Brampton On Stage Presents Flow Fest to Celebrate: Culture, Music and Drumming

BY PAUL JUNOR

The return of the second annual FLOW FEST Brampton’s International Drumming Festival will be a great day of celebration. After last year’s exciting and entertaining show, there is much to look forward to this year. On September 23rd, 2023, Brampton will be treated to a roaming DJ, and a percussive party involving a fusion of Afro-Caribbean and jazz ensembles that will be immersive in celebratory: culture, music, and drumming.

The Grammy award-winning, Brampton-raised, musician,  composer and educator Larnelle Lewis, and Joy Lapps: multi-modal artist, composer, artist, educator, creative consultant and creative are both artistic directors of Flow Fest. Larnelle is internationally recognized as s drummer, and Joy leads the Joy Lapps Project, an ensemble exploring Afro-Cuban and Latin-Caribbean Jazz.

I interviewed Joy on Thursday, September 21st, 2023 regarding the upcoming Flow Fest. She is excited to be part of Brampton’s second international drumming festival. She shared with me how important it means to her to participate in this space for community building and creative expression where her leadership skills are showcased.

She is thrilled by the immersive and participatory elements that will be embedded in Flow Fest. For her, the steel pan is a tool for engagement that empowers individuals, communities and the world to enjoy the richness of life. Joy is purposeful and intentional in her visionary strategy to ensure it becomes a multi-day festival. She states the overall aim is “To strengthen the production and overall foundation in our planning team.”

Joy told me that there will be a drumming circle that Brampton-based O’Neil ‘Drummy’ Fuller will lead. This is a new feature that will be added to Flow Fest. It will take place in the morning between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. In addition,there will be special guests within the Larnelle Lewis Band/Joy Lapps Project Performance who are new to Flow Fest: Dionne Wilson,  Derek Thorne,  Kobe Aquaa Harrison, and Roshane Wright (composer/arranger).

Flow Fest will feature the Ngoma Dance and Drum Ensemble. The word Ngoma is of Swahili origin, and it means both drum and dance. The ensemble was launched in 1995 and is a group of young performing artists who unite with the community to: educate, empower and embrace their audiences with the majesty of: who they were, who they are, and the limitlessness of who they become. It is made up of a new generation of young artists who remain committed to continuing the work of sharing their African ancestry through the musical disciplines and skill development of drum and dance interactions with: professional, local and international artists.

Shaquilla Alexander (aka L DJ Lady Q) will be one of the two roaming DJs. She is Canadian-born, has Trinidadian and Antigua roots, and enjoys spinning  soca and calypso music. Her joy as a DJ comes from seeing people free up, enjoying the sound of music and being able to experience something they will never forget. Joshua Lucas is the other DJ who is well-known in the music entertainment scene in Toronto.

There will be a performance by OKAN, a Canadian Afro-Cuban jazz group that is made up of Elizabeth Rodriguez and Magdelys Savigne. Rodriguez is a classically trained violinist and Savigne studied orchestral percussion.

OKAN is the word for heart in the Afro-Cuban religion Santeria. OKAN is a Juno-Award winning women-led ensemble that fuses Afro-Cuban roots with jazz,folk and global rhythms in songs about immigration, courage and love.

Anyone interested in knowing more about the show can check out bramptononstage.ca