Sultans of String

Artist Information

Biography

• 2012 Festivals & Events- Entertainer of The Year
• 2011 Ontario Contact - Artist of the Year
• 2010 JUNO Award Nominees for Yalla Yalla! - Instrumental Album of the Year
• 2010 Canadian Independent Music Awards nominees- Favourite World Artist/Group
• 2009 International Songwriting Competition (ISC) First Place Winners - Instrumental
• 2009 Canadian Folk Music Award triple nominee with Sultans winning Instrumental Group of the Year

“They are players without borders... world music that transcends place and time with a heavy dose of playfulness added in.”
- The Vancouver Province

Raucous world-roots string wizards, CFMA winners and JUNO nominees, Sultans of String thrill their audiences with their global sonic tapestry of Spanish Flamenco, Arabic folk, Cuban rhythms, and French Manouche Gypsy-jazz, celebrating musical fusion and human creativity with warmth and virtuosity. Fiery violin dances with rumba-flamenco guitar while a funk bass lays down unstoppable grooves. Acoustic strings meet with electronic wizardry to create layers and depth of sound, while world rhythms excite audiences to their feet with the irresistible need to dance.

“Canada’s ambassadors of musical diversity” include 6-string violinist Chris McKhool (Pavlo), dueling guitar czars Kevin Laliberté (Jesse Cook, The Chieftains) & Eddie Paton (Robert Michaels), bass master Drew Birston (Chantal Kreviazuk), and the jaw dropping talent of Cuban percussionist Chendy Leon (Parachute Club, Alex Cuba)!

Since their formation only 5 years ago, Sultans of String have been riding a wave of success, from their debut CD, Luna, and 2nd offering, Yalla Yalla!, both hitting #1 on world/international music charts in Canada, to their triple Canadian Folk Music Award nomination, winning Instrumental Group of the Year. The band has been recorded live for broadcast on BBC Television, SiriusXM in Washington DC, CTV’s CanadaAM, CBC’s Canada Live, and has topped campus/community radio charts in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Belarus, Colombia, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain, The Netherlands, U.S. and U.K.

In the past year alone, they've acquired a JUNO (Canada’s Grammy) nomination, representation from acclaimed promoter David Wilkes (Emmylou Harris, Bela Fleck), and booking representation in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. They also took home 1st place in the International Songwriting Competition (out of 15,000 entries) and placed as finalists for two 2011 International Independent Music Awards. The band just released their 3rd album entitled MOVE, presenting, once again, an exhilarating celebration of world music styles.

“Canada is a real meeting places of musical influences from around the world” says bandleader/violinist McKhool. “At the same time, as a band we try to tell uniquely Canadian stories, putting forth our vision of the world as one family.” Chris’ paternal Makhoul grandparents immigrated to Canada from Lebanon in the early 1900s, and his Egyptian-born mother, an accomplished pianist, also has paternal Lebanese ancestry. “Growing up, I was taught the values of tolerance, respect for all peoples and celebration of culture.” McKhool’s unbridled passion for exploring the rhythms and melodies has led him to the far corners of the world, incorporating instruments and styles everywhere he went.

Touring as a trio to quintet, McKhool draws from this collective of master musicians to bring Sultans of String to community, festival and intermediate/high school audiences around the world including the Celtic Connections Festival in the U.K., Birdland jazz Club in NYC, Canada’s National Arts Centre, Mariposa Folk Festival, Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre, and Folk Alliance in Memphis, TN. Sultans of String have also performed on larger stages with Windsor & Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestras with noted conductor Maestro John Morris Russell (Cincinnati Pops), as well as their Cuban Trumpet Ensemble.

Instrumentation

Chris McKhool - 6 string violin
Kevin Laliberté - Guitar
Eddie Paton - Guitar
Drew Birston - Bass
Rosendo Chendy Leon - Percussion

Discography

SULTANS OF STRING CDS:
MOVE (2011)
Yalla Yalla! (2009)
Luna (2007)

Links

• Facebook
• MySpace
• Twitter
• Listen/Buy CDs at CDBABY
• Listen/Buy CDs at Maple Music
• Chris McKhool's concerts for young audiences
• Listen/Buy on iTunes

