Documentary series on Ja Canadian musicians set for August launch

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) will launch a documentary series about Jamaican Canadian musicians, Sounds & Pressure: Reggae in a Foreign Land, on August 22.

The anthology series features Jerry Brown, Nana McLean, Johnny Osbourne, Leroy Sibbles, Roy Panton and Yvonne Harrison.

“With the creation of Summer Records, Jerry Brown helped infuse reggae and the Caribbean sound into the Canadian music landscape,” notes the Canada Black Music Archives.

“Against the changing face of Toronto’s Little Jamaica, where she established some of the city’s landmark reggae record stores, singer Nana McLean challenges outdated stereotypes and establishes her reputation as the queen of Reggae in Canada, said the NFB.

It noted that before gaining international recognition as the ‘Dancehall Godfather’, legendary singer Johnny Osbourne was at the forefront of a revolution that transformed Toronto into one of the most influential reggae communities in the world.

“In Trench Town – the birthplace of reggae – Leroy Sibbles rose to stardom as the lead singer of The Heptones and the undisputed king of the reggae bassline. Then, at the height of his career, he left it all behind to create a new legacy for himself in Toronto,” said the NFB in a synopsis of the series.

Roy Panton and Yvonne Harrison made history as one of the first Jamaican ska duos. Decades after going their separate ways, the pair rekindled their magic – this time, 3,000 kilometres north, in Scarborough, Ontario, it said.

Co-written and co-directed by Chris Flanagan and Graeme Mathieson with production by Sherien Barsoum and Lea Marin, Sounds & Pressure: Reggae in a Foreign Land follows the journeys of these icons. Through rare archives and infectious beats, this captivating five-part anthology series takes you from Kingston to Kensington Market to see and hear how reggae made roots in Canada against all odds.”

The NFB notes that “at the height of the golden age of reggae, some of Jamaica’s brightest stars left their homeland behind to shine their light in an unlikely hub of Caribbean creativity: Toronto”.

The director of photography is Keenan Lynch, editors Rich Williamson, Graeme Mathieson, Navin Harrilal and Jadon JB Williams, and the executive producers are Chanda Chevannes and Anita Lee.

It will be released on the website of the NFB and on apps.