Sundance getting airplay on CBC

Print

E-mail

Text

East York guitarist Kevin Laliberte will officially release his third CD, Sundance, at Lula Lounge on Thursday, Sept. 4.

Married with a one-year-old daughter, the 40-something flamenco-inspired musician grew up in Stratford, but has lived in Toronto for the past couple of decades, including the last half decade in east Toronto, just north of the Woodbine subway stop on the Danforth.

The CD, with all original instrumentals, is now available, and is getting airplay, especially by the CBC.

"Fresh Air (the morning weekend show) likes to play it, they're really great and supportive," said Laliberte. "Here and Now (the afternoon drive time show), they've been slotting it in. Metro Morning, they've played it a few times."

His other two CDs, released in 2006 and 2000, respectively, are Elation and Siesta.

"Siesta, as the title implies, is a little more relaxed, a little more laid back."

In contrast, he said, "There's a lot of energy to my first one that is picked up in this most recent one, Sundance."

As far as a label for his music, he said, "Nouveau flamenco is kind of the term that they use for that sort of accessible, westernized take on flamenco music.

"And then a little bit of bossa nova and then some sort of vaguely Middle Eastern, Arabic sounding musical influences as well. Kind of those three are the main elements, but then there are elements of pop music as far as song structure - kind of verse, chorus, bridge, just to keep it palatable to ears that kind of grew up in this culture where that's what we expect."

Which is the culture that Laliberte grew up in, begging the question of how he came to earn his flamenco chops.

"Growing up as a guitar player, I was kind of interested in rock music, that was the thing for a while, and then that got me interested in jazz."

And then he happened to go to Massey Hall to listen to one of jazz guitar's most famous trios - John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola and Paco De Lucia. While Laliberte knew more of McLaughlin and Di Meola, he said it was De Lucia - "sort of the godfather of flamenco guitar" - that left a lasting impression.

"As soon as I heard him play, I said, that's it, that's the stuff."

Laliberte is also quite busy outside of his solo career. He's a member of the Toronto-based Sultans of String, which released Luna last year with songs he co-wrote with Riverdale resident Chris McKhool. The group, which includes bassist Drew Birston, received several awards and nominations for that CD.

He also backs up emerging Toronto Latin jazz vocalist Amanda Martinez, who released her solo album, Sola, in 2006.

For his CD release, he'll be backed by most of the musicians who appear on the album, including Drew Birston on bass, Chendy Leon on percussion, Eddie Paton on second guitar and Ernie Tollar on bansuri.

Check out Laliberte's website at www.kevinlaliberte.com.