Audio

• Yalla Yalla! - Sultans of String
  Listen  
• Road to Kfarmishki
  Listen  
• Andalucia
  Listen  
• Auyuittuq Sunrise - Sultans of String
  Listen  
• Sable Island - Sultans of String
  Listen  
• Pinball Wizard - Sultans of String
  Listen  
• El-Kahira - Sultans of String
  Listen  
• Kitchen Party - Sultans of String
  Listen  
• Luna (whale song)- Sultans of String
  Listen  
• Alhambra- Sultans of String
  Listen  
• Gardens of Lebanon
  Listen  
• Stomping at the Rex
  Listen  
• Al Vuelo
  Listen  
• Highlander 10 Speed
  Listen  
• Tikal
  Listen  
• Gymnorumba
  Listen  
• Travesia
  Listen  
• Le Bisou
  Listen  
• Montreal
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Luna
• Alhambra
• El-Kahira
• Alhambra (2008)
• Rumba Norte
• Kitchen Party
• Sable Island
• Yalla Yalla!
• Gardens of Lebanon
• Road to Kfarmishki
• Montreal
• Andalucia

Video

Yalla Yalla- live video.mov

Ernie Bounce-Sultans of String with The Cathedral Bluffs Orchestra.mp4

Photo Gallery

Press

• AWARDS [+ Show ]
  

  • 2012 Festivals & Events- Entertainer of The Year • 2011 Ontario Contact - Artist of the Year •...• 2012 Festivals & Events- Entertainer of The Year
  • 2011 Ontario Contact - Artist of the Year
  • 2011 International Acoustic Music Awards Finalist – Instrumental
  • 2011 Independent Music Award Finalist – Instrumental Album - Yalla Yalla!
  • 2011 Independent Music Award Finalist – World Beat Album - Yalla Yalla!
  • 2011 ISC International Songwriting Competition Finalist- "Auyuittuq Sunrise " in the Instrumental category
  • 2011 ISC International Songwriting Competition Finalist- "Gardens Of Lebanon" in the World Music category
  • 2010 JUNO Award Nominees for Yalla Yalla! - Instrumental Album of the Year
  • 2010 Canadian Independent Music Awards nominees- Favourite World Artist/Group
  • 2009 International Songwriting Competition (ISC) First Place Winners - Instrumental
  • 2009 Canadian Folk Music Award triple nominee with Sultans winning Instrumental Group of the Year
  (also nominated for Ensemble of the Year and Pushing the Boundries)
  • 2009 Toronto Exclusive Magazine Award Winner- Best Toronto World CD
  • 2009 Toronto Exclusive Magazine Award Winner- Artist of the Year
  • Luna CD hit #1 across Canada on Top Ten national radio charts - "International" & " World/Folk" categories
  • 2008 International Songwriting Competition Winner (ISC) - Instrumental
  • 2008 Festivals & Events Ontario- Best Variety Act
  • 2008 Canadian Independent Music Awards Finalists- Favourite World Music Band
  • 2008 International Independent Music Awards Finalists- Best World Fusion Song
  • 2007 Musique du Monde Award
  • 2007 Canadian Folk Music Award nominees – Best Instrumentalist Group
  • 2007 Ontario Independent Music Award winner- Best Song & Best Instrumental
  • 2007 Toronto Exclusive Magazine Award Winner- Best Latin Jazz Group
  • 2007 Toronto Independent Music Award nominees - World Music Category

• U.K. Reviews [+ Show ]
  

  "Sultans of String are one of Canada’s hottest new musical exports, dynamically embodying their home..."Sultans of String are one of Canada’s hottest new musical exports, dynamically embodying their homeland’s values of tolerance and respect for diverse cultures. Centred on the founding interplay between Chris McKhool – a six-string violinist of Lebanese/Egyptian descent – and Kevin Laliberté’s rumba-accented guitar, they weave a gorgeously-hued tapestry of Spanish, Arabic, Latin, French and gypsy strands."
  Celtic Connections Festival, Scotland
  
  “Sultans of String’s latest album seems to be hoovering up Canadian awards and nominations like a Dyson on speed -- a joyful melting pot of jazz, flamenco, folk and indeed anything else that takes their fancy.. energetic and exciting world music fest from a band with talent to burn. This is the sort of band and music that would rip up any festival in the country."
  Maverick Magazine, UK
  
  “It seems that Sultans of String can’t get themselves out of bed at the moment without finding themselves nominated for one award or another. In a word: Magnificent”
  Rock n Reel - UK Music Magazine 5* review
  
  “Rich musical diversity, covering a wide range of styles, with a distinctly passionate flair… an impressive tour de force in world rhythms… impressive playing and highly inventive arrangements!”
  Northern Sky Music Magazine, UK

• U.S. & Australia Reviews [+ Show ]
  

  “Chris McKhool and the boys were fantastic! They can play my Bar Mitzvah.” Bob Ezrin, Producer (Pi...“Chris McKhool and the boys were fantastic! They can play my Bar Mitzvah.”
  Bob Ezrin, Producer (Pink Floyd, Kiss)
  
