3x JUNO nominees and Billboard charting Sultans of String are an “energetic and exciting band with talent to burn!” (Maverick Magazine, UK). Thrilling audiences with their genre-hopping passport of Gypsy-jazz, Middle Eastern, Flamenco and Cuban rhythms, fiery violin dances with kinetic guitar, while bass and percussion lay down unstoppable grooves. Throughout, acoustic strings meet electronic wizardry to create layers and depth of sound.
Celebrating a milestone 10 years together, Sultans of String have been on an impressive trajectory with an astonishing number of awards and accolades in tow, including 3 Canadian Folk Music Awards, a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal (for bandleader Chris McKhool), 1st place in the ISC (out of 15,000 entries), and invitations to perform/record with such luminaries as Nikki Yanofsky, The Chieftains, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Richard Bona, Alex Cuba, and Ruben Blades.
The band is led by 5-string violinist McKhool (Jesse Cook, Pavlo) who was raised in a Lebanese-Egyptian household just bursting with music and diversity. Growing up, Chris was fed a steady diet of delicious musicality alongside Middle Eastern cuisine and violin lessons. At the core of the band’s sound is his bold and fiery fiddle, melded seamlessly with founding guitarist Kevin Laliberté’s (Jesse Cook) rumba rhythm. Together their musical synergy created Sultans of String’s signature sound – the intimate and playful relationship between violin and guitar. Other amazing musical friends such as in-the-pocket bass master Drew Birston (Chantal Kreviazuk), and the jaw-dropping beats of Cuban percussionist Chendy Leon (Alex Cuba, Ron Sexsmith).
Sultans of String have been criss-crossing North America and the UK for the last several years at many taste-making forums such as NYC’s legendary Birdland, Boston’s Scullers, and London’s Trafalgar Square. They have sold out Koerner Hall (Toronto’s Carnegie Hall), and performed with Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Stratford, and Niagara Symphony Orchestras, as well with Kingsfield POPS in Maine and Maryland’s acclaimed Annapolis Symphony. Sultans of String were also filmed live by MPBN’s Maine Arts! and performed live on BBC TV & Radio, Irish National Radio, and the internationally syndicated shows WoodSongs, World Cafe, and on SiriusXM in Washington.
“Sultans of String can bring a tear to your eye, goose bumps to your skin, and can get the late feeders onto the dance floor!”
JAZZ-FM
“Sultans of String were awesome! The crowd was on their feet!”
San Jose Jazz Summer Festival, California
“Exciting and very moving!”
Birdland Jazz, New York
“Sultans of String were a definite highlight of the festival. These are talented, energetic musicians that we would like to see perform again and again!”
Prince Edward County Jazz Festival
“Your set was sensational. Loved it.”
Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul & Mary)
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Performances
