Recording: Tanjer Alam

Artist: Tanjer Alam

Song: three unknown songs^*

Recorded at Flemingdon Park (Arts in the Park: Labyrinth Ontario – week 2), August 10, 2019.

Tanjer Alam - unknown song #1

Tanjer Alam - unknown song #2

Tanjer Alam - unknown song #3

Another trip on a delightful summer day over to Flemingdon Park for the second of Labyrinth Ontario's Arts in the Park events. There were Bengali folk tunes on tap this time round, and though billed under the name of tabla expert Tanjer Alam (a.k.a. Rajeeb), this was in fact performed by a trio that saw him joined by Zahid Hossain on harmonium and Junaed Anwar on dotara. There was a wonderful sense of interplay as they grooved out on several folk styles, pausing only to talk about their instruments and explain the origins of some of the pieces. [Do note once more that these (literal!) field recordings have a bit of an "in the rough" feeling, so consider the rumble of wind and other background sounds as part of the experience.]

^* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!

Recording: Doomsquad and Not The Wind, Not The Flag

Artist: Doomsquad and Not The Wind, Not The Flag

Songs: [two excerpts]

Recorded at Prairie Drive Park (Feast in the East 58), July 9, 2016.

Doomsquad and Not The Wind, Not The Flag - [excerpt 1]

Doomsquad and Not The Wind, Not The Flag - [excerpt 2]

A beautiful day out in Scarborough. Thanks to Toronto Arts Foundation's Arts in The Parks, Feast In The East received the resources to host this free event which brought art, food and music to the rolling hills of Prairie Drive Park. By offering a free meal and inviting park patrons of all ages to explore and interact with the installations, this felt like a most gracious imposition on the normal order of the park, which is obviously well-loved and well-used by inhabitants of the neighbouring highrises — a sharing of the space instead of a culture blitz from outside. An excellent day out, this had a mellow and friendly vibe. Toronto needs so much more of this: having "culture" dispersed more widely throughout this sprawling city, giving locals a chance to see something that might not normally happen in their neighbourhood while giving seekers a chance to hang out in hitherto-unexplored pockets. It makes the city feel bigger and more cozy all at once.

As night fell, some of the kids and families drifted away, and the park shifted into a zone of amiable nocturnal prowling, energized by the dance-groove from this joint set. When I previously saw Brandon Valdivia and Colin Fisher playing with Doomsquad they were a bit more in the mode of supporting players — here it felt like a more even-handed collaboration. It also had a different vibe, exchanging gallery goth-darkness for outdoor get-free optimism. Joy vibes aplenty, and by the time Lido Pimienta joined in at the end, the sky couldn't hold off any longer, letting loose a spiritual sprinkling that turned into a torrent as the band finished off.

Recording: Isla Craig

Artist: Isla Craig

Song: Gregory

Recorded at Prairie Drive Park (Feast in the East 58), July 9, 2016.

Isla Craig - Gregory

A beautiful day out in Scarborough. Thanks to Toronto Arts Foundation's Arts in The Parks, Feast In The East received the resources to host this free event which brought art, food and music to the rolling hills of Prairie Drive Park. By offering a free meal and inviting park patrons of all ages to explore and interact with the installations, this felt like a most gracious imposition on the normal order of the park, which is obviously well-loved and well-used by inhabitants of the neighbouring highrises — a sharing of the space instead of a culture blitz from outside. An excellent day out, this had a mellow and friendly vibe. Toronto needs so much more of this: having "culture" dispersed more widely throughout this sprawling city, giving locals a chance to see something that might not normally happen in their neighbourhood while giving seekers a chance to hang out in hitherto-unexplored pockets. It makes the city feel bigger and more cozy all at once.

After a recent Continental Drift-style excursion, Isla Craig was back with her cosmic voyaging crew (Bram Gielen, bass; Johnny Spence, synth; Evan Cartwright, percussion), offering some soulful sounds as day turned to evening and a crescent moon started to rise over Crescent Town. Ivy Mairi came up to sing backing vox on this and a few other tunes, while Martha Farquhar-McDonnell joined in on "Bold Poachers", which was recently featured on FitE's cookbook/compilation.

Recording: Pantayo

Artist: Pantayo

Song: Sinulog A Kamamatuan^*

Recorded at Prairie Drive Park (Feast in the East 58), July 9, 2016.

Pantayo - Sinulog A Kamamatuan

A beautiful day out in Scarborough. Thanks to Toronto Arts Foundation's Arts in The Parks, Feast In The East received the resources to host this free event which brought art, food and music to the rolling hills of Prairie Drive Park. By offering a free meal and inviting park patrons of all ages to explore and interact with the installations, this felt like a most gracious imposition on the normal order of the park, which is obviously well-loved and well-used by inhabitants of the neighbouring highrises — a sharing of the space instead of a culture blitz from outside. An excellent day out, this had a mellow and friendly vibe. Toronto needs so much more of this: having "culture" dispersed more widely throughout this sprawling city, giving locals a chance to see something that might not normally happen in their neighbourhood while giving seekers a chance to hang out in hitherto-unexplored pockets. It makes the city feel bigger and more cozy all at once.

Pantayo contributed to the feeling of the Feast being both host and guest in the park, their kulintang rhythms drifting from stage to wading pool, entrancing both kids and head-nodding musical tourists alike, soundtracked to the rumble of the passing subway in the background.

^* Thanks to the group for passing along the title to this one.