JUNO nominees/2x CFMA winners, Sultans of String, perform high octane worldbeat-jazz. Known for dizzying roots music jams, poly-rhythms and revved up riffs, the Sultans of String sound can’t be pinned down — it’s Sable Island meets the Silk Road, with detours through the Gypsy-Jazz coffeehouses of Eastern Europe, next an East Coast Kitchen Party, over to the majestic Arctic, then to the bustling markets of Lebanon!
Fiery violin dances with kinetic guitar while a funky bass lays down unstoppable grooves. Throughout, acoustic strings meet electronic wizardry to create layers and depth of sound.
Kicking things off as a dynamic duo playing tiny cafes in 2007, this fiercely talented and hardworking indie act has been on a meteoric rise, with an astonishing number of awards and accolades in tow. Invitations to play world stages and with such legendary artists as The Chieftains and David Bromberg are recent highlights. The Chieftains’ very own Paddy Moloney also appears on the band’s brand new CD, Symphony!
Symphony! is distributed across North America by Red River Entertainment through the SONY Network. Bob Frank, chairman of Red River (former President of Koch/EI Entertainment) states, “We welcome the opportunity to work with one of Canada’s most innovative groups and look forward to expanding their music and footprint in the US.”
Acclaimed promoter and former A&R man David Wilkes (Emmylou Harris, Joan Baez, Jerry Jeff Walker) states, “I have worked with numerous top ten chart songs and #1 Pop Billboard and Country music hits”, Wilkes says. “In all that time, I have not worked with composers more talented than Chris McKhool and Kevin Laliberté from Sultans of String. Not only are they a superb writing team, they are also amazing arrangers & musicians. Symphony! is a gigantic leap forward.”
The band is led by JUNO-nominated 6-string violinist Chris McKhool (Jesse Cook, Pavlo) who grew up in a Lebanese-Egyptian (Makhoul) house bursting with music and diversity. Growing up, Chris was fed a steady diet of delicious musicality alongside Middle Eastern cuisine and violin lessons.
When McKhool first heard founding guitarist Kevin Laliberté’s rumba rhythm, their musical synergy created Sultans of String’s signature sound – the intimate and playful relationship between violin and guitar. From this rich foundation, the dynamic duo has grown, featuring such amazing musical friends as 2nd guitarist Eddie Paton (Robert Michaels), bass master Drew Birston (Chantal Kreviazuk, Amanda Martinez), and Cuban percussionist Chendy Leon (Parachute Club, Alex Cuba), as well as special guests such as folk pop darlings Dala, The Chieftains’ Paddy Moloney, internationally recognized sitar virtuoso Anwar Khurshid, ukulele giant James Hill, and others. […]