Graeme Mathieson & Chris Flanagan's excellent documentary series Sounds & Pressure: Reggae In A Foreign Land screens on TVO on Sunday at 9 pm.
Sounds & Pressure: Reggae In A Foreign Land
At the height of the golden age of reggae, some of Jamaica’s brightest stars left their homeland behind to shine their light in an unlikely hub of Caribbean creativity: Toronto. Sounds & Pressure: Reggae in a Foreign Land is a captivating five-part anthology series that chronicles the musical and geographical journeys of Nana McLean, Johnny Osbourne, Leroy Sibbles, Jerry Brown and duo Roy Panton and Yvonne Harrison. Through rare archives, electrifying needle drops and lively interviews with the artists themselves, directors Graeme Mathieson and Chris Flanagan take you from Kingston to Kensington Market to see and hear how reggae made roots in Canada against all odds.
Watch the Sounds & Pressure trailer and the five episodes below.
Toronto reggae great Nana McLean will be backed by Dub Chronicles at 254 Lansdowne on Saturday. DJ Earl Grey spins vinyl gems.
Here's the scoop...
Canadian Reggae Queen Nana McLean will be making a rare appearance as part of the Saturday Night Rockers party at BSMT 254 (254 Lansdowne) backed by The Dub Chronicles with DJ Earl Grey on the decks! Tickets are $22.63 advance and available via Eventbrite right here.
NANA MCLEAN’s long, storied singing career began in St. Catherine, Jamaica and eventually brought her to Toronto where she continues to record and perform to this day. Her 1977 debut single ‘’Till I Kiss You” on the legendary STUDIO ONE record label is a banger that still crushes at dances to this day, as do many of her other cuts on essential record labels as Jammy’s and A&M, earning her the title ’The Queen of Reggae in Canada’.
Nana was also recently featured in the superb NFB 'Sounds and Pressure: Reggae in a Foreign Land' documentary series.
Co-Creator of the series, and founder of the Toronto-based SHELLA RECORDS, Mr. Chris Flanagan aka DJ EARL GREY is co-producing this show, will be selling exclusive vinyl from his label & will be your DJ for the evening.
Says DJ Earl Grey: "Over the weekend I had the pleasure of witnessing some studio magic with Nana McLean and Local Dish in The Dub Shed working on some new lathe cut 45s for the Saturday night Rockers show at BSMT 254 (Check it out right here). Though Nana is now a friend, it's a surreal experience to see such a legend at work in the studio. One of these tracks – which echoes Half Moon productions like Joe Higgs "Creation" – will be available for sale oat the show along with other Local Dish and Shella productions. Be there early and see our Queen of Reggae in combination with The Dub Chronicles for a Studio One showcase!!"
It should also be mentioned that backing up Nana will be Toronto’s own ‘brothers in dub’ - THE DUB CHRONICLES, who have just released their 4th fantastic full-length album, THE ARCHIVES which is now available on all streaming platforms. It's an 11-track instrumental gem that explores the depths of dub music. The opening set will feature choice cuts from that album with a couple guest vocal appearances.
And, of course, we mustn’t forget to mention our illustrious Master of Ceremonies … Toronto’s very own ‘Dub-Poet-At-Large’ … the Right Honourable MR. CLIFTON JOSEPH.
This will be a night to remember … and is truly not to be missed! Check out Nana's segment from the Sounds and Pressure documentary series along with a 2016 performance at the Opera House below.
Jay Douglas highlights a salute to Toronto's Caribbean music legacy at TD Music Hall (178 Victoria) on Saturday at 8 pm.
THE SOUND OF RHYTHMS & RESISTANCE
featuring: JAY DOUGLAS, NANA McLEAN, AMMOYE & KAiRO McLEAN
house band: THE HUMAN RIGHTS
with Rayzalution & DJ Chocolate
MC Carrie Mullings
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 4
at TD MUSIC HALL
178 Victoria Street, Toronto
8pm doors
$30 (plus charges) advance. Get tickets from TD Music Hall here.
The Sound of Rhythms and Resistance builds on the Toronto Music Experience’s acclaimed exhibition at Friars Music Museum (which was produced in association with the Downtown Yonge BIA) in celebrating the rich legacy of reggae in Toronto. Audiences will hear music from the originators who came here from Jamaica in the 1960s and 70s through to today's innovators. The evening will feature much-loved veteran artists Jay Douglas and Nana McLean and contemporary stars Ammoye (7-time JUNO nominee) and 2-time JUNO winner Kairo McLean, all backed by our house band, The Human Rights. The opening set will be by all-female band Rayzalution, with DJ Chocolate and MC Carrie Mullings.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Jay Douglas
Jay Douglas is a 3-time JUNO award nominee, music producer and bandleader of the Jay Douglas All-Star Band and performed in the first Caribana parade in 1967 as a member of The Cougars. He has performed at various festivals worldwide, including Rastafest in Toronto and the 4 Seasons Reggae Cruise in Atlanta, Georgia. He has worked with international reggae stars such as Beres Hammond, Freddie McGregor, Marcia Griffiths, Luciano, Ken Boothe, Leroy Sibbles, Sly Dunbar, General Trees, Ziggy Marley, Lynn Taitt and guitar great Ernest Ranglin. Jay played a crucial role in Light In The Attic's important Jamaica To Toronto anthology and their 2004 reissue of the classic Wayne McGhie & The Sounds Of Joy album. Jay has been involved in a great deal of community work including working with Councillor Josh Colle to establish Reggae Lane in Toronto. Listen to Jay's new Sly Dunbar-produced single, "The World Is Troubled" featuring Tasha T (below).
