| Jeremy Ledbetter and CaneFire |
CaneFire is a high-energy Caribbean music experience that features the steelpan (steel drum) in a way you've never heard it before. The original compositions of pianist and bandleader Jeremy Ledbetter form the basis of CaneFire's repertoire, combining Trinidadian calypso with Latin rhythms, jazz, and blues to create a unique, exciting sound. At the heart of this sound is its unconventional use of the steelpan, played by Mark Mosca, who is quickly establishing himself as one of the world's most skillful and creative pannists. The Toronto-based group also includes Cuban powerhouse Alexis Baró on trumpet; soul screamer Braxton Hicks on the tenor sax; Yoser Rodriguez on bass; and the explosive duo of Chendy León on drums and Alberto Suárez on congas. CaneFire will take you on a journey through the Caribbean, with world-class musicianship and enough raw energy to melt the stage – Caribbean jazz with FIRE!
Jeremy Ledbetter is a versatile young composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who has covered a lot of ground in his short musical career. Born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario, Jeremy was classically trained on the piano from the age of seven. He later went on to complete a degree in jazz performance at York University in Toronto. Since then, having lived and worked in Trinidad and Tobago, Australia, Cuba, Venezuela, the USA, and Nicaragua, Jeremy has acquired a wide range of musical influences to draw on in his compositions, which bring together several musical cultures from a distinctly Canadian perspective. Since 2002, Jeremy has worked alongside Trinidadian legend David Rudder as musical director, pianist, arranger and producer. He has also shared the stage, as a performer or musical director, with Andy Narell, Charlie's Roots, Andre Tanker, Celso Machado, Percy Sledge, Eliana Cuevas, Robert Greenidge, Nene Quintero, Atlantik, and Ralph MacDonald, touring extensively throughout North America, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
Back in Canada, Ledbetter brought together a group of Toronto's finest young musicians from a variety of backgrounds to form CaneFire. Since the group's premiere, at Toronto's Lula Lounge in May 2005, CaneFire has performed at the Beaches International Jazz Festival, Harbourfront Centre, the Toronto Centre for the Arts, the Atlantic Jazz Festival, the St. John's Jazz Festival, and represented Canada at the Trinidad and Tobago Steelpan and Jazz Festival in 2006 and 2007. The group has been featured on Omni Television and CBC Radio, and has also made a splash at festivals with their interactive and energetic workshops. CaneFire's debut CD, Kaiso Blue, was recorded at CBC's Studio 211 in Toronto, and includes guest performances by Andy Narell and Venezuelan vocalist Eliana Cuevas.
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