By Anthony Joseph There are entertainers who make hit songs. There are artists who define an era. And then, every once in a very long while, there comes someone whose work becomes so intertwined with the history and identity of a people that it becomes difficult to separate the artist from the culture itself. Dr. […]
Alicia Keys’ music came alive on a Toronto stage last week as “Hell’s Kitchen”, the Broadway musical inspired by her life and catalogue, brought a powerful mix of music, family, Black identity and coming-of-age drama to the Ed Mirvish Theatre. Built around Keys’ songs and lyrics, with a book by playwright Kristoffer Diaz, “Hell’s Kitchen” […]
The Mighty Sparrow, the Grenadian-born singer who became one of the defining voices of Trinidad and Tobago and carried calypso to audiences around the world, has died in Queens, New York, at 91. Sparrow, whose given name was Slinger Francisco, died Sunday at a hospital, according to his daughter, Karen Francisco. For more than six […]
‘Misty Green’ is a messy, funny, and sometimes uncomfortable film By Janet Grant Chris Rock takes a serious look at Hollywood in Misty Green, a messy, funny, and sometimes uncomfortable film about an actress trying to find her way back after a fall from the top. Rosalind Eleazar plays Misty Green, an Emmy-winning actress whose […]
Ghanaian singer Moliy has broken new ground at the Caribbean Music Awards after becoming the first artist from the West African country to win an award at the regional ceremony. Moliy collected Dancehall Song of the Year for “Shake It to the Max (Fly) Remix,” a collaboration with Jamaican performers Skillibeng and Shenseea and producer […]
‘Sunburn’ is a warm, funny, and coming-of-age story By Janet Grant There is something special about watching a Toronto filmmaker bring his own Toronto story to TIFF 2026. For Serville Poblete, that story is personal. The Toronto-born Filipino-Canadian filmmaker grew up on Bleecker Street, in the St. James Town area, a downtown community of high-rise […]
Between a ‘Rock’ in a good place By Stephen Weir Sometimes you don’t ask a celebrity to sit down — you tell him to. That’s what happened when Janice Drummond, wife of CBC broadcaster Dwight Drummond, encountered comedian and filmmaker Chris Rock in Toronto. Dwight shared the amusing story on Facebook, writing that his wife “did not ask […]
Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley will add an academic distinction to his musical achievements when The University of the West Indies awards him an honorary Doctor of Letters during its Mona graduation ceremonies in November. Marley, the youngest son of reggae icon Bob Marley and former Miss World Cindy Breakspeare, is among four Jamaicans selected for […]
What began as a father bringing his son to work more than two decades ago has grown into a musical partnership that has taken Eddie and Quincy Bullen to stages around the world. On Saturday, September 26, the father-and-son pianists return to Toronto for an encore performance of their acclaimed Dueling Pianos show at Beach […]
The South Jersey Caribbean Festival will return to Camden Waterfront on Saturday, Sept. 26, after severe weather forced organizers to postpone the annual celebration twice, according to Kylla Herbert, president of the South Jersey Caribbean Cultural and Development Organization. Herbert said heavy thundershowers on Saturday, July 18 and Aug. 22 disrupted plans for the festival, […]
