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Find Your Best Hairstyle Using AI Face Shape Analysis Today

Eric Alper
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By Mitch Rice

It is not always easy to select a suitable hairstyle. Most individuals experiment with their looks depending on trends, celebrities, or just by chance, and when their hair is cut, most feel confused or disappointed with their appearance. What suits someone does not necessarily suit you.

The main reason is simple — your face shape hairstyle guide matters a lot. Each face is unique, and each should be styled to suit its natural form. Without knowing this, you will find it hard to know which style will really fit you.

Here, the AI face shape analysis comes in very handy. It scans your face and immediately recommends the hairstyles that match your face. The whole process is straightforward, intelligent, and stress-free, with such tools as FaceHair AI, which can find your best hairstyle in a few seconds.

The Science Behind AI Face Shape Detection and Hairstyle Matching

AI face shape analysis is an intelligent technology that examines your face to interpret your face shape and your overall structure. Rather than taking a guess, it employs artificial intelligence to meticulously scan through features, such as your jawline, forehead, cheekbones, and chin to determine what kind of face you have.

Once your face shape is detected, the AI compares it with a large database of hairstyles. It then proposes styles that are natural to your features and increase your overall appearance. This translates to getting hairstyle ideas that are rooted in real analysis rather than randomness or general trends.

To put it simply, it operates like a personal hairstyle consultant that knows your face and sends you in the direction of the most appropriate look.Try on hairstyles onlinetools support this process by being quick and easy, providing personalised hairstyle suggestions instantly and basing them on your face shape.

The Truth About Why People End Up With the Wrong Haircut

The fear of not knowing how it will turn out is the last thing that people have prior to getting a haircut. A style may look fantastic in a photo or on someone, but once it’s cut, it may not fit your face at all. It is precisely this issue that virtual hairstyle preview addresses.

Using the virtual try-on AI-powered technology, you can also view various hairstyles on your own image before cutting your hair. It puts the hairstyle realistically on your face, adapts it to your head shape, and shows how it would appear in the real world. This simplifies comprehensively comparing the various styles without risking anything.

The main benefit of this feature is confidence. You can easily see the outcome beforehand as opposed to making a guess or hoping that a haircut will come out all right. This will make you regret less and ensure that you get a hairstyle that best fits your face and personality.

This is done quickly and easily with tools such as FaceHair AI. You simply post your photo, experiment with various appearances in real time and choose the one you like- all without even going to the salon.

AI Face Shape Analysis vs Traditional Hairstylist Advice

When selecting a hairstyle, individuals tend to turn to two primary sources: traditional hairstylists or AI-based tools. They both are helpful, yet they operate in a totally different manner, and the difference can significantly impact your final appearance.

Conventional hairstylists tend to provide opinions on the basis of experience and general knowledge. Although it may be useful, it is usually based on subjective perception and impressions. Sometimes, suggestions are influenced by current trends or what is commonly requested, rather than a detailed analysis of your unique face shape.

Conversely, AI face shape analysis involves technology to examine your facial features in a more detailed and orderly manner. It analyses your profile, your proportions, and symmetry and compares it to the hairstyles that are scientifically better fitted to your looks. This eliminates a lot of guesswork in the conventional advice.

How AI Is Changing the Future of Hairstyling

AI is rapidly changing how individuals select and feel about hairstyles. In the past, most hairstyle decisions depended on guesswork, salon advice, or inspiration from photos. Now, AI is making the entire process smarter, faster, and more personalised.

The transformation of imagination to visualisation is one of the largest transformations. People can now view a realistic preview of their own face instead of wondering how a hairstyle would look, instead of making any decision. This enhances confidence and makes users more confident in making their decisions.

Hairstyling is also becoming more intimate than ever, thanks to AI. Through the analysis of face shape, features, and proportions, AI can propose styles that really suit an individual. Such customisation could not be easily achieved in conventional hairstyling techniques.

With the further development of AI, the future of hairdressing will be even more precise, interactive, and adjusted to the personal appearance.

Conclusion – Find Your Perfect Hairstyle with Confidence

The issue of selecting the appropriate hairstyle has ceased to be a perplexing and dangerous task. Using AI, you can now know your face shape or choose which styles suit you and view them on your face before you make any actual change. This simplifies the entire process, speeds it up and makes it more assured.