  "If you like acous­tic string mu­sic, you'll love this disc. This Toronto quintet is as eclectic and cosmopoli­tan as their home town, generating what seems like a soundtrack to a whole year's worth of National Ge­o­graph­ic. You'll hear gypsy jazz, Span­ish flamenco, Mid­dle East­ern folk, mainstream jazz, Celtic airs and bossa nova. I don't know of too many bands that can find a quite lis­tenable simpatico among songs like "Andalucía," "Emerald Swing," "Road to Kfarmishki," and Neil Young's "Heart of Gold." Despite the myr­iad sources, the mu­sic swings, and the mu­sician­ship is all top-flight, with gui­tars, fid­dle and acous­tic bass form­ing an organ­ic whole. They've found the common ground in the ti­tle word, Move, because you'll ei­ther move or be moved. Or both."
  Democrat & Chronicle, US
  
  "One of the most interesting bands to come out of Canada, Sultans of String continues to satisfy with a refreshing blend of various string instruments, vocals, trumpet and flute."
  Jazz Reviews, USA
  
  "Move is a treasure chest full of some of finest world music available. Words like depth, diversity and texture are sometimes tossed out with such regularity as to lose all real meaning. This Canadian string super-group carefully weaves a true sonic tapestry with influences from Spanish Flamenco to Arabic folk, utilizing Cuban rhythms, Bossa and French Manouche Gypsy-jazz music. Clearly eclectic world jazz gone unplugged. With a who's who of world music artists combined with an artistic and technical superiority, Sultans of String manage to capture an infusion of sound that bridges all musical boundaries and genres. Acoustic world music on steroids."
  Critical Jazz, USA
  
  “Simply brilliant!”
  Jeff Mifsud, 3NRG 99.3FM, Australia
  
  “GREAT Album! The uplifting energy that comes from these songs has earned it a permanent place in my cd player.”
  Andy Dooley-Miller, KVMR, 89.5 FM, California
  
  "Yalla Yalla is terrific! Sultans of String have outdone themselves on this album -- 10 tuneful tracks that are mystical and mesmerizing. This is Atomic World Jazz at its finest!"
  Steve Clarke, CHES, "Acoustic Planet"
  
  “A well crafted, stylish CD filled with passion - the music is sublime yet is subtle, powerful and emotive. The compositions are stunning as is the playing!“
  Peter Merrett, PBS 106.7 FM Melbourne Australia
  

• Canadian Reviews [+ Show ]
  

  "Virtuoso playing.... An exuberant and infectious sound... Powerful and moving... The Sultans are si..."Virtuoso playing.... An exuberant and infectious sound... Powerful and moving... The Sultans are simply an awesome musical group!"
  Mike Hill, Artistic Director, Mariposa Folk Festival
  
  “The Sultans win the admiration of audiences everywhere they play because they strike the perfect balance between brainy composition and fun execution!
  Sunfest, 2008
  
  “Thrill of improvising makes Sultans a thrill to experience… gripping suspense for both the audience and the musicians… Superb!”
  Roger Levesque, Edmonton Journal
  
  "They were amazing! Incredible chemistry on stage, and an infectious sense of fun in their music!"
  Andrew Parker, CBC's "The Sunday Edition"
  
  “The group’s music bursts with Celtic, Cuban, Middle Eastern and Spanish Flavours. All these sounds, and more, are woven together seamlessly thanks to top-notch musicianship, and every song is a musical discovery!”
  Errol Nazareth, Metro Ottawa
  
  “One of the most energetic performances I've seen. The depth and richness of the sound made you think there was an orchestra on stage, not just five guys! I hope to see you again next year!”
  Nicholas Arrigo, Jazz at Oscars Concert Series, University of Toronto
  
  “Absolutely Outstanding!”
  Ric Austin, Gananoque Concert Association
  
  “The local audience was enthralled. The show inspired cheers, whistles, and at least one instance of spontaneous dancing. And extended standing ovation brought the group back onstage!”
  Chris Putman, Parkland Review, SK
  
  “From family concerts to workshops to the late night after hours crowd... The Sultans of String owned every audience they played in front of at Northern Lights Festival. Brilliant energetic playing and a warm rapport with the listeners. We'll definitely bring them back!"
  Paul Loewenberg, Artistic Director, Northern Lights Festival Boreal
  
  “It was music compelling and diverse enough to bridge the gap that singers most often fill with language. In my assessment, Sultans of String delivered one of the strongest shows of the 2008/09 Dryden Entertainment Series.
  Chris Marchand, Dryden Observer
  
