Sunfest: A three-act music sampler from the London festival

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With nearly 50 acts performing on multiple stages, London’s Sunfest celebration of Canadian and international music in Victoria Park has something for everyone as it completes its four-day run this weekend. Reporter Beatriz Baleeiro caught three acts Friday for a taste of the tunes.

THE ACT: KAZDOURA

The Toronto-based band, which recently played the Toronto Jazz Festival, is fronted by vocalist Leen Hamo, who emigrated from Syria to Canada, and multi-instrumentalist jazz musician Johnny Abou Chacra. They brought a mixture of jazz, funk, electro-pop and disco to the stage.

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THE MUSIC

Arabic fusion with Western influences such as funk, blues and jazz.

THE PERFORMANCE

The first act on the Brian Hanningan Memorial Jazz stage on Friday, Kazdoura played to a modest and cheerful crowd, many of whom gathered on picnic blankets or sat on chairs to watch the band’s festival debut. Not even a bit of light rain dampened spirits, with some in the audience getting up to dance when the percussion and sax kicked in. The group’s Arabic-fusion music with a modern twist also attracted other people, curious about the unfamiliar danceable rhythm, who were walking through the park.

THE ACT: SHEBAD

Hailing from Guelph, SHEBAD is a five-piece arrangement band and art project.

THE MUSIC

The band plays jazzy tunes with an indie soul vibe and says it draws its influences from Stevie Wonder, Amy Winehouse and Erykah Badu.

THE PERFORMANCE

Invited up near the stage by frontwoman Claire Voy, dozens of people responded when she encouraged the audience to dance. They were rewarded with jazzy tunes and funk vibes, from saxophone, trumpet, bass and guitar. Dozens of people moved to the performance from start to finish. Toward the end of the performance, the band played its new single Faeries, which also got the audience of all ages up from their chairs and dancing.

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THE ACT: THE EAGLE FLIGHT SINGERS

Familiar to many in the London area, the First Nations ensemble of singers, drummer and dancers – based in and around London – was honoured at the 2018 Forest City London Music Awards as the World Music Group of the Year.

THE MUSIC

Powwow-style singing and dancing, with Tarahumara drums.

THE PERFORMANCE

Playing on the festival’s new UNESCO City of Music Stage, the group made a grand entrance with the dancers assembling on the grass as the drummers and singers performed onstage. The five dancers, among them 11-year-old Ivey Sands, wearing jingle dresses, started with a traditional exhibition song. The first performance was followed by the Lady’s Dance of Respect, which pays tribute to Indigenous women. The show-stopper performer, 22-year-old Liam Sands, wore fancy regalia and danced with whip sticks. To wrap up, the crowd was invited to join the dancers in a Cree round dance. Each of the three performances received a lot of applause from the small but joyful crowd. At the end, dancers posed for photos with the audience curious to know more about the group’s dresses and story.

SUNFEST WEEKEND SCHEDULE

– Runs in Victoria Park on Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

– More than 60 performances on five stages in the park.

– For the full schedule, visit Sunfest’s website at sunfest.on.ca

bbaleeiro@postmedia.com

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