High Notes from Toronto’s International Jazz Fest

It’s been a busy summer in Toronto, and if Pride and World Cup pandemonium wasn’t already keeping schedules busy, Toronto’s International Jazz Fest crushed any opportunity for a dull moment. Running over ten days, more than 100 performances took place at venues across the city for the festival’s 39th annual bash. Luckily, I was able to get in on some of the jam-packed action. Here were my highs.

Jazz Meets Hip Hop – a Black Music Month Conversation

I started the week off strong at the Jazz Meets Hip Hop conversation panel featuring Marcus “Red” Hubbard, Lumar LeBlanc and Manuel Perkins Jr. of the New Orlean’s band, The Soul Rebels, Canadian singer-songwriter (and Edmonton legend), Kreesha Turner, and Universal Music Canada A&R leader, Morgan “MJ” James.

The panelists explored the symbiosis between jazz and hip hop and the impact of the genres’ connection to their own work. Hubbard and Turner both described jazz as music’s core foundation – influencing and being influenced by everything in music’s orbit. As a multi-generational band, The Soul Rebels members’ detailed how genre-blending is a natural part of their process. “Everyone brings their own touch… if it feels good to you, we’ll make it work”. The discussion turned to whether jazz musicians – in a genre defined by its lack of limitations – benefit from labeling their music as one specific thing. Turner for example, who debuted as a pop act, discussed her former record label’s hesitancy about her experimenting with different styles. Providing an A&R perspective, James validated the artists’ feelings of being boxed into certain categories, attributing the constraints to prevailing music marketing practices, which heavily revolve around promoting artists around their genre designations. The conversation took an interesting turn when Turner discussed her recent discovery and fondness of Icelandic artist, Laufey. An internet phenomenon, Laufrey has undoubtedly found success embracing a fusion sound. Her Spotify page with over 22 million monthly listeners describes her discography as “jazz-classical influenced-pop music”. “These kids don’t even know they’re listening to jazz!” Turner jokingly remarked about her Laufey discovery.

As some audience members pointed out, social media infrastructure has changed not only the music discovery process, but sensibilities more broadly. Young audiences’ willingness to engage with an increasingly wider range of music hints at a dissolution of rigid genre loyalty by mainstream audiences. So while listeners’ music catalogs change faster than their lexicon, entry points for jazz not only via hip hop, but through youth culture all together are increasing by the day. Multi-genre Jazz Fest acts like Kokoroko, Hiromi’s Sonicwonder, and Mei Semones are proving just that.

Kokoroko

Jazz Fest returnees Kokoroko made their way to Phoenix Concert Theatre on June 25 for a dance-packed set. The excitement in the line up at the venue entrance was confirmation that the buzz from their 2025 release Tuff Times Never Last is still ringing strong. The night kicked off with opener, Toronto’s own Witch Prophet, who delivered a melodic set that got heads bopping and bodies swaying. “Forwards Backwards”, a track from her March 2026 release, Words are Spells, Thoughts are Magic, was amongst the set’s standouts. Witch Prophet’s impressive vocal performance immediately grabbed the audience’s attention so much so that the usual phone scrolling and crowd chatter that typically haunts an opening set was largely absent. 

Arriving to a sufficiently charmed crowd, Kokoroko took the stage. Although defined by their diasporic sound, the band dons a quintessential South London look and the equally stylish crowd must have gotten the memo. The well-balanced set featured a selection of covers and original material that put the band’s full repertoire on display. The crowd received some disco and funk by way of a cover of I-Level’s “Give Me”, some highlife via a cover of “Love and Death” by Ebo Taylor, and if not already spoiled, a traffic-stopping ballad performance of “Natural High” by Bloodstone. Throughout the show it was evident how the band’s fearless embrace of different genres and styles invites listeners in from all access points. The age-diverse crowd felt like a natural side effect of the band’s borderless exploration. I definitely left the venue with an urgency to expand my own music library.

The band took a few moments throughout the set to discuss the album process and tour experience. They spoke on the familiarity of Toronto as Londoners, coming of age in the band, and the intentions behind Tuff Times Never Last. “When we try and write, it’s really us trying to capture a picture of all of us” said percussionist, Onome Edgeworth. Edgeworth also spoke on witnessing a proposal outside the venue and invited the couple to the merch table after the show for a gift (cute!).