  “I remember the shiver up my spine on hearing the calls of Luna- the west coast killer whale searching for his pod- amazingly recreated on Chris’ electric violin. Haunting, moving and not to be missed!”
  Charles McFarland- Artistic Producer, Centrepointe Theatre
  
  “What a great concert! Two thumbs up for the Sultans of String who performed Saturday night. The four men in the group were fantastic instrumentalists!”
  The Four-Town Journal, SK
  
  “What a night! An evening of world-inspired instrumental folk that had our audience wide-eyed with wonder. “
  Rose Brooks, Just Milton Folks
  
  “The affection for this group was palpable as the band alternated between sincere tributes to whales, Sable Island horses and Mayan ruins, meditative rumba flamenco and smokin’ East Coast kitchen parties… fiery solos … precise and melodic phrases.”
  Cathy Riches, WholeNote
  
  “They are players without borders, rejecting out of hand any notion that flamenco doesn't work with gypsy jazz with, why not, some funk bass rumbling down below. It's world music that transcends place and time with a heavy dose of playfulness added in.”
  The Vancouver Province
  
  “The music is exquisite, with wildly infectious rhythms, soaring violin parts, and rapid-fire guitar riffs. And there is joy in their playing that is obvious in their faces. The crowd erupted in wild applause after each number, and called them back for more!”
  Bill MacLean, Beach Metro News
  
  “So many people piles into the hall that it was standing room only, which didn’t matter since most were up and dancing by the end. Electrifying fiddler, Chris McKhool magically captured the cries of a young Orca separated from his pod, leaving many people in the audience mopping up tears. The trio’s seamless performance and onstage chemistry delighted everyone in the room.”
  The Local, Gibsons BC
  

• The Rhythm Method [+ Show ]
  

  Chris McKhool and The Sultans of String conjure up an ingenious concoction of global rhythms on thei...Chris McKhool and The Sultans of String conjure up an ingenious concoction of global rhythms on their polished and playful new disc, Yalla Yalla!. Li Robbins pays Mr. McKhool a visit.
  
  “Chris McKhool [of Sultans of String] and the boys were fantastic! They can play my Bar Mitzvah.” —Bob Ezrin, producer
  
  You may be wondering where and why Ezrin (co-producer of Pink Floyd’s The Wall, not to mention a sizeable chunk of Alice Cooper’s discography) happened to make this proclamation. The context: a conference of music educators, Ezrin was keynote speaker and “McKhool and the boys” were “keynote band.” (Every conference should have one.)
  
  “It was early morning, we were playing in front of about 800 sleepy-eyed teachers,” recalls McKhool, leader of Sultans of String. “We woke ’em up good!”
  
  So good that after the band played, Ezrin put aside his pre-planned speech and talked about how what he’d just heard and seen—800 teachers clapping, singing, smiling—was how music should work, that McKhool and Sultans of String band mates had gone right to the heart of live music—engaging the audience.
  
  Ironic, since the band began by not “waking ’em up,” instead by being more or less ignored. Here’s the story. About a decade ago, McKhool, a six-string violinist, met jazz and flamenco guitarist Kevin Laliberté. The two began a regular gig at a defunct bar in the burbs of Toronto called Umno Mundo. (Spanish speakers: McKhool figures Umno was a typo.)
  
  With three hours to fill and not enough songs to fill them, the pair began to “spontaneously compose songs.” It was the kind of lounge where no one was paying much attention to the musicians playing so the gig became a kind of workshop, and the music they created became the basis for Sultans of String.
  
  “A lot of the music is based in rumba flamenco rhythms,” says McKhool, trying to define the sound. “But there are many different influences.”
  
  Most noticeable is jazz, Django Reinhardt style, but their latest recording, Yalla Yalla! also has elements of Middle Eastern styles, North American folk, and Cuban rhythms. The last is down to the brilliance of Cuban-Canadian percussionist Chendy Leon, who worked closely with the band in the development of the songs. But ultimately what unifies the sound is fleet-fingered interplay of strings: two guitars (Laliberté plus rhythm guitarist Eddie Paton) with McKhool’s fiddle.
  
  There’s a polish to the music, but a playfulness, too, some of which is down to McKhool’s alter ego as a children’s performer, touring across Canada for the past decade with appearances on TV shows including Mr. Dressup, YTV’s Treehouse, and TVOntario’s Crawlspace. With his Juno-nominated FiddleFire kids music project (including many of the same performers who play with Sultans), McKhool has developed a relationship to live performance that differs slightly from those who play only for adult audiences.
  
  “Kids are a very immediate audience. You find out what works and what doesn’t very quickly. And there’s the random factor: every show is a different experience, depending on how the kids react,” he says, with a chuckle. “Playing in front of kids has taught me to put together a show rather than a string of songs.”
  
