R H Y T H M + : A New Phenomenon

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The Rhythm+ band fuses popular West African rhythms with West Indian influences to create a new sound that suggests the exotic and the tropical. Partly inspired by the world-renowned Laventille Rhythm Section from Trinidad and Tobago, the group is made up of seven dedicated musicians coming from about as diverse a set of backgrounds as the instruments they play.

According to cofounder and leader Tony Ansou John, the primary mandate of the band is to preserve the calypsos of the early to mid-twentieth century. Calypso is an art form that has been superseded by its modern day successor Soca and is largely ignored by the youth. By putting a fresh face on the music Rhythm+ hopes to infuse the younger generation with a sense of pride and new-found respect for a music that by the nineteen fifties and sixties had made a huge impact on popular western music.

Appearances
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  • “It’s Afrolypso Time” at The Trane Studio
  • Ontario Place Vista Courtyard
  • Afrofest at Queen’s Park, Toronto
  • The Burlington Sound of Music Festival
  • The Toronto Pride Blockorama Stage
  • The Toronto International Drum Festival
  • The Barrie Caribfest Music Festival
  • The Scotiabank Caribana Island Lime

 
Rhythm+ has also performed in the Scotiabank Nuit Blanche Festival backing up stiltwalkers from "Swizzlestick Theatre" and at venues such as Teranga Restaurant in Kensington Market and The Annex Wreckroom.

The Making of Rhythm+
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Rhythm+ consists of Lydia "Fanta" Ramesar on dununs, Tony "Ansou" John Lead Djembe, Beau on irons and assorted percussion, Empress Arlanna on congas, Bradley Richardson sax and Sheldon Walters on trumpet. The foundation for the music is adaptations of traditional Guinean village rhythms. This is then augmented by parts of a traditional Trinidad steelband rhythm section with congas, iron and cowbell. The mix is topped by saxophone and trumpet to evoke the spirit of and pay homage to the calypso orchestras of the thirties, forties, fifties and sixties right up to the modern day. This makes for a heady, intoxicating tropical brew of music that must be heard to be believed.