Café’s ‘menu’ leaves film fans satisfied

By Alicia Sealey

Saidah Bada Talibah performs at the Canadian Music Café.
Saidah Bada Talibah performs at the Canadian Music Café.

Saidah Bada Talibah brought down the house on the first day of the 2014 Canadian Music Café last Monday.

Of St. Kitts and Nevis heritage, and the daughter of acclaimed Canadian singer Salome Bey, singer/songwriter Saidah Baba Talibah says, “I’ve never composed music specifically for a project, but I would imagine that it would be very similar to my current process of composing music, which is to have a specific story in mind and to create a visual storyline through instrumentation, mood, and lyric.”

Noteworthy about the 2014 Canadian Music Café is that it affords an opportunity for independent musicians to showcase their talents to those in the industry who choose the music that is heard in films, on TV and other media platforms. This job is that of music supervisors.

Their sole job is to find music that would/could enhance the storyline being told by the film project(s) that they represent. As such, they are totally open to all musical suggestions and genres.

FYI: Toronto-based calypsonian King Cosmos had his song Island Girl placed in a commercial film. Trinidad & Tobago’s David Rudder has also had his songs placed in several commercial films including Wild Orchid and Boca to a name a few. Montserrat’s calypsonian, Arrow, with his seminal song, Hot, Hot, Hot, along with Jamaica’s Bob Marley anthem One Love are featured on way too many media platforms to even try and recount here.

This year, 10 rising Canadian artists performed for 10 influential music supervisors from LA and NYC. Shows worked on by these music supervisors include: Spiderman, Resident Evil, Saw, Spartacus, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Beauty and the Beast, Franklin & Bash, Ugly Betty, Boardwalk Empire, and Game of Thrones.

The 2014 Canadian Music Café was a two-day event for industry professionals only (Sept. 8 and 9) held at the Jazz Bistro. The event was produced by the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) and the Canadian Music Publishers Association (CMPA).

“The CMPA and CIMA are thrilled to be hosting the Canadian Music Café which will take place, again, during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival” says CMPA President, Jodie Ferneyhough. “We believe we’ve put together one of our strongest lineups to date and we are excited to have the filmed media industry experience this diverse Canadian talent.”

For more info, check Canadian Music Cafe.
Alicia Sealey is a freelance writer and broadcaster based in Toronto. Email: asealey@the-wire.com.