  The approach is evident on Yalla Yalla! too. It has a quality almost of storytelling, not an easy feat with an all-instrumental album. But it’s a story with fairly diverse chapters, beginning with the title track with its rumba flamenco rhythms, Brazilian samba feel, plus oud and trumpet section, and ending with Le Bisou (The Kiss), a gentle, swinging jazz-meets-rumba piece titled while driving along the Trans-Canada Highway and thinking of loved ones back at home.
  
  Perhaps part of what gives Yalla Yalla! the quality of a story or journey is that sense of place—covering Canada from downtown Toronto, with Stomping At the Rex, a tribute to the longstanding Rex jazz club, to Sable Island, a song inspired by the wild-horse island some 180 kilometres off the coast of Nova Scotia. Or through compositions like Auyuittuq Sunrise, a response to a trip McKhool and his wife took to Baffin Island. (“It was astoundingly beautiful, we were in a fjord, the last remaining glacier —rocks start falling as the glacier retreats and you have this sense that the landscape is evolving as it is retreating.”)
  
  Then there are hints of a “hyphenated-Canadian” sense of place, although McKhool, Ottawa-born and raised, says he feels very firmly “Canadian-Canadian.” Even so, his own deeper cultural roots trickle into Yalla Yalla! as well as the Sultans’ previous recording, Luna.
  
  On the new recording, it’s most obvious in the track Gardens of Lebanon. McKhool, a third-generation Lebanese (and Egyptian) Canadian, grew up in the city where, according to Stats Can, Lebanese people “account for a larger share of the population than that of any other census metropolitan area across the country.” Arabic folk music was part of his world, along with the western classical music his mother, a piano teacher, played at home.
  
  It also explains the name McKhool, which you might have assumed was a clever stage name, part of his kids’ music personal. But McKhool was once Makhoul, two generations ago. (McKhool figures when his paternal grandparents went through immigration in Montreal some official heard the name and figured it was some obscure Scottish clan.)
  
  McKhool jokingly calls himself “reluctant band leader,” saying the others have kids so the job fell to him. But he’s quick to credit guitarist Laliberté for his considerable contributions, from a bebop influence to that foundation rhythm of rumba.
  
  A player of multiple styles, Laliberté fell in love with the music of Spain in the mid-1990s, and is well known for his work with Jesse Cook and Amanda Martinez as well as Sultans of String.
  
  Musical connections aside, there’s also a shared sense of humour between McKhool and Laliberté. On Yalla Yalla! you can hear Pete Townsend’s Pinball Wizard, rumba style, and a hybridized treatment of one of French composer Eric Satie’s beautiful but famously somber Gymnopédies; their version is called Gymnorumba. Let’s just say that it’ll “wake ’em up good.”
  

• CD Review- PBS 106.7FM Melbourne Australia [+ Show ]
  

  "A well crafted, stylish CD filled with passion - the music is sublime yet is subtle, powerful and e..."A well crafted, stylish CD filled with passion - the music is sublime yet is subtle, powerful and emotive, a trip to far corners of the world melding in everything from fiery Gypsy to plaintive Jazz. The compositions are stunning as is the playing… Congratulations on a truly stunning CD. Once again thank-you for the music and l welcome you to PBS FM and Melbourne Australia.”
  

• Ambassadors of musical diversity [+ Show ]
  

  Posted By ELIZABETH YATES, EXPOSITOR STAFF Thursday December 2, 2008 Chris McKhool remembers whe...Posted By ELIZABETH YATES, EXPOSITOR STAFF
  Thursday December 2, 2008
  
  Chris McKhool remembers when he couldn't even lift an instrument -- let alone wield a mesmerizing six-string violin and lead an acclaimed world-music ensemble.
  
  Now 39, the front man for the Sultans of String was a 20-ish graduate of McGill University when struck by fibromyalgia, a disease characterized by chronic pain, weakness and sensitivity to touch. For a year, the disease rendered the singer-songwriter unable to perform or do much of anything.
  
  "It was a really long process of getting the music back," McKhool says in a telephone interview from home in Toronto, a few days before the Sultans of String perform at the Sanderson Centre. Lifestyle changes -- more exercise, healthier eating -- helped him recover. He's now free of symptoms.
  
  In a way, he muses, the devastating illness was a boon: losing the ability to play made him realize that music was the most important thing in life.
  
  "It really helps define me as a person. It's my way of communicating to the world."
  
  It seems that the world likes what he's got to say.
  
  Since forming four years ago, the Sultans have won or been nominated for a slew of awards, ranging from being named best variety act by festivals and events Ontario this year to an Indie Award as favourite world group.
  