AI does not rely on guesswork or trends, but instead offers you personalised suggestions, depending on your real facial characteristics. This will enable you to make decisions without regretting a particular hairstyle and ensure that every decision you make is better aligned with what actually fits you.

Finding your ideal hairstyle becomes a simple and smart experience. Just upload your photo, let the AI analyse your face, and discover a look that fits you perfectly.

Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment or other purposes.

Victoria’s JR and the Bad Ox Band Cruise Into “Highway Life” with All-Star Nashville Team

Eric Alper
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Victoria’s JR and the Bad Ox Band Cruise Into “Highway Life” with All-Star Nashville Team

JR and the Bad OX Band, the heartfelt country project of Canadian singer-songwriter John Rewers, today releases “Highway Life,” a sun-drenched, rolling ode to the open road and the love that pulls a man home. Available now on all major streaming platforms, the track is the second single from Rewers’ “Nashville Sessions” — a suite of recordings made at the legendary Hen House Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, produced by JUNO Award-winning artist and producer Steve Dawson.

“Highway Life” arrives with the easy, sun-warm confidence of a country song that has been lived rather than written. Built on the playful push-pull of the road and home, the track crackles with warmth from the opening bars. Rewers’ acoustic rhythm anchors a band firing on all cylinders: Steve Dawson weaves steel and electric guitar into the groove while bassist David Jacques, keyboardist Jen Gunderman, and drummer Justin Amaral lock into a pocket that feels both classic and alive. The production honours the golden lineage of traditional country while leaving plenty of open sky for Rewers’ voice to breathe.

The song’s central tension is irresistible: a trucker in love with every mile of asphalt beneath him, equally in love with the woman waiting at the end of the drive. “Driving down the highway, rollin’ down the byway / Gonna see my baby tonite,” Rewers sings, his voice carrying the kind of easy certainty that only real feeling can produce. The hook circles back with jubilant momentum — “Cause the highway life is the only life for me / But at home is the place I should be” — landing the song’s emotional core with a smile rather than a sigh. It is the sort of lyric that sticks immediately, the kind country radio was built to carry.

The Nashville Sessions represent a milestone that Rewers has been building toward for decades. A lifelong lover of classic country and traditional songwriting, he made his way to Tennessee with a collection of songs drawn from real moments, close observations, and a philosophy that every well-lived life deserves its own soundtrack. Working at Hen House Studios with Steve Dawson — celebrated for his acclaimed productions with Jim Byrnes, Kelly Joe Phelps, Old Man Luedecke, The Sojourners, and The Deep Dark Woods — Rewers found a creative collaborator who understood exactly how to frame those stories. The result is a body of work that sounds rooted, warm, and entirely itself.

Raised in Kitimat, BC and now based in Victoria, Rewers spent his professional life as a public accountant before allowing himself to fully embrace the calling that had been with him since his teenage years. “Music is a source of wellness, beauty and life,” he says. “Once I picked up my guitar and started on this journey, I found the music to be full of positive energy that filled up my cup of life. Why would I not want this?” That philosophy infuses every note of “Highway Life” — a song that carries the joy of a man doing exactly what he was meant to do. His first single, “My Love,” released in February 2025, introduced the Bad OX Band to audiences hungry for country music rooted in sincerity and craft, and the response has been warmly enthusiastic.

The momentum behind JR and the Bad OX Band continues to build. Rewers has earned a nomination for the prestigious Gaylord Wood Traditional Country Artist Award, recognition from the country music community that underscores the authenticity at the heart of his songwriting. “Dreams are never too old to be achieved,” says Rewers, who is three-quarters of a century old and adding to his bucket list at a steady pace. His sights are set on the Grand Ole Opry stage — and with records like “Highway Life” in his catalogue, the journey there is compelling listening.

The full “Nashville Sessions” album, “Changing Lanes,” is forthcoming. JR and the Bad OX Band continue to write, record, and perform — proof that the most resonant music is often the kind that has had a lifetime to find its voice.

Rising Pop Star Supertrendt Soundtracks America’s Most Dreaded Day With “Tax Day” Out April 10

Eric Alper
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Rising Pop Star Supertrendt Soundtracks America’s Most Dreaded Day With “Tax Day” Out April 10

Every year on April 15, millions of Americans file their taxes. Some dread it. Some dodge it. Nobody has ever celebrated it. Until now.

