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MOTHERLAND - APRIL 2024

Jamii-Saturday Mingling-Photo by Jae Yang_46.jpg
MINGLING
Saturday
7 pm
Monthly Community Gathering: A night filled with music, dance, and other art forms!

Motherland

April 2024

May 2, 2024 (a Thursday!)

Lead Artist: Waleed Abdulhamid

Calling one and all to Jamii for a fun filled Saturday night! This 'Saturday Mingling’ will celebrate all the artistic creations and experiences from the month of April and give community members an opportunity to join artists for a night of music and dance!


The evening will open up with a musical set by Maryem Tollar’s group Al Qahwa, joined by Ernie Tollar and Naghmeh Farahmand. Maryem is the vocalist for the group and will also be playing the qanun (Arabic table harp) and riqq (Arabic tambourine).  Ernie plays various wind instruments including the nay (Arabic flute), and saxophone.  Naghmeh Farahmand plays the daff (Persian frame drum) and the dumbek (Arabic hand drum). You will have a chance to hear the Egyptian songs participants have been learning, as well as other songs from the Middle East and some of Al Qahwa's original compositions.


Share food, dancing, music and arts with us. A free event for community to come together and celebrate the theme of the month: Motherland!

Photos by Jae Yang

Waleed Abdulhamid Waleed Abdulhamid is a Canadian Multi-instrumentalist; Composer; Vocalist; Music and Film Producer, known for his striking vocals, innovative bass technique, and his speed and precision on percussion. He has been an active member of the Toronto music scene since his arrival, in 1991 from Sudan, where he began to perform as early as six years old. He is the recipient of the Canadian New Pioneer Award; African Tama Award; Reel World Film Festival Award and Canadian Film Board of Excellence Award. In addition, he has not only received other international awards, but was also twice honoured with a DORA Award. In turn, he is frequently invited to serve on juries in Music and Theatre, and has acquired a distinctive profile in the media.

This educator-artist of demonstrated versatility plays 20 instruments including the guitar; bass; drums; flute; harmonica; kirin; bass kirin; darabhuka; marimba; balimbo; congas; bongos; djembe; dumbek; aghera; tambour; cajun; denger; ekaa and tama.

Waleed is not only a band leader, a conductor and insightful arranger of popular compositions, but also a Director of Choral and Orchestral Music. He frequently conducts workshops designed for both new or advanced learners, and works collaboratively with choreographers to produce innovative creations.

Waleed Abdulhamid has recorded, performed and toured with celebrated artists including David Clayton Thomas of the Grammy Award winning band Blood, Sweat & Tears and Motown legends, The Drifters. He has also toured both nationally and internationally. However, he is most proud of his role as a mentor to acclaimed younger artists such as D’bi Young, Ngozi Paul, and Zaki Ibrahim.

Waleed has been the subject of study for researchers and PhD candidates seeking to understand the workings of the virtuoso mind, and is currently a faculty member in the music department of the University of Toronto. Formerly, he worked for twenty years as a professor in the Music Degree Program at Humber College.

When not teaching, performing and producing, Waleed can be found in front of the camera, acting in short and feature films, most recently for CBC, CANN Film Festival France, and TIFF.

Photo Credit: Unknown

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