Event Series Festival Cultural Productions

EVENT SERIES • FESTIVAL • CULTURAL PRODUCTIONS

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 11, 2013

Third Annual Uma Nota Festival of Tropical Expressions

OCTOBER 17-20 IN TORONTO

UPDATED INFO in release below:

Added to Forrallstar (festival-producer "super group" of Brazilian forró): Singer FláviaNascimentoof Quebec City group Forrossanova.

Additions to workshops and talks:

Multimedia presentation by photographer Jason Gardner from his recently published photo book A Flower in the Mouth: The Beauty and Burden of Carnaval in Pernambuco, Brazil(Sun. Oct. 20)
Cuban Yoga in Toronto with visiting teacher Eduardo Pimentel (Sat. Oct. 19 at Lula Lounge, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
FláviaNascimentoof Quebec City group Forrossanova will also join SapoCapoeiraCamara as afeatured guest for the Coco de Roda workshop(folkloric northeastern Brazilian dance/game/rhythm) facilitated by Maracatu Mar Aberto (Sun. Oct. 20)

TORONTO -- Uma Nota Culture announces the third annual Uma Nota Festival of Tropical Expressions, taking place October 17 to 20, 2013. Uma Nota is a unique event series focusing on Afro-Brazilian, Latin, Caribbean, Funk and Soul music provided by both live acts and DJs.

Comprising four days of music, arts and culture from across the Americas, this is UmaNota’s biggest festival to date. The live music and DJ lineup, with acts from New York City, the U.K. and Brazil, as well as the best of the local scene, represents the city’s most tangible manifestation of the Pan American experience.

In few other places in Toronto does one find music and culture from the Americas so diversely and colourfullymixed. This year’s festival embraces global innovators and still celebrates the city’s kaleidoscope of tropical groove.

International performers include:

New York City DJs Uproot Andy and Geko Jones of the popular “QueBajo!?” parties and label.

Singer Alice Russell, a key figure on the British soul scene. Russell’s performance draws comparisons to Aretha Franklin; she has collaborated with everyone from Mr. Scruff to David Byrne and tours with producer Quantic in his Soul Orchestra. (*Uma Nota blog post here)
Brazilian composer, arranger and master fingerstyle guitarist Rick Udler. His interactive performance at this year’s festival is his only Toronto show.

Local highlights include:

Afro-Brazilian percussion band BlocoBracatum, led by Contra-Mestre Bola of CapoeiraCamara.
Heavyweights Brass Band, fresh from the studio with their bold arrangements of popular songs and originals, from New Orleans, funk, Latin styles and beyond.
Dreamy electronic sounds and live vocals from Colombian artist Lido Pimienta. (*Uma Nota blog post here)
Brazilian jazz from composer Gordon Sheard.
Psychedelic indie Brazil-style Tropicália from Os Tropies.
Six-piece roots cumbia band Los Hijos De Tuta, familiar to Toronto’s Colombian community.
Brazilian choro, a melodically complex instrumental jazz style, as performed by TioChorinho.
Forrallstar, a festival-produced “super band” of the city’s favourite Brazilian forró players, including percussionist Maninho Costa, singer/guitarist Carlos Cardoso and a host of heavy hitters.*JUST ADDED*: Singer FláviaNascimentoof Quebec City group Forrossanova. The group played a string of successful shows in Toronto this past August; Nascimento brings back a number of crowd-pleasing songs from the forró masters.

In addition, the festival includes a full series of Pan American based arts workshops and cultural talks, presented by Dos Mundos Arts and Media and supported by the Toronto Arts Council. The workshops -- along with food and drink, family-friendly activities and films via the Brazilian Film & Television Festival of Toronto -- represent the multi-arts and culture additions to this year’s program.

Festival schedule at a glance:

Thursday, October 17

Festival Launch Party

Gladstone Hotel (ballroom), 1214 Queen St. W.

Os Tropies, GordSheard Brazilian Jazz Quintet and DJ Firecracker

Doors 9 p.m.

$10 at the door

More info:

Friday, October 18

World Soul Party

The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. W.

Alice Russell (U.K.), Phil Motion and the Easy Lo-Fi, Marques Toliver and DJ General Eclectic

Doors 9 p.m.

Advance tickets $23 online

Co-presented by World Famous Music

More info:

Saturday, October 19

Bridges Tropical Mashup: Live, Analog & Digital

The Great Hall, 1087 Queen St. W.