Tax Day just got a soundtrack. “Tax Day,” out April 10, is a chic, danceable retro-swing pop track by Dutch independent artist Supertrendt that turns April 15 into something worth putting on the calendar. Think Caro Emerald meets Dua Lipa: sophisticated, ironic, and impossible not to move to. It acknowledges the dread, celebrates what taxes pay for — “Streetlights still shining / Bridges that hold / Classrooms and clinics / Heat in the cold” — and makes the whole thing feel like a party rather than a punishment.

“Every country has its version of Tax Day,” says Richard van den Boogaard, the Dutch artist and composer behind Supertrendt. “But America made it a cultural moment. It deserved a soundtrack. Nobody had written one yet, so I did.”

The song arrives at a moment when the conversation about who pays taxes and who doesn’t have never been louder. “Tax Day” doesn’t take sides. It takes the floor. The chorus — “Call it a celebration / Circle it and pay / Do the math, sign your name / Yay, it’s Tax Day” — carries the whole irony of the song in a single word. “The ‘yay’ was deliberate,” says van den Boogaard. “That one word carries the whole irony.”

Supertrendt is a Netherlands-based studio project crafting narrative pop without a fixed identity. Each release reshapes genre to serve the story, moving fluidly between deep house, alternative electronic textures, reggae warmth, noir minimalism, and introspective pop. The catalogue unfolds across four evolving series — Transformations, Observations, Reimaginations, and Celebrations — exploring reinvention, perception, and cultural reflection through emotionally precise writing. “Tax Day” lands in the Celebrations series. Van den Boogaard produces all music independently, treating the studio as a instrument in the tradition of Quincy Jones, Jean-Michel Jarre, and the producers who built entire sonic worlds.

Hamilton’s Legendary Grant Avenue Studio Kicks Off 50th Anniversary with Concert Series and Museum Show

Eric Alper
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Hamilton’s Legendary Grant Avenue Studio Kicks Off 50th Anniversary with Concert Series and Museum Show

Grant Avenue Studio, one of Canada’s most storied recording facilities, is entering its 50th year with a season that reflects everything the studio has always stood for: exceptional music, deep community roots, and an unwavering belief in the power of live performance and authentic artistry. From a landmark anniversary celebration to a national awards partnership, 2026 marks a milestone year for the Hamilton institution and the musicians and fans who have made it legendary.

50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Grant Avenue Studio turns 50 this year, and the studio is honouring the occasion in a way that is as open-armed and community-minded as the institution itself. A year-long celebration is underway, culminating in an outdoor ticketed summer event — a gathering of live music, speeches, familiar faces, giveaways, and a music market showcasing local talent. Proceeds will benefit a charitable cause. A date will be announced in the coming weeks. A new commemorative 50th anniversary logo has been unveiled and is available for media use.

SECOND ANNUAL ROAD TO SUPERCRAWL

Back by popular demand, the second annual Road to Supercrawl returns this spring at Mills Hardware, Hamilton. Presented in partnership with Supercrawl, 25 bands will compete across five nights of live music, vying for a recording package at Grant Avenue Studio, a coveted spot on the Supercrawl main stage, and a suite of video, photo, and promotional prizes. The series finale will take place at Bridgeworks in August where the winner will be announced, and every competing band will perform on the Grant Avenue Stage at Supercrawl in September.  Band announcements are coming in the weeks ahead.

JUNO AWARDS 2026: FORGED IN MUSIC POP-UP CONCERTS

Grant Avenue Studio was proud to be a supporting partner of the 2026 JUNO Awards Hamilton Host Committee, contributing to the Forged in Music Pop-Up Concert Series — a programme of live music experiences brought to unique and unexpected spaces across the region in the lead-up to JUNO Week. The partnership reflects the studio’s longstanding commitment to amplifying Hamilton’s music community on every stage available to it.

GRANT AVENUE STUDIO PRESENTS (GASP)

Grant Avenue Studio Presents (GASP) is the studio’s ongoing concert series, capturing world-class artists (with an emphasis on local talent), performing their songs live off the floor at Grant Avenue. Equal parts intimate session and cinematic document, GASP is a front-row seat to Hamilton’s remarkable depth of homegrown talent. New episodes are releasing regularly on the studio’s YouTube channel — subscribe to stay current with every new session.

