his generation’s most talked-about young sitar player and he’s joined by highly respected tabla player Aditya Kalyanpur. The concert, at the Glenn Gould Studio will be a highlight of our two-month program.Following shortly thereafter, it’s an example of high-level musical merging. Vancouver’s Sound of Dragon combines Chinese music with contemporary compositional techniques to create a compelling modern soundscape. They’ll perform at the Small World Centre on the 21st. The first to reply to ali@smallworldmusic.com gets a pair of tickets!

Speaking of crossovers, the April 12th meeting between the Nagata Shachu group and Toronto Tabla Ensemble takes place April 12th. We can share a special Discount Code with newsletter readers. Quote TABLA15 or TABLASTUDENT to save.

Two initiatives of interest to the musicians on our list. The Sound Clash Music Awards is Harbourfront Centre’s annual live music competition for forward-thinking artists from all genres and one of the Canada’s largest contemporary music prizes. Between April 1 and May 10, Harbourfront hosts an open call for submissions from which a jury of local music tastemakers selects a shortlist who will perform July 10-12.

Meanwhile, JAZZ.FM91 is presenting a Music Business Seminar for enterprising musicians – The Musician’s Toolkit: What it Takes to Succeed in Today’s Music Business takes place on the 11th. The event is designed to help artists in all musical genres to gain knowledge and expertise to succeed in the Canadian music marketplace.

 

                                         
Executive Director

Ajinai

April 2nd, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

Nagata Shachu and Toronto Tabla Ensemble

Saturday April 11th, Brigantine Room – Harbourfront Centre

Get Tickets

DroneDoctor

Sunday April 12th, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

Oliver Mtukudzi & The Black Spirits w/ Kinobe

Saturday April 18th, Koerner Hall

Get Tickets

Voices of Asia

Saturday April 25th, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

Dorjee Tsering

Saturday May 2nd, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

kLoX and Snowday

Sunday May 3rd, Lula Lounge

Get Tickets

Footsteps of Babur

Saturday May 8th, Aga Khan Museum

Get Tickets

Niladri Kumar with Aditya Kalyanpur

Sunday May 17th, Glenn Gould Studio

Get Tickets

Sound of Dragon

Thursday May 21st, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

Sound Clash Music Awards

LINK

Community Events

Small World Music supports our community partners and family of world music artists performing around the greater Toronto area. Visit the Small World Music site to learn more about all the great events happening in the city.

Support Small World

Small World Music Society is a charitable organization and presenter of culturally diverse music, supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Ontario Arts Council, the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Toronto Arts Council, as well as community and corporate partners.

Upcoming Asian Music / Tibetan Ticket Takeaway!

Mar 25, 2015

Next week in addition to the promise of April, brings the launch of our 13th Annual Asian Music Series, sponsored by TD Bank. The opening event is the Toronto debut of an amazing band from China. As mentioned previously, Ajinai brings the music of Mongolia into the modern age. It’s going to be a great launch into Easter weekend at the Small World Centre. To whet your appetite, there’s a great interview with the band here.Looking toward May and warmer weather, the Series has lots in store. On the 2nd, it’s a CD release concert of Tibetan music at the Small World Centre. Dorjee Tsering has devoted his life to learning the ancient ways of Tibetan music and dance and sharing these traditions with as many people as he can. We’re lucky to have a number of talented musicians amongst the local Tibetan diaspora and are looking forward to this. You can join us FREE if you’re quick on the draw – the first response to ali@smallworldmusic.com gets in!The following night at Lula Lounge, it’s an Indo-meets-electronica vibe. As kLoX, Gurpreet Chana ‘The Tabla Guy’ and Mason Bach bring together tabla and electronically processed violin with an aim  to explore dance floor oriented electronic music. The bill also features the ambient electronic sounds of Snowday and grooves courtesy of DJ medicineman. Check out this freshly posted video from a performance at Koerner Hall. Check out the video below!

Then on May 8th at the beautiful Aga Khan Museum, it’s a journey on the Silk Road with ‘Footsteps of Babur’ – bringing together remarkable musicians from Afghanistan, India, and Tajikistan, this performance celebrates the exuberant vitality of the Mughal court, featuring Afghan rubab master Homayun Sakhi.

Meanwhile, next week at the Small World Centre, an evening of African music features singer / songwriter Trinity Mpho. Since coming to Toronto from Botswana three years ago, Trinity has developed a repertoire of Afrojazz with lyrics sung in his Sebirwa mother tongue.

                                         
Executive Director

Ajinai

April 2nd, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

Nagata Shachu and Toronto Tabla Ensemble

Saturday April 11th, Brigantine Room – Harbourfront Centre

Get Tickets

DroneDoctor

Sunday April 12th, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

Oliver Mtukudzi & The Black Spirits w/ Kinobe

Saturday April 18th, Koerner Hall

Get Tickets

Voices of Asia

Saturday April 25th, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

Dorjee Tsering

Saturday May 2nd, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

kLoX and Snowday

Sunday May 3rd, Lula Lounge

Get Tickets

Footsteps of Babur

Saturday May 8th, Aga Khan Museum

Get Tickets

Trinity Mpho – April 4th, Small World Music Centre

Get Tickets

Community Events

Small World Music supports our community partners and family of world music artists performing around the greater Toronto area. Visit the Small World Music site to learn more about all the great events happening in the city.

Support Small World

Small World Music Society is a charitable organization and presenter of culturally diverse music, supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Ontario Arts Council, the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Toronto Arts Council, as well as community and corporate partners.