Musical Line-Up for Kensington Market Jazz Festival 2024

Attendees can look forward to performances by a diverse group of artists, including:

• • Donovan Locke (soulful ballads)
  • Richard Underhill (smooth jazz)
  • Waleed Abdulhamid
  • Lou Pomanti
  • Marc Jordan
  • Robyn Black
  • Oakland Strokes
  • Laura Hubert
  • John Alcorn
  • Pat Collins & Brian Dickerson

The performances will entail Donovan Locke singing his sweet-souled ballads and Richard Underhill with his smooth jazz. The list includes Waleed Abdulhamid, Lou Pomanti, Marc Jordan, Robyn Black, Oakland Strokes, Laura Hubert, John Alcorn, Pat Collins & Brian Dickerson, Heather Bambrick, Shannon Butcher, Whitney Ross-Barris, Miranda Mulholland, Alana Bridgewater, Jesse Ryan, Amanda Martinez, Empenadas Ilegales, Hilario Duran, Robi Botos, Sammy Jackson, Joseph Callendar, Alex Pangman, Jay Douglas, Kevin Barrett, Joe Sealy,  Brian Dickerson, Eric Liang, Hilario Duran, Billy Newton Davis, Elizabeth, Josh Grossman, Adi Braun, Don Breithaupt, Barbra Lica, Eric St-Laurent, Charlotte Mcafee-Brunner, and Thompson Egbo-Egbo, among others.

A Celebration of Community and Culture

The Kensington Market Jazz Festival is not just a music event—it’s a vibrant celebration of community and culture. Fashion Ecstasy extends our warmest thanks and congratulations to Molly Johnson, the festival’s founder, and all the talented musicians for another successful year.

Festival Highlights

Friday Night: Lou Pomanti and Marc Jordan- Spending the Night with Lou Pomanti, Marc Jordan, Robyn Black, and Oakland Strokes

Friday night was Lou Pomanti Night over at Supermarket!

Canadian music lovers will recognize this incredibly accomplished musical force of nature. He’s one of the nation’s most accomplished producers, composers, musicians, and musical directors. Do you remember hearing Michael Bublé’s smash hit, “Haven’t Met You Yet”, on the airwaves? Yes, Lou arranged the song’s jubilant orchestra section! Fun fact: If you’re ever in the Weston Road and Sheppard Avenue West area, be sure to take a stroll down Lou Pomanti Street. 

I arrived at the perfect time to catch his first set with Marc Jordan. Marc is an American-born, Toronto-based singer-songwriter who worked with many famous musicians, such as Cher, Diana Ross, and Rod Stewart. Did you know he once performed in a hockey-themed musical with Dame Olivia Newton-John called Score: A Hockey Musical? The camp factor of this Glee-NHL crossover is through the roof! 

Marc delivered a wonderful rendition of Hoagie Carmichael’s “The Nearness of You” and “Coltrane Plays the Blues.” His mellow style had the crowd toe-tapping to the beat, completely drawn into the music. My favourite moment was when Marc told the audience of a funny anecdote where people often confuse him for Margaret Atwood. It was one of those slow, burning sets, building anticipation from the forthcoming performers.

While the audience waited for Robyn Black to appear, Lou indulged it for a few minutes with some solo piano time. Shout out to his black “Support Live Music” T-shirt! The performance area was so small and intimate that I spotted his shirt from my seat in the third row. This eagle-eyed fashionista loved it. Speaking of being fabulously dressed, Robyn looked and sounded awesome during her set! When she sang The Beatles “Come Together” with Marc, I was won over by her groovy vibe. Oh, Robyn has such a cool vibe and the tallest pair of platform heels I’ve ever seen! She poured so much love into the Burt Bacharach classic, “A House is not a Home.” Robyn has one of those singing voices that fills you with all of the good feelings every time you listen to her. No wonder Lou loves to perform with her. 

After Robyn’s set, I met her wonderful mother, Melinda. Robyn’s lucky to have such a sweet and supportive mother in her corner. A true super fan! 

A few minutes later, the stage lighting got darker and washed with a subtle pink glow. I knew things were about to get real really quickly when the 10-piece big band, Oakland Strokes, took the stage. Anyone who is a high-energy soul-funk powerhouse, Tower of Power, will dig these guys. George St. Kitts served fiery vocals and smooth dance moves, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Their slow jam, “You’re Still a Young Man,” got couples slow-dancing on the floor. Then they cranked the energy back to sky-high with their last song, “What is Hip?”. Lou Bartolomucci’s guitar solo was electrifying. My favourite moment of the night occurred at the very end of the show. It just so happened that they ran well over the time of allotment, and the Supermarket had to shut its doors for the night. Amongst the shuffling of tables and chairs, Lou got on the microphone and shouted,

“Good night, everybody. They’re ejecting us out of here!

From his declaration onward, it was an intensely personal show, as Lou concluded the evening on a light note. It’s an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime to see such a force of nature in a musical career in an intimate setting and to let the audience feel like participants in that experience.

Sunday Afternoon: Thompson Egbo-Egbo

Tapestry: Thompson Egbo-Egbo, Sunday Afternoon
Thompson Egbo-Ebgo‘s show was a darling experience for one Sunday afternoon. It coincided with Pedestrian Sundays when Kensington Market transforms into a lively street festival on the last Sunday of each month. Before the show, I wandered through the vibrant neighbourhood and uncovered some intriguing gems. A mini salsa festival was nestled in an alley near the corner of Baldwin Street and Kensington Avenue. I indulged in Ko’Ox Hana’s 3 for $15 taco special, made with a very flavourful (but very spicy) cochinita pibil filling. A row of local vendors showcasing their goods in another nearby alleyway was my last stop on my Sunday stroll before hitting up Thompson’s show.
Canadian Jazz fans will be charmed by Thompson‘s affability, his genius with the instrument, and most importantly, his capacity to convey raw emotional energy in every note. His execution of the well-known Hebrew love song “Not by Day, Not by Night” was electrifying; there was a standing ovation with thunderous clapping from the audience. He is also known for his covers of hits from the mainstream world and for inserting a little more jazz into it. My inner child leaped with joy when he played “My Favourite Things” off of one of my all-time favourite musicals, The Sound of Music. He closed his set with a cover of Radiohead’s “Exit Music (For A Film), “a haunted lullaby that Thompson delivered in profoundly deep intensity.

Conclusion

Fantastic Ending to the 9th Annual Kensington Market Jazz Festival

Thank you to Molly Johnson (the festival‘s founder and beloved neighbourhood icon), the Kensington Market Jazz Festival, and all of the volunteers for their hard work in making this year’s festival such a blast! For more information, please visit https://www.kensingtonjazz.com/