HAMILTON CIVIC MUSEUMS: PUNCHING IN EXHIBITION

Grant Avenue Studio is honoured to be featured in Punching In: The Work of Hamilton Music, a new exhibition at Hamilton Civic Museums celebrating the city’s thriving music scene and the craft behind the songs. The inclusion is a fitting recognition of the studio’s half-century as a creative home for Hamilton musicians and a quiet engine behind some of the most enduring recordings to come out of this city.

ABOUT GRANT AVENUE STUDIO

Founded 50 years ago in Hamilton, Ontario by Daniel Lanois, Grant Avenue Studio is one of Canada’s premier recording facilities. At the heart of Studio A is a vintage MCI JH500C console outfitted with API preamps — a customised version of the same board used on landmark albums including Back in Black, Hotel California, and Cowboys From Hell. The studio is owned and operated by Mike Bruce (entertainment & real estate entrepreneur and musician), Marco Mondano (owner of DC Music), with Head Producer and Engineer Andrew Lauzon — a Grammy-nominated, internationally touring multi-instrumentalist — and Debbie Bruce (Operations Manager) leading the creative team. Grant Avenue is a recording studio, a community hub, and a living piece of Canadian music history.

Sinematic Releases Debut Album ‘Metamorphosis,’ A Cinematic Rock Statement from Cree Nation of Mistissini

Eric Alper
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Sinematic Releases Debut Album ‘Metamorphosis,’ A Cinematic Rock Statement from Cree Nation of Mistissini

Sinematic, the musical persona of Indigenous rock artist and multigenre composer Ayden Gray, has released his debut full-length album ‘Metamorphosis’ – out now on all major streaming platforms and available to stream in full on SoundCloud. A fully self-produced and independently released work, ‘Metamorphosis’ is the arrival of one of Canadian rock’s most singular and emotionally gripping voices. The album, out now, marks a defining moment in Gray’s artistic journey – a statement of craft, courage, and conviction that invites listeners across the country and beyond into its sweeping, cinematic world.

‘Metamorphosis’ is a fully self-produced record, with Gray writing, composing, and producing every track entirely on his own, save Loris Castiglia from Italy who played guitars, bass and drums, save one track, and a testament to the breadth of his musicianship. The album sits at the intersection of hard rock, metal, alternative rock, electronic, and classical influences, weaving orchestral atmosphere into guitar-driven arrangements and raw vocal performances with a precision that belies its independent origins. The result is a listening experience that is genuinely cinematic – immersive, theatrical, and emotionally layered in ways that reward repeated engagement. The production balances aggression and vulnerability with care, allowing tender passages to coexist alongside intense, cathartic peaks.

At its thematic core, ‘Metamorphosis’ uses the metaphor of transformation – the gradual, earned process of becoming – to explore personal growth, emotional endurance, and the long arc of self-discovery. The album’s title track, which serves as its thematic centrepiece, captures this journey with honesty and force. Gray moves through a terrain of inner conflict and hard-won clarity, articulating feelings that resonate far beyond any single experience. The closing movements of the track carry its most powerful declaration: “I will change / love lives in me / even with this dark / believe I won’t feed my heart / no more lies.” Lines like this signal not only Gray’s command of lyrical economy but the warmth and resilience at the album’s heart.

‘Metamorphosis’ carries the significance of an Indigenous-led work built entirely outside of mainstream industry structures – and thriving because of it. Gray’s independence is not a limitation but a creative foundation, one that has allowed him to develop a sound entirely his own, free from outside compromise. Sinematic’s music has earned recognition for its theatricality and emotional depth, drawing listeners into what critics describe as a “darkened journey” through immersive landscapes where themes of resilience, light, and the human capacity for change take centre stage. As an emerging voice in contemporary Indigenous rock, Ayden Gray is expanding the conversation about what that genre can sound and feel like.

The album was preceded by the single “Sacrifice,”– a track that signalled the emotional and sonic territory ‘Metamorphosis’ would inhabit. Across the album’s arc, each song functions as a chapter in a larger narrative: collapse, reflection, and eventual renewal. The opener lays bare the album’s central tension with unflinching clarity: “The climb is never ending / always slipping through the cracks / shards of the past / fall around me / but they don’t define me / one day I will fly.” These lyrics – written from both reflective adult hindsight and the voice of his younger self – give ‘Metamorphosis’ an emotional range that few debut albums achieve.