Nana McLean
Nana McLean recorded her debut single in 1977 at Studio One for legendary producer Clement Coxsone Dodd, with a rendition of the Everly Brothers' classic ‘Till I Kissed You’ (listen below). After four decades, she is still one of reggae music’s premier artists and proudly wears the crown as the Queen of Reggae in Canada. On any given day, you can find Nana still busy in the studio recording songs as she has been doing for many years. She still receives calls from many notable producers who want to capture her unique and sweet vocals and potent lyrics on their latest riddims. Popular music selectors still reach out for dubplates of some of her biggest hits.
Ammoye
Singing songs of love, life and justice, 7-time JUNO nomine Ammoye delivers a wholly unique future forward reggae sound that incorporates old-school rocksteady dancehall and dubstep, with gospel, soul and R&B. With her infectious voice and messages of empowerment, Jamaican-born Ammoye is a lightworker and self declared soul rebel. Ammoye’s newest 13-track album Water features a who’s who of the contemporary international reggae scene with production from Jamaica’s Tandra Lytes Jhagroo and Natural High, Toronto’s own DJ Agile and Danny Maestro, The Senior Allstars from Germany, Thomas Blondet from Brooklyn, Adian Hanson Donsome of NYC’s Donsome Records and the legendary Lord SassaFras.
Kairo McLean
Winner of two consecutive JUNO Awards at the age of 14, Kairo McLean was two years old he began to show an interest in music and by the time he was 3 he was already playing drums. At 5 he picked up the acoustic guitar and by 6 he was already singing and performing at festivals. To call this child a natural would be an understatement. Kairo is a true scholar of reggae music. He is deeply familiar with all the artists in the genre, past records, musicians, producers and sound systems, details that only the most studied connoisseur of reggae would know. When it comes to his own compositions, Kairo is as “old school” as it gets, drawing influence from Peter Tosh, Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs.
The Human Rights
Since they came together in 2007 around one of the Toronto reggae scene’s true lions, Friendlyness (Big Sugar, Culture Shock, Truth And Rights), The Human Rights have become one of the most beloved and respected Canadian independent reggae bands. In 2014, our longtime bredren Tréson joined the band to give them a uniquely powerful two-man vocal front line that delivers roots reggae, soul, R&B and dancehall vibes. They have played over 200 club and festival shows across Canada, and earlier this year toured the United States for the first time; and will be playing at the New Orleans Reggae Festival this October.
Rayzalution
This all-female reggae band draws influences from greats such as Bob Marley, Marcia Griffiths, Third World, Morgan Heritage, Chronixx & Zinc Fence Band, Beres Hammond, Buju Banton, Destiny’s Child, and En Vouge. With powerful vocals they combine heavenly harmonies with exceptional musicianship and dynamic performances, the band promotes positivity and spreads a conscious message while still having a good time entertaining the audience. The band has shared the stage with international reggae acts such as: Maxi Priest, Freddie McGregor, Baby Cham, Shanchez, Romain Virgo, Dexta Daps, Mikey Spice, Beenie-Man, I-Wayne, Razor B, Marcia Griffiths, Lady G, Sister Nancy and the Mighty Diamonds to name a few.
DJ Chocolate
Whether it’s playing music, working as a lawyer, furthering this business of music with her two
companies or at the controls and decks of her radio show, DJ Chocolate never sleeps! Chocolate has been sharing the vibes on stage and on radio and at parties and concerts across North America for over thirty years alongside greats from the reggae and jungle world, including Burning Spear, Luciano, the second-generation Marleys, Sly & Robbie, Meta and the Cornerstones, Exco Levi and countless others. Most recently, she joined a well-known sound crew based in the US. Jamaica and Barbados called Hardcore International Music.
MC Carrie Mullings
Born into a musical family, Carrie Mullings was surrounded by the sounds of reggae music from an early age. Her father, the late Karl Winston Mullings, was a pioneer of the Jamaica to Toronto musical explosion and shared his gift with Carrie and her younger sister, Tanya. For over two decades, Carrie Mullings has been a force to be reckoned with in the Canadian music and media industries. She has contributed immensely to the growth and development of the Canadian reggae music infrastructure, bringing the genre into the forefront of worldwide recognition and reception. Celebrating her 20th year in radio broadcasting, Carrie continues to empower the community by sharing and uplifting through the airwaves.