  "It's really great to be recognized. We make the music because we love it. So to be recognized for our songwriting and performing is just a wonderful bonus."
  
  Released earlier this year, their debut disc, Luna, showcases the group's mission to celebrate Canada's cultural diversity. Its songs range from a Maritime mash-up called Kitchen Party to the poignant title track, inspired by the tale of the famed B. C. killer whale believed to be the reincarnation of a First Nations chief.
  
  Mainly co-written by McKhool and rumba flamenco guitarist Kevin Laliberte, the melodies also reflect a country whose musical melting pot is accented by Latin, Middle Eastern, Gypsy- jazz and folk rhythms.
  
  "We like to joke that we have musical ADD (attention deficit disorder)," says McKhool. "We don't play any one style for too long. We like to take the audience on an armchair tour around the world.”
  "We love to get people clapping along -- and sometimes, dancing in the aisles."
  
  Saturday's show will feature McKhool and Laliberte as well as bassist Drew Birston, guitarist Eddie Paton and percussionist Alberto Suarez. They're eager to play their first show in Brantford, one of a string of dates in Ontario. Soon after, the group kicks off their first cross-Canada tour.
  
  It's an exciting time for the Sultans, who came together in 2004. McKhool was playing jazz clubs in Toronto when his regular guitarist couldn't make a gig and sent Laliberte instead.
  
  Hearing him warm up by playing rumba flamenco rhythms "was the coolest thing ever," says McKhool, who kept on hiring Laliberte after that night. Eventually, the two began writing their own tunes, which are now showcased on Luna. "This music comes from our hearts and our souls. It's born of edge-of-our-seats improvisation.
  
  "It was really fun to get it all down on a CD."
  
  While the group brings together a range of musical influences, McKhool's own style is steeped in the Middle East: his father's family came to Canada from Lebanon, while his mom -- a piano teacher -- is from Egypt. The pair met in Ottawa, where McKhool was born and raised.
  
  NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE
  
  Growing up, he was exposed to a variety of genres by music loving parents, who took him regularly to the National Arts Centre orchestra. At one concert, they told him to pick out an instrument to learn. As the boy was just 7, the double bass and cello were deemed too large; violin was a default choice.
  
  He trained classically on the instrument, but lost interest in high-school, switching to guitar and writing and singing his own songs in local folk clubs. It was just a beloved pastime for McKhool, who moved to Montreal to study psychology at McGill. Then fibromyalgia struck, bringing its revelation of just how central music was to his existence. "It was really up to me to figure out how to play again."
  
  While recovering, he worked part-time at a preschool and began performing for the kids. That led to gigs around town -- and then, a move to Toronto, seeking a wider choice of venues.
  
  After that move, about 12 years ago, he regained enough strength to be able to play violin -- more physically demanding than the guitar -- once again. Now, he sports a unique electro-acoustic instrument with two more strings than the traditional models. Made by a luthier in Ithaca, N. Y., "it's just gorgeous. I loved that extended range."
  
  Toronto's multicultural hotspot proved the perfect pace to jam with other world-minded musicians, says McKhool, who has performed with artists such as Pavlo and Jesse Cook.
  
  Comparisons between the Sultans of String and fellow Canadian Cook -- a bestselling rumba flamenco guitarist who's also known for global collaborations -- may be inevitable.
  
  And that's fine, says McKhool. "Fans of Jesse Cook will love our music," he says. "But we're also quite different. We do try to bring in many different styles ... and we're telling Canadian stories.
  
  "What I love about this band is that it's quite diverse."
  
  - - -
  
  NOW PLAYING
  
  Who: the Sultans of String
  
  When: Saturday, 8 p. m.
  
  Where: Sanderson Centre. Tickets: $32; call the box office at 519-758-8090.Check out: www.sultansofstring. com
  

• Mr. McKhool is swingin' with the Sultans [+ Show ]
  

  Lynn Saxberg, Published: Thursday, November 08, 2007 “It’s a really classy, dynamic mix of cult...Lynn Saxberg,
  Published: Thursday, November 08, 2007
  
  “It’s a really classy, dynamic mix of cultures and styles!” video blog
  
  Most of Chris McKhool's fans are under 10 years old. The effervescent Ottawa-born musician is known to the school-age set as an engaging entertainer who plays a lively guitar, mean fiddle and loves to sing about land, sea and air. His ecologically minded songs have reached more than a million children across the country in the last decade.
  But after three CDs for kids and a zillion kilometres on the road, McKhool has discovered a new musical passion, a flamenco-rumba hybrid with a sexy rhythm. Now the sweet sound of his five-string electric violin is at the centre of Sultans of String, a musical collective formed to play world-flavoured gypsy jazz.
  The fare is quite a bit more sophisticated than McKhool's material for children, but so far the band has managed to avoid falling into the boring-adult trap. On their new independent CD, Luna, their playful spirit shines through; it sounds like the band and special guests are having a great time. CBC Radio has been playing the disc, and it's been nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award, to be handed out Dec. 1 at a ceremony in Ottawa.
  
