Surefire Sweat (Ontario)

Surefire Sweat

Toronto drummer and percussionist Larry Graves has contributed wonderfully to the Guelph Jazz Festival over the years, leading the percussion-driven Drumhand and providing the propulsion for the Afrobeat dynamo, Mr. Something Something. Surefire Sweat is his brand-new outfit that mixes the same Fela Kuti-style Afrobeat whirlwind with funk, contemporary jazz, brass band music, and traditional music from West Africa, which Graves has studied extensively. Two versions of Surefire Sweat are ready to bring the groove to Market Square this year: The stage band is featured during the Saturday program, while the Surefire Street Band, featuring special surprise guests, demonstrate Larry Graves’s commitment to street music traditions during this year’s Friday Night Street Music Party in Market Square.

The Surefire Street Band:

Dave Chan (percussion)
Larry Graves (drums)
Elena Kapeleris (saxophone)
Thomas Moffett (trumpet)

Tom Richards (sousaphone)

Friday, 14 September, as part of the Friday Night Street Music Party in Market Square, 7pm-12am, free

Surefire Sweat:

Dave Chan (percussion)
Larry Graves (drums)
Elena Kapeleris (saxophone)
Alexander Brown (trumpet)
Paul MacDougall (guitar)

Liam Smith (bass)

15 September, 8pm, Market Square Stage, free

Surefire Sweat website
Surefire Sweat on Bandcamp

Listen on YouTube