World Music & Arts Festival

Mimi O’Bonsawin is a contemporary roots singer-songwriter born in Northeastern Ontario of mixed French Canadian & Abénaki heritage, and is a member of Odanak First-Nation. Through her rhythm, story-driven songs, and generous spirit, Mimi’s music embraces the beauty of the land. The ethereal quality of her music whisks you away with uplifting melodies and introspective lyrics that weave pop sensibilities with acoustic instruments. The layers of percussion and surprising harmonies make you feel the music rather than just hear it. She performs with her husband Ryan Schurman on drums and percussion.

Originally from Bucharest, now in Vancouver, violinist Lache Cercel has created the new musical genre Roma jazz, by merging Eastern influences with western musicology. In celebration of his multi-cultural influence in music, this unique collaboration features a selection of highly regarded musicians, singers and dancers. He plays with the outrageous virtuosity found in contemporary European Roma recordings, and adds his own vision to this deeply rooted tradition, revealing the history of tragedy, struggle and ultimate survival that is part of Roma music.

Forged in a cauldron of raging, inspiring, contemporary jazz, the Jeremy Ledbetter Trio pushes the boundaries of jazz and world music, providing an undiluted display of rampaging energy and captivating musicianship. Jeremy has been creating genre-bending original music since forming the Caribbean Latin jazz outfit CaneFire in 2004. Since then, he has worked closely with an international array of artists, including Harrison Festival alumni Eliana Cuevas and Okan. With his trio he has achieved new levels of recognition for his outstanding musicianship, winning Best Jazz Album at the 2025 Juno Awards. With Grammy-winning drummer Larnell Lewis (Snarky Puppy) and renowned electric bassist, Rich Brown, the trio creates a type of jazz that is incredibly groove-oriented, accessible, and emotionally captivating.     

We are always delighted to have any of these three artists back to the festival, but to have them all here at the same time, blending their voices in harmony, is a treat indeed. Barney Bentall, Shari Ulrich, and Tom Taylor first played together at the songwriter concert on Bowen Island in 2007. They released “Live at Cates Hill” soon after, an eclectic mix of the work of these three distinctive yet complimentary voices. All three have very different backgrounds as performers – Barney of course is well known for his albums with the Legendary Hearts, Shari for her work with Pied Pumpkin and UHF, and Tom as a member of rockers She Stole My Beer – but if you talk to them about their songwriting influences they run deep and wide, from traditional folk and country to the great Texas songwriters.    

Bamba Wassoulou Groove was born in Bamako, Mali in 2013 on the initiative of the late Bamba Dembélé, percussionist and co-founder of the Super Djata Band, the mythical group of Zani Diabaté, the most original and funky guitarist to come out of Mali following that nation’s independence. Bamba Wassoulou Groove is composed of 6 musicians (three guitars, one bass, a drum and a singer) who create a wall of sound with intricate guitar interplay, Hendrix-level guitar solos, and intense bass and drum groove. The band is a heavy dance machine that electrifies Malian music and recreates the excitement of hot nights in Bamako. We are excited to present this band, fast rising as one of the premier Malian touring acts, in their first ever performance in Canada.