Thursday
May 10
2007
Lula World: Philippe Lafreniere and Steven Patterson of People Project + Kobo Town
Functioning as a vehicle for expressing our internal struggle as human beings in the 21st century against the dehumanization of our people, the hypocrisy of our times and the destruction of our natural environment, not only in our respective cities but all around the globe, the idea of People Project allows us to reflect on our daily life in the urban environment in a critical, positive and constructive way and respond on an artistic level as citizens of the Earth as opposed to nations. We are celebrating this through our new and original style of music.
Founded in 2005 by Mexico City's Gabriel Bronfman and Ottawa's Philippe Lafreniere in collaboration with Steven Patterson (Ottawa) and Maria Emilia Martinez (Mexico), People Project has worked together on numerous occasions both in Canada and in Mexico. The original material that makes up their repertoire was written, arranged, produced and is interpreted by Gabriel Bronfman and Philippe Lafreniere with the participation of special guests and other collaborators, mainly with the use of acoustic and electro-acoustic instruments, esp. voice, guitar and cajon, saxophone and flute.
As a result of the distance between countries, People Project continues to develop in new and interesting ways. In Mexico, Gabriel Bronfman and Maria Emilia Martinez along with other collaborators and special guests continue to play, and interpret songs from the album while writing and performing even more new and original material. In Canada, Philippe Lafreniere and Steven Patterson are joined by Pierre Chrétien, also of The Souljazz Orchestra (SJO) where they also share songs from the People Project upcoming album, write, and continue to extend their repertoire to include a variety of blues, reggae and latin and funk.
*Kobo Town*
Founded by bandleader Drew Gonsalves, Kobo Town is named after the historic neighborhood in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, where traditional calypso (kaiso) was born amid the boastful, humourous and militant chants of the roaming stickfighters. Situated near the fishermen’s wharf, the area was a site of constant defiance and conflict, a place where sticks and stones, songs and verses clashed with the bayonets and batons of colonial rule. For the members of the eight-piece outfit, the name suggests an origin as well as a destination.
Calypso is an art that developed in dialogue with other musical forms. The members of Kobo Town, who come to calypso from all over the musical map, hope to continue and extend this tradition of rhythmic and melodic cross-pollination. Singer-songwriter Drew Gonsalves, from Diego Martin, Trinidad, owes a heavy debt to the dazzling wordplay and rapid-fire imagery of rapso and dub poetry. Percussionist Derek Thorne, from Maraval, Trinidad, brings the explosive drum rhythms of West Africa to the group, forging a sonic link between calypso and its earliest, deepest roots. Ravi Jadoonanan, who mastered the dholak at the Hindu temple in his hometown of Chaguanas, Trinidad, adds the driving beats of the Indo-Caribbean, while drummer Stich Wynston, a Toronto native, contributes the dynamic and spontaneous character of freestyle jazz. With Jamaican-born Roger Williams comes the heavy bass grooves of reggae, rock steady and funk. Although a classically trained guitarist from St. James, Trinidad, Cesco Emmanuel’s raw and energetic playing betrays his history as a pioneer of the island’s rock underground. And Osvaldo Rodriguez, from Havana, Cuba, brings the syncopated violin melodies of the Cuban charanga, a style of music that experienced its “golden age” at the same time as calypso.
Exploring the rich lyrical tradition and compelling rhythms of calypso’s formative years – the age of the Roaring Lion, Mighty Spoiler, Lord Invader, King Radio and Attila the Hun – Kobo Town strives to demonstrate the contemporary relevance of their art by engaging the pressing concerns of our time. Domestic violence, the US war on Iraq, the paradoxes of globalization, the ongoing state of Caribbean dependency, and the bittersweet experience of immigration are all treated within their wide and varied repertory.
For Kobo Town, Trinidad’s musical heritage is a living, growing body of work, with a continuing importance in their lives, the West Indies and the world. While exploring new sounds and arrangements, their songs resonate with the satire, storytelling and social concern that lie at the center of Trinidad’s national art.
Read about Kobotown in the Toronto Star