On the top of the golden age of reggae, a few of Jamaica’s brightest stars left their homeland to relocate to Toronto. Now their tales and the musical group they helped construct are celebrated in Graeme Mathieson and Chris Flanagan’s fascinating Nationwide Movie Board of Canada (NFB) anthology collection Sounds & Strain: Reggae in a Overseas Land, premiering August 23 on nfb.ca and the NFB’s streaming platform for sensible TVs.
Via uncommon archives, electrifying needle drops and energetic interviews, this five-part collection takes viewers from Kingston, Jamaica to Kensington Market in Toronto to see and listen to how reggae made roots in Canada towards all odds, chronicling the musical and geographical journeys of Nana McLean, Johnny Osbourne, Leroy Sibbles, Jerry Brown and the duo of Roy Panton and Yvonne Harrison.
Getting their sound to catch on in Canada wasn’t straightforward. These innovators of rhythm and rhyme needed to work towards racism, scarce assets and an trade that stigmatized reggae music. However that didn’t cease them from reworking the town right into a reggae mecca. With a highly effective message of affection and a revolutionary spirit behind them, these visionaries confronted the stress head on—and due to them, you may nonetheless really feel the infectious beats in Toronto reverberating everywhere in the world.
Particular Toronto screening, Paradise Theatre, August 22
Previous to the web launch, the Paradise Theatre (1006c Bloor Avenue West) is internet hosting a particular Toronto screening of all 5 episodes on August 22, beginning at 8 p.m. The screening can be adopted by a stay Q&A with administrators Graeme Mathieson and Chris Flanagan, and all 5 artists featured within the collection, moderated by journalist/radio host Danae Peart. Normal admission is $15.00 + HST/charges. Tickets can be found now at eventbrite.
Quick episode descriptions:
Roy Panton and Yvonne Harrison made historical past as one of many first Jamaican ska duos. A long time after going their separate methods, the pair rekindle their magic—this time, 3,000 kilometres north, in Scarborough, Ontario.
In opposition to the altering face of Toronto’s Little Jamaica, the place she established a few of the metropolis’s landmark reggae report shops, singer Nana McLean challenges outdated stereotypes and establishes her status because the queen of reggae in Canada.
Earlier than gaining worldwide recognition because the “Dancehall Godfather,” legendary singer Johnny Osbourne was on the forefront of a revolution that remodeled Toronto into one of the crucial vibrant reggae communities on the planet.
In Trench City—the birthplace of reggae—Leroy Sibbles rose to stardom because the lead singer of The Heptones and the undisputed king of the reggae bassline. Then, on the top of his profession, he left all of it behind to create a brand new legacy for himself in Toronto.
Jerry Brown’s Summer season Data was one of many first recording studios to offer Canadian reggae artists a voice. 4 many years later, never-before-seen footage lets us meet the person behind the mixer for the very first time.
The submit Jamaican musical trailblazers made Toronto a world-class reggae hotspot first appeared on Canadian Immigrant.