In the hall:

Live: BlocoBracatum, Los Hijos de Tuta

DJs: Uproot Andy (NYC), Geko Jones (NYC)

Opening act: Lido Pimienta

In the record room: Jason Palma (Footprints), Humble Mike and MC Bookshelf (Record Collective), Guv’nor General (Pressure Drop)

Doors 9 p.m.

$12 advance tickets online / $15 at the door before 11 p.m. / $20 after 11 p.m.

Co-presented by Dos Mundos Arts and Media

Record room co-presented by Footprints

More info:

*JUST ADDED*

Artist and designer Angela Vargas (Ecuador/Toronto) has been commissioned to create custom decor & visual environmentfor the Bridges Tropical Mashup: Live, Analog & Digital, onSaturday, October 19at The Great Hall. At last year's festival, she created a design of exploding Rubik's cubes; this year, she will create a parallel universe for the event.

Sunday, October 20

Community Cultural Fair

Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W.

Live music: TioChorinho, Rick Udler, Heavyweights Brass Band and Forrallstar (forró) + DJ Mogpaws (Simmer Down)

Plus workshops, cultural talks, dance, food and drink (Brazilian feijoada) and family-friendly activities

2 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Pay What You Can ($5 suggested minimum donation/$10 after 7 p.m.)

Co-presented by Dos Mundos Arts and Media, Koffler Centre of the Arts and Lula Music and Arts Centre

More info & program schedule:

*JUST ADDED*

*Multimedia presentation fromA Flower in the Mouth: The Beauty and Burden of Carnaval in Pernambuco, Brazil(NYC-based photographer Jason Gardner)

*Singer FláviaNascimentoof Quebec City group Forrossanova. The group played a string of successful shows in Toronto this past August; she brings back a number of crowd-pleasing songs from the forró masters.

Ticket Info (UPDATED)

Tickets are available on the Uma Nota website. Festival passes are $40. Visit

The Uma Nota Festival acknowledges the support of the Ontario Arts Council

Workshops (UPDATED)

Uma Nota announces an expanded slate of community arts workshops. The Pan American Bridges workshop series is presented by partnering organization Dos Mundos Arts and Media, with the support of the Toronto Arts Council, as part of the Uma Nota Festival.

By involving and reaching more communities in Brazilian, South American and North American expressions, Dos Mundos and Uma Nota allow people to discover arts and culture from the Americas, in a way that is interactive, participatory and fun.

Full workshop program and details:

Workshops are Pay What You Can or free

N.B. Schedule also attached as an image

Workshop schedule added to updated program below

Participating artists and forms on the program include:

(Mondays October 7 & 14 at 7 p.m. and Sat., Oct. 19 at 3 p.m.(rehearsal), Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W.) Carnival brass band musical forms from New Orleans, Mexico, Cuba and Brazil with Christopher Butcher of the Heavyweights Brass Band. Butcher will lead a master class for horn players in a number of musical styles from the street-side celebrations of Pan American cultures. Two workshops and a rehearsal in October culminate in a performance at the Community Cultural Fair on Sunday, October 20 at Lula Lounge. Participants must email Chris Butcher at to register in advance. High school level and up horn players. (N.B.: Still time to join startingOct. 14!)

(Thursday, October 17 at 7 p.m., Broadway Arts, 35 Golden Ave., Suite 108) Brazilian Dance focusing on Orixámaracatu movements with Adrianna Yanuziello of The Dance Migration.

(Thursday, October 17 at 8 p.m., Bavia Arts Studio, 898 St. Clair Ave W.)Street dance with Diana Reyes (“Fly Lady Di”), highlighting the Latin influence in urban street dance styles including house, uprock movements and breaking.
(Saturday, October 19 at 1:30 p.m., Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W.) Colombian drum and dance and música de gaitawith Ruben Esguerra (A New Tradition) and his family.

(Saturday, October 19 at 2:00 p.m., Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Ave.) Capoeira Regional and related Afro-Brazilian dances with Lang Liu of Filhos de BimbaCapoeiraschool.

(Saturday, October 19 at 7 p.m., Bavia Arts Studio, 898 St. Clair Ave W.) Forró dance by Goreti Cardoso of Brazil Dance World, and an interactive history as part of the live forró presentationat the Community Cultural Fair on Sunday, October 20 at Lula Lounge.