‘Metamorphosis’ is an album built for listeners who understand that growth is rarely linear – and that music has the power to accompany that process. The record speaks directly to anyone who has faced internal darkness and found, on the other side of it, a deeper understanding of themselves. Its final refrain – “We can all change / we can all change / we can all change / metamorphosis” – lands as an anthem, collective and generous, reaching outward from the personal into the universal. Few rock records released this year will leave audiences feeling so directly addressed.

Blackstreet Announces The Global Pass: Three Concerts On Three Continents In Three Days

Eric Alper
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Blackstreet Announces The Global Pass: Three Concerts On Three Continents In Three Days

GRAMMY Award winning, multi platinum R&B group BLACKSTREET have announced The Global Pass, an unprecedented three concert run spanning Africa, Europe, and North America across three consecutive days this June.

The run begins June 18 at Velodrome Park in Casablanca, Morocco, continues June 19 at The O2 Arena in London, UK, where the group will be joined by TLC and Jodeci for a landmark night of classic R&B, and concludes June 20 with BLACKSTREET headlining the Freedom Vibes Juneteenth Festival at Fort Worth Convention Center in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. 

Together, the three dates form a live music event unlike anything BLACKSTREET has mounted before. The run also serves as the launch of a broader summer touring stretch extending through August.

The scale of The Global Pass reflects the scale of BLACKSTREET’s legacy. Their iconic smash “No Diggity” held the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 for four consecutive weeks, has surpassed 25 million units worldwide across physical sales, digital downloads, and streaming equivalents, and entered Spotify’s Billions Club in December 2025, underscoring its enduring place in global music culture. Across their career, BLACKSTREET’s catalogue has earned Gold and Platinum certifications in ten countries, with more than 7 million physical albums sold worldwide and over 4.6 billion streams globally to date, while the group continues to command more than 7.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone.

Their audience continues to expand across generations, with more than 52% of listeners aged 34 and under, as their music surges across streaming platforms and consistently ranks among the most Shazamed tracks in cities worldwide. 

Their sound is reaching new audiences at scale, and The Global Pass is both a celebration of that legacy and a clear statement of where BLACKSTREET are now.

Bringing together Africa, Europe, and North America over three consecutive days, The Global Pass is designed as a singular global moment, merging the nostalgia of 90s R&B with the energy of today’s streaming era. The London date unites three of the defining acts of 1990s R&B on one of the world’s most iconic stages, while the Dallas-Fort Worth finale ties the run to Juneteenth, grounding the closing performance in one of the most meaningful cultural celebrations in the American calendar.

“We are excited to bring the Blackstreet sound to this worldwide event,” said the group. “Getting to connect with our fans across three different continents is a blessing, and we are ready for this marathon of music.”

XOXO Entertainment Corp., which is presenting The Global Pass, added: “BLACKSTREET is globally iconic, and three concerts across Africa, Europe, and North America in three days is a powerful reminder of exactly what kind of group this is. Their legacy is real, their fan base is global, and this run is built to match that scale. 

Fans can look forward to upcoming announcements about new music and performances that will showcase why Blackstreet remains one of R&B’s most influential and beloved groups.

The Celtic Tenors Release ‘Live at the Empire Theatre’ – Ireland’s Celebrated Vocal Trio Delivers Their Finest Hour

Eric Alper
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The Celtic Tenors Release ‘Live at the Empire Theatre’ – Ireland’s Celebrated Vocal Trio Delivers Their Finest Hour

Ireland’s internationally acclaimed vocal trio The Celtic Tenors — founding member Matthew Gilsenan, Daryl Simpson BEM, and dynamic new tenor George Hutton — have released their highly anticipated live album, The Celtic Tenors: Live at The Empire Theatre, out now through Slammin’ Media and Believe Distribution. Captured in a single electrifying evening at The Empire Theatre in Belleville, Ontario, the 16-track record documents a trio at the very peak of their powers, delivering a breathtaking blend of Irish folk, opera, classical, and pop in their signature, harmony-rich style.