  On stage, the Sultans are terrific players who bring a real enthusiasm to the music. Their infectious energy has made them a hit on the festival circuit, and you can see it Saturday in a CD-release concert at Centrepointe Theatre (or get a sample online in the video we shot with them last week).
  While the Sultans' core lineup consists of McKhool with guitarist Kevin Laliberte and bassist Drew Birston, there's a supportive community of Toronto-based musicians to draw from. The Centrepointe concert will feature guest singer Amanda Martinez, percussionist Jeff Wilson and flute-and saxophone player Ernie Tollar.
  McKhool developed an interest in jazz after moving to Toronto to pursue a career in children's music. He formed a quartet and met Laliberte when the guitarist was called in as a substitute. McKhool was blown away by Laliberte's warmup routine.
  "I was like, 'That rhythm sounds amazing, what is that?'" McKhool recalls, "and he said, 'flamenco, that's what it's all about.'"
  Musically, the pair clicked and learned a few flamenco-style pieces, which landed them an extended "musical wallpaper" gig at a Toronto club. "You're supposed to be there and playing but you're not supposed to be so loud that they can't talk to each other," McKhool says to describe the wallpaper role.
  "It was great," he added with a laugh. "We'd play our half dozen songs that we knew and we'd make up music the rest of the time. We'd start chunking out rumba-flamenco chords and I'd start making up melodies."
  They ended the engagement a few months later with a nice batch of original compositions that would eventually become the basis of Luna. Bed tracks were recorded at Ken Whiteley's Toronto studio before McKhool began inviting guest players on flute, percussion, oud, mandolin and any other instrument that popped into his head, including vocals. "You gotta know when to stop," he says, smiling as if it was a challenge for him.
  
  McKhool is quick with a smile and friendly words, but there's a serious streak beneath the breezy demeanour, a strength of character that comes from facing a challenge far greater than figuring out where to fit an oud into a song.
  During his last year of university at McGill, McKhool developed fibromyalgia, a chronic muscle disorder. Physical activity caused pain -- it got so bad he couldn't tie a shoe or sit on the bus for any length of time. "I couldn't make myself a meal, never mind play an instrument," he said. "I couldn't pick up an instrument for at least a year."
  Doctors warned him he probably wouldn't be able to handle the demands of a career in music so McKhool started working as a classroom assistant in a pre-school, which ultimately led him back to music.
  
  "Eventually when my hands started working a little bit, I started playing guitar for the preschool kids and learning some classic Raffi songs," he says.
  As for the fibromyalgia, McKhool dove into researching the mysterious affliction, and concluded that the best way to deal with it was to learn how to look after himself.
  "All the studies basically said the same thing, it has no known cause and no known cure," McKhool says, "but those who take up yoga and meditation and really take their health into their own hands are the ones that get better.
  "So that's what I did. Over a period of many years, I had to get my body used to doing those things again, like music. It was really hard but it's totally gone now."
  Violin has been part of McKhool's life since he was a child. At seven, his parents took him to a National Arts Centre Orchestra concert and encouraged him to choose an instrument. His first choices, bass or cello, were deemed too bulky but violin would be OK.
  "I went through a period where I was really into it and a period where it didn't feel as cool anymore but I'm glad I stuck with it because now I just love it," McKhool says.
  Find out how Sultans of String got their name, check out their playing and win concert tickets on Lynn's video blog.
  
  http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/facethemusic/archive/2007/11/07/sultans-of-string-video-concert-ticket-giveaway.aspx
  
  

• Kings of the strings [+ Show ]
  

  SANDY CAETANO PUBLISHED MARCH 07, 2008 The Sultans of String are floored with appreciation about...SANDY CAETANO
  PUBLISHED MARCH 07, 2008
  
  The Sultans of String are floored with appreciation about how their world-jazz-flamenco music has been received around the world.
  
  Fiddler Chris McKhool said not only is it rewarding that the music is something people can relate to and enjoy, but it just reinforces the reasons why its members say they play.
  
