Christmas Caravan (Cen Records)
Sultans of String
Released in 2017
DownBeat Four-Stars Review
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mT_UN4_cHn7sKt2uQsmv_GJsX-N9YgfEg
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/59G9ELx9N569oaz5EVKCeS?si=K0LWUbNyT3-HT887RIQNoQ
About:
Celebrate the season with an adventurous musical trip around the world! 3x JUNO Award nominees Sultans of String deliver an exuberant performance featuring originals, world-music inspired classics, and seasonal favourites to warm your heart on a cold winter’s night.
From fiery fiddle tunes to a Caribbean sleigh ride, this surprising and delightful holiday fiesta heats up when Sultans of String bring their signature sound to well known gems such as Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Jesous Ahatonhia (with gorgeous newly-translated Indigenous lyrics), a Turkish twist on Greensleeves, Silent Night, as well as a Gypsy-jazz inspired Django Christmas, and a Rumba-Flamenca fuelled Jingle Bells. Sultans of String are joined by shimmering guest vocalist Rebecca Campbell (Jane Siberry, Ian Tamblyn).
Since forming 10 years ago, Sultans of String have hit #1 across Canada on Top 10 national radio charts, and received multiple awards and accolades, including 2 JUNO Award nominations (Canada’s Grammy), 1st place in the ISC (15,000 entries), and 3 Canadian Folk Music Awards out of 8 nominations. Bandleader and violinist Chris McKhool was recently awarded a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his work in creating community through music.
When McKhool (who has performed with Jesse Cook and Pavlo), first heard founding guitarist Kevin Laliberté’s (Jesse Cook) rumba rhythm, their musical synergy created Sultans of String’s signature sound – the intimate and playful relationship between violin and guitar. From this rich foundation, the dynamic duo grew, featuring such amazing musical friends bass master Drew Birston (Chantal Kreviazuk), jaw-dropping Cuban percussionist Rosendo Chendy Leon (Parachute Club, Alex Cuba), and guitarist Eddie Paton (Robert Michaels). Sultans of String have been crisscrossing North America for the last several years. Equally at home in a concert series, folk or jazz club, or festival setting, they have been featured at many taste-making forums such as JUNOFest, legendary jazz club Birdland in NYC, the renowned Celtic Connections Festival in the UK, and California’s hip music scene, including the San Jose Jazz Festival. They recently sold out Koerner Hall (Toronto’s Carnegie Hall), and performed with Toronto, Vancouver, and Edmonton Symphony Orchestras. Sultans of String have performed live on BBC TV, Irish National Radio, and the internationally syndicated shows WoodSongs, and on SiriusXM in Washington DC.
Track Listing:
1. Turkish Greensleeves (Traditional) featuring Gündem Yayli Grubu 04:30
2. Sing for Kwanzaa (Richard Bona / Chris McKhool) feat. Richard Bona and Waleed Abdulhamid 03:28
3. Jesous Ahatonhia (Huron Carol) (Jesous Ahatonhia / Jean de Brébeuf / Chris McKhool) feat. Crystal Shawanda 04:39
4. The Little Swallow/Al Vuelo (Mykola Leontovych) 03:51
5. Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (Johann Sebastian Bach / Robert Bridges) feat. Mary Fahl 04:13
6. Flight of Angels/Hark the Herald (Drew Birston / Rebecca Campbell / Kevin Laliberté / Chris McKhool / Sultans of String / Traditional) feat. Chris McKhool and Rebecca Campbell 04:23
7. Little Drummer Boy (Katherine K. Davis / Henry Onorati / Harry Simeone) feat. Rebecca Campbell 03:32
8. Celebrate the Holydays (Sweet Honey in the Rock) feat. Sweet Honey in the Rock 04:00
9. Niel Gow’s Lament/Rakes of Mallow/Rouge River Valley (Niel Gow / Anwar Khurshid / Kevin Laliberté / Chris McKhool) feat. Paddy Moloney 05:41
10. Jingle Bells/Auyuittuq Sunrise (Francis Blanche / Chris McKhool) feat. Chris McKhool and Rebecca Campbell 03:09
11. The Christmas Song (Mel Tormé / Bob Wells) feat. Nikki Yanofsky 03:31
12. A Django Christmas (Traditional) 04:23
13. Les Anges Dans Nos Campagnes/Cootes Paradise Reel (Benoit Bourque / Traditional) feat. Benoit Bourque 03:08
14. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (John Lennon / Yoko Ono) feat. Rubén Blades and Luba Mason 04:02
15. Silent Night (Franz Gruber) feat. David Charrier 04:19
16. Himalayan Sleigh Ride (Adam Klemens / Kevin Laliberté / Chris McKhool) feat. Anwar Khurshid 03:11
17. Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen) feat. Rebecca Campbell 05:34
18. Feliz Navidad/Come on People Sing (José Feliciano / Kevin Laliberté / Chris McKhool) feat. Alex Cuba 03:01
Personnel:
Chris McKhool: violins, cello, viola, vocals
Kevin Laliberte: guitars
Drew Birston: bass
Chendy Leon: drums, percussion, vocals
Eddie Paton: guitar, vocals
Special Guests
Richard Bona: bass, guitar, overdubs, percussion, vocals
Paddy Moloney (The Chieftains): tin whistle
Nikki Yanofsky: vocals
Ruben Blades: vocals
Sweet Honey in the Rock: vocals
Alex Cuba: vocals
City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
Waleed Abdulhamid: vocals
Benoit Bourque: vocals
Rebecca Campbell: vocals
Williams Carn: trombone
David Charrier: drum
Mary Fahl: vocals
Erica Goodman: harp
Gündem Yayli Grubu: string ensemble
Anwar Khurshid: sitar
Mark Lalama: accordion
Kevin Laliberté: guitar, guitar overdubs, vocals
Luba Mason: vocals
Crystal Shawanda: vocals
Selcuk Suna: saxofone
Kevin Turcotte: trumpet
Recorded at Smecky Music Studio, Prague
Produced by Chris McKool and John “Beetle” Bailey
Mastering: Peter Letros
Assistant Engineer: Vitek Kral
Design: Kurt Firla
Review:
The Canadian band Sultans of String keeps imaginative imperatives in overdrive for the entirety of Christmas Caravan, a generous pitch for global unity through the music of Christmas, Kwanza and Hanukkah. These five musicians have jubilantly recharged the classics with arrangements that demand attention. “Greensleeves” has a Turkish flair as violinist Chris McKhool and the other Sultans are joined by Istanbul’s Gündem Yayli Grubu string ensemble. The Ukrainian New Year’s carol “Shchedryk” (“Carol Of The Bells”)— performed here with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra—progresses with uplifting energy. The Sultans can slow down and be reflective, too: “Silent Night” is simply beautiful.
Frank-John Hadley (DownBeat)