The album arrives on the heels of an extraordinary period of momentum for the trio. Their PBS television special — showcasing Matthew Gilsenan, George Hutton, and Daryl Simpson performing opera, classical, Irish traditional, and pop music in their signature harmony-rich style — is available to stream on PBS.org and the free PBS App across multiple platforms. The special has significantly expanded their American audience, airing on stations from WNET in New York to KVCR in Los Angeles.

Critical reception to the album’s lead singles has been enthusiastic. Reviewing the trio’s bilingual rendition of Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect Symphony,” ATV Today called it “less a cover than a re-framing: a contemporary pop ballad recast as something intimate, almost devotional,” adding that the performance “carries the faint electricity of a room holding its breath.” The review concluded that the recording demonstrates not commercial endurance but artistic patience — proof that crossover need not mean compromise, but simply means conversation between genres, languages, and past and present.

The Celtic Tenors: Live at The Empire Theatre is a dynamic crossover concert that redefines the traditional Irish music experience, featuring a diverse repertoire blending iconic Irish folk songs with operatic and melodic reinterpretations of global hits by Guns N’ Roses, Coldplay, and Ed Sheeran. The full 16-track album spans the heartfelt intimacy of “Grace” and the rousing energy of “Galway Girl” to stunning interpretations of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “Viva La Vida,” alongside timeless Irish staples “Danny Boy,” “Whiskey In The Jar,” and “The Impossible Dream.”

Supporting the trio throughout are music director Colm O’Regan at grand piano, Darren Bell on guitars and mandolin, John O’Brien on pipes, whistles, and bouzouki, and Cecilia Leahy on violin. Together they create what ATV Today described as a performance where the supporting ensemble resists flourish in favour of texture — leaving space for breath, for phrasing, and for the kind of dynamic shading that studio polish often smooths away.

Matthew Gilsenan, the Kells, County Meath native whose emotive tenor has captivated audiences from New York to Shanghai, brings his characteristic storytelling warmth throughout. Daryl Simpson BEM — whose British Empire Medal recognises his dedication to peace and reconciliation through music — adds operatically trained power and nuanced artistry. George Hutton, the Derry-born tenor whose collaborations have ranged from Hozier to legendary Irish composer Phil Coulter, infuses the trio with fresh energy and contemporary sensibility. Together, they have earned their place among Ireland’s most successful classical-crossover acts while maintaining a rare balance of skill and personality — and over two decades and more than one million albums sold worldwide, their appeal, as the critics confirm, remains gloriously undimmed. A tour of Ireland is planned for later this fall, with the trio returning to North America for their celebrated Celtic Christmas 2026 tour.

The Celtic Tenors: Live at The Empire Theatre is out now on all major streaming platforms and available for purchase through Slammin’ Media and Believe Distribution.

2026 TOUR DATES:

June 26, 2026 — Ceili at the Castle, Hillsborough, UK

JazzInToronto Festival Returns May 29 to 31 With GRAMMY and JUNO Winners

Eric Alper
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JazzInToronto Festival Returns May 29 to 31 With GRAMMY and JUNO Winners

JazzInToronto, the not-for-profit dedicated to promoting local artists, today announced the return of its Community Celebration, taking place May 29, 30 and 31, 2026 across landmark venues in the downtown core. Produced by acclaimed musicians Lina Welch and Ori Dagan and supported in part by a grant from the Toronto Arts Council, the festival spans three distinct neighbourhoods — St. Lawrence Market, Yorkville, and Yonge & Dundas — and features a curated lineup that moves from swing and bebop to funk, soul and beyond.

“We are really thrilled with the lineup this year,” said Ori Dagan, Artistic Director of JazzInToronto. “Besides booking exciting talent from rising stars to Grammy winners, we strive to be as diverse as possible, because that’s what makes Toronto unique. And of course, our hope is to connect audiences to their new favourite artists who just happen to live in their own backyard.”

The festival opens Friday, May 29 with free concerts on Market Street presented by St. Lawrence Market District. Rising star trumpeter Atcheleh Aryee leads her sextet at 12pm, followed at 5pm by “Canada’s Sweetheart of Swing” Alex Pangman alongside Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist Drew Jurecka and guitar virtuoso Nathan Hiltz. The evening continues at TD Music Hall with the debut performance of all-female party band GRACE at 8pm, with indie powerhouse Jennarie opening, and closes at Jazz Bistro with a late-night tap and jazz jam hosted by Indigenous (Nehiyaw) dancer Johnathan Morin at 11:30pm.

