Upcoming Events @ LULA

Lula's Cuban Fridays continue in January but with a classical twist on the 20th of January. Each Friday, Lula Lounge presents Toronto's best Cuban groups with DJ Billy Bryans and Dance lessons by Miko and Sarita. Lula's Cuban Fridays are a tropical holiday that everyone can afford. Come early to try our tropical fusion menu and the best mojito in town. On January 13th, we’ll be featuring Juno nominated Evaristo Machado. Machado's album Luna Del Barrio has been making favourite salsa album charts on some of Europe's best known salsa websites. On January 26, Café Cubano will transform Lula into a sizzling Havana nightclub.

Before our January 20 Cuban Friday Dance party we will be treated to the return of the Gryphon Trio. The Gryphon Trio has been touring for over a decade and is considered one of North America's premier chamber ensembles. They have released five celebrated recordings featuring works by Haydn, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Lalo and Canadian composers Chan Ka-Nin, Gary Kulesha, Kelly-Marie Murphy, and Christos Hatzis. The Gryphon’s Beethoven CD was recently chosen as best Canadian Chamber Music Recording by OPUS magazine and the Canadian Premieres CD was recently awarded a Juno.

The Trio is aptly named after the Gryphon, the mythical creature that is half lion and half eagle and is reputed to be a guardian of treasures and a symbol of the connection between psychic energy and cosmic force.

This will be the Gryphon Trio's fourth concert at Lula Lounge. At each of these events, the Gryphon Trio has joined forces with North America's finest Latin and Brazilian Jazz musicians to explore the intersection of classical repertoire and the musical canons of Brazil and Cuba. Entitled Driven by Rhythm, the January 20th concert promises to continue to expand the boundaries of chamber music and to put you in the mood for dancing.

Dinner reservations guarantee best seating so call early to reserve your table.

Jan 20 Gryphon Trio

Those who attended the John Cale concerts back in November will remember the firey opening performance by singer and composer Priya Thomas. Thomas is a rising star in England and steadily gaining recognition on the North American rock scene. Her latest CD, "You and Me Against the World Baby" is about to be released in North America and is expected by many to be Thomas' breakthrough album. Her fourth release, "You and Me Against the World Baby", is surprisingly melodic yet challenging in its lyrics and political stance. The lyrical content cartwheels through stories of bruised relationships, warnings of environmental destruction, human frailties and biblical prophecy.

"Touches of Polly Jean, Blondie and Siouxsie come together in the elfin body, shocking white hair and art-school dance of Priya Thomas. Her music hails from the full-on rock and roll side of punk, but it's her moves, angular yet flowing like a staccato ballet, that really grab you attention."
~ BBC Manchester

"Onstage she unleashes a wild swagger that would make Mick Jagger proud..."
~ Elle Magazine

Jan 19 Priya Thomas

Toronto native Kellylee Evans is a unique voice in the urban-jazz world and some of the world's top musicians have taken notice. Her debut album, Fight Or Flight?, features a crack band whose credits include Art Blakey, Ravi Coltrane, Chet Baker, Chuck Mangione, Billy Joel and Art Garfunkel. Helping out on the album was keyboardist/pianist George Colligan (Cassandra Wilson, Ravi Coltrane), guitarist Marvin Sewell (Cassandra Wilson, George Benson, David Sandborn), drummer Steve Hass (Art Garfunkel, Billy Joel, The Manhattan Transfer), and percussionist Kahlil Kwame Bell (Erykah Badu, Roberta Flack, Common). Trumpet player Alexander Norris and accordionist Rachelle Garniez lent their talent to a track a piece.

From the sultry "What About Me" and "Hooked" to the bluesy "I Don't Think I Want To Know," to the reggae-flavored "Let's Call A Truce Tonight" and sexy poetical Spanish vibe of "Rapunzel," the album is an eclectic but focused effort, held together by Kellylee's rich, expressive, effortless vocal range. More info at www.kellyleeevans.com

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.

Since Kobo Town's formation in 2004, the group has been in the studio recording its debut album between Toronto (August 2004) and Port-of-Spain with Trinidadian (Oct 2004 & March 2005) with producer Lyndon Livingstone, where they performed with Orange Sky and the Gayelle TV network. 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.

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.

Jan 25 Kobo Town and Kelly Lee Evans

From Zimbabwean choral group Black Umfolosi to David Buchbinder's Shurum Burum Big Band, and Diego Marulanda's Colombian salsa band Pacande, Lula continues to present the most diverse and exciting live music in the city. Don't miss our special Valentine's Day dinner and show package with latin jazz vocalist and composer Eliana Cueves and on February 17 Lula welcomes back Cape Verdean singer Lura as part of a special double bill presentation by Small World Music.

JANUARY @ LULA