Workshops and talks taking place onSunday, October 20at Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W., as part of the Community Cultural Fair:

(2:30 p.m.) Panel discussion on community transformation through the arts with Chilean-born Gilda “FiyaBruxa” Monreal and her theEssencia Arts Collective, whose members have worked extensively with youth groups and communities throughout Latin America as well as in Toronto and Montreal.
(4 p.m.) Cultural talk on public policy and the arts in Brazil with Valentine Moreno of the Koffler Centre of the Arts.
(4:30 p.m.) Fandango fun: son jarocho and other Mexican folkoric music and dance with performing duo Café Con Pan.
(4:30 p.m.) (front room)*JUST ADDED*Photos and stories from A Flower in the Mouth: The Beauty and Burden of Carnaval in Pernambuco, Brazil (Jason Gardner)
(6:30 p.m.)Coco de Roda, a folkloric northeastern Brazilian dance/game, with Maracatu Mar Aberto featuring Sapo of CapoeiraCamara*JUST ADDED*andFláviaNascimentoof Quebec City group Forrossanova.

For more workshop details, please visit:

Supported by Toronto Arts Council

For more information, please contact:

Jonathan RothmanAlex Bordokas

Media and Communications Programming and Production

Uma Nota and Uma Nota FestivalUma Nota and Uma Nota Festival

416-886-5786647-293-2266

ABOUT UMA NOTA CULTURE AND THE UMA NOTA FESTIVAL

Uma Nota is a reference point for world citizens and lovers of music and culture. It is a unique event series focusing on Afro-Brazilian, Latin, Caribbean, Funk and Soul music provided by both live acts and DJs. From June 2007 until the first annual Uma Nota Festival in November 2011, the events took place every two months in the Gladstone Hotel ballroom. With the expansion to a three-day festival, Uma Nota Culture and its productions moved from a bi-monthly music showcase and party at the Gladstone Hotel to a roving series of events.

In the two years since the first annual Uma Nota Festival, Uma Nota Culture has produced and collaborated on a number of events, bridging communities of music, culture and arts lovers from diverse backgrounds.

Recent co-presentations since the second annual festival in 2012 include: Os Tropies EP release residency (four nights in February 2013); Soul Motivators CD release (March 2013); Ikebe Shakedown (Brooklyn) show with NuFunk.ca (March 2013); Brazilian short films program at the aluCine Festival of Latin Film and Media Arts (March/April 2013); Uma Nota: Hot Spring edition as part of Hispanic Heritage Month with Dos Mundos Arts and Media (April 2013); Paint the Halls with Art Battle and Women’s College Hospital Foundation (May 2013); Summer in the City reggae show with Friendlyness and the Human Rights (May 2013); Block Party with Maracatu Mar Aberto (June 2013); Programming partner with Ritmo y Color at Harbourfront Centre (July 2013).

Uma Nota publishes original web content. The Uma Nota Culture blog is a regular source for tropical music, arts and culture. Highlights include interviews with local artists, cultural analysis pieces, reporting on Brazilian music trends, travelogues from artists visiting Colombia and Brazil, background pieces on Gilberto Gil and forró dancing, plus event previews, artists and trends to watch, tropical culture tidbits and more.

Visit the website:

Press quotes

"The scene that surrounds Uma Nota: A sizeable and vibrant community of Brazilians, Latinophiles, Afrobeat aficionados, and the like. ... the parties are reliably packed ... [the Uma Nota crew] are keenly aiming to create an experience of musical tourism — a re-creation of a displaced backpacker’s open-mindedness."

Kelli Korducki, AV Club Toronto (The Onion)

"The Uma Nota Festival is where organic traditionalism collides with contemporary digitized sound, with one aim: to make you dance.

"... More than just a showcase or feel-good party, Uma Nota Festival is also a reference point for Canadian artists making tropical urban music."

AnupaMistry, Toronto Standard

“'There’s this neighbourhood called Lapa,'” says Bordokas of a particularly vibrant part of Rio. “'It’s where scoundrels, artists and intellectuals – every type of individual – come together. It’s a powder keg of culture. These different cultural manifestations are exploding all around, and this is what were trying to bring to Uma Nota.'”

"... Raucous performances feature at least one live, typically percussion-heavy act, including many of the city’s Brazilian troupes, and one guest DJ playing groove-based tunes in various genres."

Lia Grainger, Metro Toronto

"Uma Nota is what happens when you pair up talented artists and groovy music."

Austin Miao, BlogTO.com

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