  “It’s really, really exciting. I mean you make art that’s really close to your heart that tells your thoughts and your feelings and your musical ideas and you wonder if people are going to be there listening to it,” McKhool told Metro, ahead of the band’s gig at Ten Feet Tall on Sunday. “It’s thrilling for us that people are actually responding the way they are.”
  
  Sultans of String recently shot to No. 1 on national campus radio charts with debut album Luna.
  
  In addition to success at home, the group, which also includes, Kevin Laliberté on guitar and Drew Birston on bass, can be heard on radio stations in Greece, Germany, Italy, Argentina, France, Australia, Switzerland and the United States.
  
  The band has also won an Ontario Independent Music Award, been nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award and is up for the award for favourite world artist/group or duo of the year at the eighth annual Indies, which will be decided Saturday at the Fairmont Royal York Saturday as part of Canadian Music Week.
  
  For more on the band visit sultansofstring.com.
  
  

Setlist

We play 2 sets original music, plus encore. Songs include:

Alhambra (McKhool & Laliberte) – Inspired by the Moorish (Islamic) castle & temple built in Granada, Spain in the 12th century. This was built during the renaissance of Islamic civilization, when it was the world leader in art, science and architecture. The Alhambra was considered the physical representation of Paradise as described in Islamic poetry. The Arabic words at the beginning translate to “My eyes, the sky”

Andalucía (McKhool & Laliberté)- Birthplace of Flamenco in Southern Spain! Land where Arabic, Roman, Sephardic Jewish, Indigenous Andalusian and Gypsy cultures blended to give life to one of the most profound and purest forms of art. ¡Ole!

Contessa (Martinez, McKhool & Laliberte) – A co-write with latin songstress Amanda Martinez

El-Kahira (McKhool & Laliberte) – McKhool’s mother was born and grew up in Cairo, Egypt. This song uses an ancient 'saidi' rhythm from Upper Egypt.

Emerald Swing (McKhool & Laliberté) - What do you get when you mix a fiddle tune, a Gypsy-jazz rhythm, and the wild mandolin playing of Canadian roots legend Ken Whiteley?

Gardens of Lebanon (McKhool & Laliberte) – Ancestors on McKhool’s father’s side hail from K’fir Mishki, Lebanon. Back then the family name was pronounced Makhoul.

Heart of Gold (Neil Young) - One of our favourite Canadian songs, we rediscovered it as a rumba tune with amazing folkie songstresses Amanda and Sheila from the group Dala.

Highlander 10 Speed (McKhool) – A riotous sendup to the Hot Club of France tunes of the 1930’s and 40’s. Get ready to party!

Josie (McKhool & Laliberté) - ArtsCan Circle sends teams of volunteer musicians and artists to remote Northern communities to link creative artists with Indigenous youth at risk. Josie Kaminawaish is an Elder I met on an ArtsCan trip to Mishkeegogamang, Ontario. Josie takes students from the community school out to the bush each spring to teach them traditional skills including hunting, trapping and lodging. www.artscancircle.ca

Kitchen Party (McKhool & Laliberte) – An old-fashioned East Coast canadian style fiddle tune with jazz sensibilities and a Reggae twist. Get ready to clap!

Luna the Whale (McKhool & Laliberte) – Written as a tribute to Luna (First Nation name Tsux’iit),the famous killer whale in the Nootka Sound near Vancouver Island. The Mowachaht / Muchalaht First Nation believed him to be a reincarnation of their late chief Ambrose Maquinna. "Chief Ambrose said he'd like to come back as a Kakawin [killer whale in Nuu-Chah-Nulth language]. Four days after his death, Tsux'iit showed up."

Montreal (McKhool & Laliberté) - The neighbourhood of Mile-End, St. Viateur bagels, Tam Tams jam on Mount Royal, the Jazz Fest, and St-Laurent Blvd, makes this one of my favourite places on earth. -CM

Nacimiento (McKhool & Laliberté) - The journey to parenthood is the hardest and most rewarding gig I have ever had. It was a long nine months’ journey as we waited for our beautiful girl to join us in the world- you can hear her heartbeat in this song. It seems our adventure is just beginning... -CM

Return to Lisboa (Kevin Laliberté) - High energy rumba flamenco celebration of the rhythms of life … a fun vehicle for high-energy improvisation and dancing!

Road to Kfarmishki (McKhool & Laliberté) - In June 2010, my father and I returned to our roots in the village of Kfarmishki, Lebanon, in the Bekaa Valley, where my paternal Makhoul grandparents are from. We discovered the abandoned stone house where my grandfather grew up. -CM

Tikal (Laliberte & McKhool) – Close your eyes to find yourself among ancient Mayan ruins in the jungle of Guatemala, surrounded by old-growth jungle.

Basic Requirements

Calendar