Sultans of String bring their Christmas Caravan concerts to Kingston Road United Church on Dec. 22 and 23

As winter crests and the mercury falls, everyone from your taxi driver to the music supervisor at the mall starts running timeless hits like Jingle Bells and Silent Night.

But for their Christmas Caravan show and album (which hit Billboard’s World Music Charts and the New York Times Hits List), Canada’s global groove wizards Sultans of String celebrate the holiday spirit with an adventurous musical trip around the world with a twist, featuring originals, world-music inspired classics, and seasonal favourites that bandleader and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient Chris McKhool said will “warm your heart on a cold winter’s night.”

The show arrives in East Toronto on the nights of Friday, Dec. 22, and Sunday, Dec. 23, for performances at Kingston Road United Church, 975 Kingston Rd., as part of the Kingston Road Village Concert Series.

“This is a very special show this year, because joining us are an incredible group of special guests,” said McKhool, “including vocalist Rebecca Campbell, (who has accompanied Jane Siberry, and Parachute Club), Folk Blues icon Ken Whiteley, French chanteuse Kristine St-Pierre, Cuban percussionist Alberto Suarez, Nyckelharpa player Saskia Tomkins, Latin Vocalist Amanda Martinez, and Indigenous Vocalist Shannon Thunderbird.”

The Kingston Road Village Concert Series is the brainchild of Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) bassist and Beach resident Tim Dawson.

McKhool said those attending the Dec. 22 and Dec. 23 performances can expect surprises and delights.

“From fiery fiddle tunes to a Caribbean sleigh ride, this surprising and delightful holiday fiesta heats up when Sultans of String bring their signature sound to well-known gems such as Little Drummer Boy, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Silent Night, as well as a django-jazz inspired Django Christmas, and a Rumba-Flamenca fuelled Jingle Bells,” he said.

Those attending are reminded that the shows will also serve as a food drive for Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank, so please bring donations of non-perishable food items.

Since 1983, the Daily Bread Food Bank has worked to meet emergency needs while advocating for long-term solutions to end poverty with 207 programs across Toronto, striving for everyone’s right to food, meaningful policy changes.

“It is also a special awareness-raising bash for the UNHCR,” said McKhool of the shows at Kingston Road United Church.

As fundraising partners with UNHCR (the United Nations Refugee Agency), Sultans of String has raised more than $11,000 for UNHCR.

“Helping refugees is a cause we care about deeply because more than 67 million refugees worldwide are in desperate need of our support. They have every right to live a safe and dignified life as much as we do,” said McKhool. “By supporting UNHCR, you are providing life-saving assistance to refugees all over the world.”

Equally at home in a concert hall, folk and jazz club or festival setting, the Sultans have gigged at JUNOfest, the legendary club Birdland in New York, Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow, and London’s Trafalgar Square. They have sold out Koerner Hall three times, and performed with the Annapolis, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton Symphony Orchestras. They have played live on CBC’s Canada Live, BBC Radio, BBC TV, and Irish National Radio.

Sultans of String thrive on collaborations with such diverse luminaries as Paddy Moloney & The Chieftains, Sweet Honey in The Rock, Alex Cuba, Ruben Blades, Benoit Bourque, Béla Fleck, Crystal Shawanda and others.

The Sultans of String’s new release, Walking Through The Fire, is an important new CD/Concert of collaborations with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists. This production of essential Indigenous voices was inspired by the recommendations of The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s “94 Calls to Action” that asks for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to work together as an opportunity to show a path forward.

The Christmas Caravan concerts on Dec. 22 and 23 start at 7 p.m. and tickets are $35. For more info and to order tickets, please go to https://kingstonroadvillageconcerts.eventbrite.com