Heart Beat...

CaribbeanTales presents Heart Beat, an exciting new Canadian-Caribbean musician profile series, coming to Bravo!

Toronto – October 4, 2007

Music fans will gain a deeper appreciation for the sounds of the Caribbean this November, with the launch of Heart Beat - a unique 13-episode documentary series which showcases Canadian-Caribbean musicians and explores the hearts, minds and worlds of some of Canada’s most dynamic musical creators. Heart Beat will premiere on Bravo! on Tuesday, November 27 at 7 p.m.

The series is created and produced by award winning filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon and directed with panache and passion by Lana Lovell, Safiya Randera, Paul Nguyen, Justin Lovell, Alberto Suarez and Mars Horodyski.

Each half-hour episode tells the story of a different Caribbean performer, and explores the depth of their artistry. Featured artists include Master Drummer Muhtadi, Kaiso band Kobo Town, Jazz trumpeter Nick “Brownman” Ali, and many many more.

The official Heart Beat series launch event will take place on Tuesday, October 30 at the Trane Studio, when guests will be treated to live musical performances, as well as an advance screening of a couple of episodes from Heart Beat.

EP 1 : Muhtadi:
‘Muhtadi’ profiles one of Canada’s premier percussionists. A celebrity in his own right, Master Drummer Muhtadi plays djembe, bongos, congas, timbales, steel pan, has been performing professionally for over 30 years, and is the force behind the Muhtadi International Drumming festival, now in its 7th year. He has worked with a host of renowned performers, including Mary Wilson from The Supremes. Each year Muhtadi returns to Trinidad and Tobago for Carnival to perform with the world famous Desperadoes Steel Orchestra.

EP 2: Kobo Town:
Singer/songwriter Drew Gonsalves and the members of Kobo Town are one of Toronto’s most exciting contemporary calypso bands. In ‘Storytelling’, these talented musicians invite us into the dazzling world of wordplay and images that define calypso tradition and Trinidadian culture, reflecting on their ten-year musical journey to Kobo Town and sharing the musical styles and legends that continue to shape it.

Creator & Producer Frances-Anne Solomon is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and producer whose recent credits include the feature film A Winter Tale (2007), documentary series Literature Alive (2005-6), and the sitcom Lord Have Mercy! (VisionTV, 2003). She is the president and artistic director of the two companies she founded: Leda Serene Films and CaribbeanTales, and has also worked as a radio, film and television drama producer for the BBC.

Leda Serene Films is a film, television and new media production company that has produced an impressive range of award-winning programs—from feature films to more innovative multi-media projects—and has made its name as a producer of high-quality dramas and documentaries that celebrate diversity- strong personal stories from different cultural perspectives in the global diaspora.

CaribbeanTales is a not-for-profit multimedia company committed to producing educational films, videos, and new media projects that celebrate the rich tradition of Caribbean-heritage storytelling, using any and all types of media and state of the art technology. Projects include Literature Alive, a multi-facetted multimedia project including documentaries audio books, and an educational website about Caribbean-Canadian authors, and our Annual CaribbeanTales Film festival.