Sultans of String’s Christmas Caravan at Caffe Lena Dec. 21
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> From Romanian-jazz to flamenco and beyond, the award winning Sultans of String are Canada’s mutable masters of global string music.
They will perform at Caffe Lena on December 21 to expand traditional notions of holiday music with their new, genrehopping tour, “Christmas Caravan.”
Sultans of String are currently marking their 12th year with an extensive national tour and, additionally, the release of their forthcoming album — their seventh and most historic to date. Called Refuge, it is due for release in Spring 2020.
In these shows, they combine Quebecois fiddle tunes with a traditional Turkish string ensemble, re-imagine classic pop songs by the Andrews Sisters, go on a Himalayan sleigh ride, and much more.
“We love to expose people to sounds they might not have heard before,” explains violinist and bandleader Chris McKhool, summarizing the mission statement of the groundbreaking and acclaimed world music ensemble. “And we love collaborating with other artists.”
Over the past dozen years and six albums, McKhool and his bandmates — co-founding guitarist Kevin Laliberté, bassist Drew Birston, Cuban percussionist Rosendo ‘Chendy’ Leon and second guitarist Eddie Paton — have excelled at both.
Thrilling listeners around North America with their genre-hopping fusion of Celtic reels, flamenco, Gypsy jazz, Arabic, Cuban, and South Asian rhythms, Sultans of String celebrate diversity and creativity with warmth and virtuosity.
often joining them are artists such as Paddy Moloney and The Chieftains, Richard Bona, Benoit Bourque (Bottine Souriante), Nikki Yanofsky, Alex Cuba, Ruben Blades, Crystal Shawanda and Ken Whiteley.
With their historic and visionary seventh album Refuge, McKhool and bandmates bring their unique brand of musical synergy and collaboration into the studio like never before.
Their most ambitious, diverse, inclusive and passionately political album, Refuge puts the Toronto-based Sultans face-toface with a VIP roster of artists from around the globe — including American banjo master Bela Fleck, Israeli vocalist Yasmin Levy and others, like Iraqi violinst Imah Al Taha and Iranian santur master Amir Amiri, who have fled the peril and persecution of their homelands for the safer shores of North America.
“This is a project that is centered around the positive contributions of refugees and new immigrants to U.S.A. and Canada,”
says McKhool, whose Lebanese grandfather stowed away on a ship bound for North America a century ago.
“We are bringing in special guests that are newcomers to this land, as well as global talents that have been ambassadors for peace. We wish to celebrate the successes of those who make the journey here, and bring their extraordinary talents with them. We hope that the kinds of conversations we can have as musicians can provide a model for peace that our politicians and citizens find inspiration from.”
That inspiration hits close to home in Refuge’s potent and poetic single The Power of the Land, featuring the interwoven vocals of indigenous spokenword artist Duke Redbird and married Ottawa folk duo Twin Flames.
“I actually heard Duke recite that poem years ago,” McKhool says. “I was so moved that I introduced myself to him after the performance and said, ‘Have you ever thought about putting this to music? “
Fast-forward three years, to the day when McKhool realized he had finally written the right backdrop for Redbird’s stirring words. “It was just one of those beautiful moments where I realized those lyrics might work perfectly.”
Like most of the collaborations on Refuge, The Power of the Land came to life in the studio, with Sultans of String and their guests composing and creating together. But no matter how they began, they all ended the same: With all the artists recording together at Jukasa, a worldclass recording facility on the Six Nations reserve between Toronto and Buffalo.
“We knew we had to do it this way,” McKhool stresses. “We couldn’t make an album honoring refugees and do it long-distance. But having everyone in the room at the same time made it extremely challenging, both from a logistical and technical standpoint. But the results certainly made it worthwhile.”
Of course, Sultans of String have never taken the easy road. Since releasing their debut album Luna in 2007, they have continually strived to make each chart-topping album more original and meaningful than the last.
That includes working with an orchestra (2013’s Symphony), teaming with Pakistani sitarist Anwar Khurshid (2015’s Subcontinental Drift) and even crafting a world-music holiday album (2017’s Christmas Caravan), which landed them on the Billboard charts and the New York Times.
Their ambition and work ethic have garnered them multiple awards and accolades, including three Juno nominations, first place in the International Songwriting Competition (out of 15,000 entries), three Canadian Folk Music Awards, and countless other honors.
Their live resumé is similarly stellar. Equally at home in a concert hall, jazz club or festival setting, the Sultans have gigged at the legendary club Birdland in
New York, the renowned Celtic Connections Festival in the U.K. and the San Jose Jazz Festival. They have performed with symphonies across Canada and the U.S., and played live on BBC TV, Irish National Radio, World Cafe and SiriusXM in Washington. No matter the venue, the goal is the same, McKhool says.
“I’ve always wanted our concerts to be a place where everyone feels welcome. I want to reach out to diverse communities to say, ‘Come out and enjoy music with us — you’re going to have a really good time.’
And it’s great to see people from, say, the South Asian community mixed in with the hipster crowd. Or to play some very small towns where they might not have heard a sitar played live before. It benefits society as a whole, to have people from around the world blending their ideas, mixing their cultures.”