Saturday, May 30 brings one of the festival’s most anticipated events: a tribute to neo-soul pioneer D’Angelo, conceived and led by acclaimed pianist Michael Shand. The evening performance at TD Music Hall features an all-star seven-piece band and four vocalists. Earlier that day, Grammy winner Kae Murphy presents a tribute to trumpet legend Freddie Hubbard at The Pilot in Yorkville at 2pm. Piano enthusiasts are invited to an intimate recital series at Liss Gallery (112 Cumberland Street), with performances by award-winning artists Adrean Farrugia (May 30, 12pm) and Danae Olano (May 30, 4pm) — each limited to just 25 attendees, with an acoustic piano provided by Yamaha Canada.

The celebration continues Sunday, May 31 with Hilario Duran and Thompson Egbo-Egbo at Liss Gallery, a masterclass in solo guitar performance led by Nathan Hiltz at The Rex Hotel at 11:30am — free to students of On the Off Beat Music School — and a 2pm tribute to torch singer Julie London performed by JUNO-nominated rising star Ale Nunez at The Pilot. The festival concludes with a one-night-only reunion at the Allied Music Centre Theatre: five-time JUNO Award winner Jane Bunnett, Order of Canada member Reg Schwager, and living legend Neil Swainson — together on a Toronto stage for the first time in decades.

Tickets and full festival information are available at www.jazzintoronto.ca.

Canadian Screen Award Nominee ‘Play It Loud! How Toronto Got Soul’ Puts Jay Douglas and Reggae History Where They Belong

Eric Alper
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Canadian Screen Award Nominee ‘Play It Loud! How Toronto Got Soul’ Puts Jay Douglas and Reggae History Where They Belong

Play It Loud! — How Toronto Got Soul, the feature documentary documentary, directed by Graeme Mathieson, produced by Andrew Munger (Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band), and Executive Produced by Clement Virgo (Brother, The Wire) has been nominated for 2026 Canadian Screen Awards for Best Biography or Arts Documentary Program or Series.

For much of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Caribbean, Jamaican and reggae music scene in Toronto was almost unrivaled in North America in terms of quality and performers. Jay Douglas, lead singer of The Cougars and one of the biggest and brightest talents of that time, is the subject of this fantastic TVO Original documentary from Toronto’s Ultramagnetic Productions. Play It Loud! – How Toronto Got Soul enjoyed its World premiere at Toronto’s The Royal Theatre in October 2024, drawing a lineup around the block, before opening the Hot Docs Doc Soup season in December. Play it Loud! has gone on to play theatrically and in festivals across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., winning laurels at the Yorkton Television Fest, New Orleans Black Film Festival, the U.K.’s Windrush Film Festival in Liverpool and the Los Angeles Pan African Film Festival.

Play It Loud! – How Toronto Got Soul traces Douglas’ life from his childhood in Jamaica to immigrating to Canada in his teenage years and residing in Toronto with a host of other Jamaica-born artists such as Jackie Mittoo, Leroy Sibbles and Wayne McGhie among others. With Toronto becoming a hotbed of Jamaican music, Douglas established himself as the lead singer of The Cougars, a fabulous group who performed a collage of genres (reggae/Caribbean/soul/ska/funk) wherever and whenever they could.

Featuring appearances by Sly Dunbar, vocalist Jackie Richardson, Cadence Weapon (Rollie Pemberton),  Lillian Allen, Adrian Miller, former MuchMusic host Michael Williams and many others, and the music of Bob Marley, Bo Diddley, James Brown, The Cougars and Wayne McGhie, Play It Loud was financed by TVO, Canada Media Fund, Telefilm, Ontario Creates, Rogers Documentary Fund, Knowledge Network BC and the Hot Docs–Slaight Family Fund.

Canada’s High Commission in Kingston, Jamaica is sponsoring the film’s Jamaican premiere on April 15, Canadian Film Day.

Ultramagnetic is in development on multiple projects including The Correspondent: Getting the Story is Half the Battle which examines the contemporary threat facing journalism through the life and career of legendary British/Canadian foreign correspondent Michael Maclear. The Correspondent is being developed with Ontario Creates and NHK Japan, with Takahiro Hamano, ex NHK exec as co-producer. