The Cabaret
The Songs in the Key of Cree Cabaret
The creation being developed in Manitoba—Lynx Lamour Goes to Nashville—is deeply rooted in country and western music, Tomson Highway has also written a cabaret known as Songs in the Key of Cree, a compilation of songs written over the past 30 years and taken from his musicals: Rose; The Incredible Adventures of Mary Jane Mosquito; The (Post) Mistress; and The Sage, the Dancer, and the Fool. Working with the captivating Peruvian/Canadian vocalist Patricia Cano and the extraordinary Toronto-based jazz sax player Marcus Ali, Songs in the Key of Cree, is a smooth collection of other Cree and English language songs penned by Tomson.
This trio—Patricia, Marcus and Tomson on piano—has performed the Cree cabaret to international audiences in great concert halls and the most intimate of settings. In 2017, the trio had a successful whirlwind tour to Europe playing Warsaw, Prague, Katowice, Rome, London, and Tenerife, and ending with performances in Peterborough and at
Toronto’s Koerner Hall.
In August 2019, Tomson, Patricia and Marcus will head to Scotland to perform 15 shows at the prestigious
Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Patricia Cano
Vocalist
Patricia Cano was born in Sudbury, Ontario where she grew up in a Peruvian household. Upon graduating from the University of Toronto in Theatre and Spanish Literature, Patricia spent five years working in Paris, France with the world-renowned theatre company Le Théâtre du Soleil, during which time she travelled to Seoul to study traditional South Korean folk singing and drumming. Patricia has also spent time in Rio de Janeiro listening, playing, singing and feeling her way through the exceptional Carioca music scene! In 2009, Patricia launched her singing career with her debut album, This is the New World, co-created—in four languages—with her Brazilian musical partner, Carlos Bernardo. This album won "Best Album: Solo Artist" at the Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards.
Patricia’s newest album, Gracias a la Vida, has been nominated for the Outstanding Vocal Performance by the Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards. Congratulations Patricia!
Marcus Ali
Saxophone
The amazing Marcus Ali is a Toronto-based saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. A versatile musician who is equally at home in a wide range of genres, Marcus has played on over sixty albums on a variety of woodwinds (saxophone, flute, clarinet, West African flute, tin whistle). He has performed, toured, and recorded with dozens of bands including Grand Prix de Jazz award-winner Nick Ali and Cruzao, Matt Dusk, Mr Something Something, Orquesta Fantasia, Tomson Highway, and the Composers Collective Big Band. Currently, Marcus can be heard with the Ali Bros, Grüvoria, DRUMHAND, Soldiers of Song: a tribute to the Dumbells, and with JUNO-nominated Jason Wilson. He has toured extensively across Canada as well as throughout the US, the UK, the Caribbean, Europe and Japan.