Music Festivals

Cape Breton-born Daniel MacNeil couldn’t think of a better fit for his band, Nafas, than the Halifax Jazz Festival. Just like in the jazz genre, improvisation is a big part of Nafas’ traditional Arabic/Turkish music. “It’s actually obligatory in Arabic and Turkish music to improvise, you’re not allowed to play the music without improvising,” says […]

David Virelles is no stranger to the international jazz scene, especially when it comes to Halifax Jazz Festival both as a solo performer and with his band, Continuum. The Cuban-born pianist was seven years old when he started to study music. “I grew up in a musical household so I was around music since I […]

On Asia & NuGruv’s newly updated website, asianugruv.com, the claim “Halifax’s Ultimate Party band” defies you to disagree–taking a look at its upcoming gigs is like browsing through a what’s-what of festivals and events all across Nova Scotia. Certainly they are one of Halifax’s hardest working bands, beginning as the backup band for Shauntay Grant […]

Quit calling him Mos Def. In 2012, the producer, rapper and actor announced to a crowd in Anchorage, Alaska, that he would henceforth prefer to be called by his legal and chosen name, Yasiin Bey. Born Dante Smith, Bey was raised in Brooklyn; his father was a member of the Nation of Islam, which he […]

1 Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” like you’ve never heard it before. Think sultry piano notes, drum rolls, and a sense of jazzy otherworldliness. No wonder the album Black Radio took the Grammy. 2 “Gonna Be Alright” smooth-talks listeners into a state of intrigue, hypnotic possibility. Ledisi’s killer voice soars over a gorgeous melody. 3 […]

With a music career spanning over 50 years, Bettye LaVette doesn’t miss a beat. As America’s great lady of soul, she was born to sing. Her latest release, Thankful N’ Thoughtful, showcases her legendary voice–sexy, raw and unhinged. She takes the stage along with Nova Scotia Super Soul Review at Halifax Jazz Festival July 9. […]

If ever there was a reason to make up a brand-new idiom, it’s for the Nova Scotia Super Soul Review. Forget the sum of its parts: each individual part of the Review is jammed packed with talent. Taken as a whole, you might have to bring the smelling salts for swooning. Organized by Erin Costelo […]

In the grand tradition of outsider music and art festivals in Canada, OBEY stands at the top. Like its contemporaries (your Wyrd Fests, your Somewhere There Festivals, your Toronto Thaws, your Festival International de Musique Actuelles), for seven years running, OBEY pushes boundaries, defies genres and stokes creative fires. Art In Fest, OBEY’s standalone contemporary […]

“I’m wearing all white right now” Camella Lobo says with a laugh. “I don’t know what that means!” While a pale wardrobe might not seem particularly puzzling to some, for Lobo, the brains beind Tropic Of Cancer, it does seem to pose a bit of a quandary. Tropic Of Cancer’s haunting, synth-laden output over the […]

Lisa Lipton works with many moving parts. There’s her drumming practice, developing since 2011 and showcased as the marquee exhibit BLAST BEATS at Nocturne 2012. There’s the film she’s making, The Impossible Blue Rose, which she’s been writing, filming and assembling on the road from California to Windsor, Ontario. Unlike most features, which are unveiled […]