Zambian Music at the Centre, Ventanas Tonight & Bint El Funk Next Week

It’s March! That’s something… Also a good excuse to come out to the Small World Centre tonight for playful Balkan party tunes. Tamar Ilana has a history as dynamic and international as the musical tapestry she weaves with Ventanas. The band skips effortlessly from flamenco arrangements to mournful Sephardic love songs – they’ve consistently impressed us and it should be a sweet one!

Bint El Funk is up next week on March 8 celebrating International Women’s Day. We’re excited about the Canadian debut of this Israeli band, backed by Toronto-based DJ Shifra Rifka. With music that combines old and new, personal and universal, east and west, it makes for a compelling dance floor experience. Read Ruth Schweitzer’s fantastic interview with the band and Ashkenaz Foundation‘s Artistic Director Eric Stein here and discover their official video, which truly summons the spirit of funk.

That same night marks the relaunch of Globetrotter – everyone’s favourite global groove night! On the second Thursday of each month, in partnership with Architextures, one of Toronto’s longest running electronic music collectives, our pal DJ medicineman is back at it, serving up the finest global beats, alongside his fellow groove resident synapps and guest DJs. It makes for a perfect Bint El Funk after-party, as we take a quick jaunt east on College Street from Revival Bar to Round in Kensington Market.

And we’re delighted to announce Mathew Tembo & the Afro-Routes Band at the Centre on March 17! The award-winning Afro-Pop musician of the highest caliber combines traditional Zambian music with modern music and reggae. Self-taught in his exploration of traditional African instruments such as silimba (a homemade marimba), kalimba (mbira/thumb piano), and kalumbu (a one-stringed instrument), Mathew incorporates these into original compositions. He sings mostly in Chinsenga (the language of the Nsenga people) and Chichewa (the music of the Chewa people), weaving in syncopation, repetition, poly-rhythm and call-and-response. A must-see for lovers of South African music!