Waleed Abdulhamid directed a African rhythm and jazz ensemble at Humber College as part of Black History Month music.
By TANYA VIVIDLY
What does local live entertainment look like in our neighborhood. Well for starters it depends on where you go and the vibe of environment that you are looking for.
For February, which is Black History Month, my space of choice was Humber College Lakeshore Campus, at 3199 Lake Shore Blvd. W., in the auditorium of Building A.
I attended an event called Reverberations ll, a celebration of music of the Black diaspora.
Natalie Stewart took part in a music from the Black diaspora show.
The show was divided into three student ensemble sets, the first being a gospel choir performance directed by Natalie Stewart.
The set list included seven songs that uplifted, embraced and enlightened the audience. One patron described it as “high energy church and orchestra with a 3-D audience.”
The band included drums, guitar, keyboard and a choir of 16 singers.
The song that stood out fort me was “He’s not Worthy“ by Sandra Crouch.
The second act was called African rhythm and jazz directed by Waleed Abdulhamid. The set included five songs that combined modern and traditional sounds of calypso, reggae, Congolese rumba, Afro & Latin jazz and funk.
The seven-piece band included a bass guitar, standard guitar, piano, vocals, horns, percussion and drums.
Also performing his special brand was Will Jarvis.
The performance echoed the blending of the old and new world projecting a need for current awareness of times past. As the melodic vocals vibrated with the notes of the bass guitar riffs, many audience members were grooving in their seats. A song that still resonates is “Na -R – Na”
The final set was called rhythm and soul with director Will Jarvis. The band was filled with brass and horns.
This finale was a wave of cool soulful-funk grooves that celebrated the roots of African music.
The band was eager, energetic and free-forming. They embraced the fun and love of music and its beautiful accents. A great classic choice of song was “Move on Up,“ by Curtis Mayfield.
The three ensembles of sound brought an extravaganza of live music to the neighborhood. The music united the masses and lift every voice.
To stay informed about upcoming events at Humber Lakeshore follow them on Instagram or check out their website and look for the media arts calendar.