There were certainly no “tuff times” during this set, but “Never Lost”, and “Over/Reprise” were amongst my personal favorites tracks. The band finished with an electric encore, featuring their infectious hit “Sweetie”. Trumpeter and vocalist, Sheila Maurice-Grey even managed to get the most staunch dance protesters going with a small dance sequence. 

As the crowd left the venue, you could feel the shared gratitude and anticipation for telling everyone about this band we just saw. I know I’m already counting down the days till their next Toronto show.

10 out of 10 stars for Kokoroko! 

 

Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

I continued my Jazz Fest journey at Koerner Hall in Telus Centre for a performance by Hiromi’s Sonicwonder. Regarded as a phenomenon, Hiromi has been an enchanting force in the jazz world for over 20 years. In 2023, Hiromi, alongside Hadrien Feraud on bass, Gene Coye on drums, and Adam O’Farrill on trumpet, released the nine track project Sonicwonderland – a fitting name for the project and live performance that succeeds in transporting listeners to their fusion-fueled jazz enclave. 

Despite having lived in the area for four years, this was my first time in the Telus Centre. Koerner Hall had a warm vibrancy that made me eager to return before I’d even left the venue. 

The band began promptly at start time with the savory track “Yes! Ramen!!”, an ode to Hiromi’s favorite cuisine. When the synths enter around a minute into the song, you immediately warm to Hiromi’s uniqueness. The band followed up with the track “Utopia”, a piece with a great deal of texture. The slight unexpectedness of how the instruments inject and move through the piece kept me fully engrossed throughout. The band then went into a back to back (to back to back) performance of the Out There pieces – “Takin’ Off”, “Strollin’”, “Orion”, and “The Quest”. 

Hiromi was a complete force, pulling the audience into her orbit with an animated, full body performance. The juxtaposition between her absolute command of her instruments and physical spontaneity was infectious, you could see audience members in the balconies leaning forward in their seats, eager to absorb every bit of what the band was offering. The chemistry between Hiromi and her band members was also radiant, several times throughout the show I caught excited glances between them despite the exhaustive nature of the lively tracks. Hiromi followed with a two-song encore, with the first, “Place to Be”, being dedicated to her late friend Stephen Couldridge. The piece felt like an invitation into Hiromi’s grief and her beloved friendship – A true and extremely generous souvenir of my voyage to “sonicwonderland”.

 

Mei Semones

Spirits were already high in the city with the Pride parade and Canada’s Round of 32 win in the World Cup. Adding to the fun, Brooklyn-based artist, Mei Semones, took to Mod Club for one of the festival’s final shows. A little over a year out from her debut record, Animaru, Semones has developed a strong following, fans gravitating to her jazz-bossa nova-indie-pop-math rock (I could go on) sound. 

Most attendees arrived early, generating a decent crowd for the opener, another Toronto local, Ale Nuñez. A little over a year out from her debut EP Under the Lemon Tree, Nuñez quickly won over the audience with her cozy original works and humorous between-song chats. Many were singing along to Nuñez’s cover of Labi Siffre’s “Bless the Telephone” near the end of the set.

Semones took the stage, immediately grabbing the audience with bossa-nova-y hit, “Itsumo”. Some fans’ initial exposure to Semones might be through her social media, where she typically appears solo, so the accompaniment of a full band (bass, violin, viola, drums) added new novelties to her already layered, technically-complex discography for new and devoted fans alike. The band performed a few unreleased tracks, which they pulled off without a hitch despite Semone’s humble reservations about playing the new-ish material. The typical crowd reservation to an artist playing unfamiliar material seemed scarce here, as fans quickly warmed to the intriguing pieces. 

“Kurayami” was one of my personal favorites from the set. Semones and co. perfectly executed the song’s build up, setting a strong tone for the rest of the show. “Inaka”, “I Want to Be Honest”, were also amongst my top picks, the band dishing out some fascinating arrangements. Semones’ unique blend of guitar mastery and relatable lyrics kept me on my toes throughout the show. Her range, genre-blending, and an ability to surprise leave you both satisfied and hungry for more. If you missed out this time, keep your eyes open for her next Toronto showing!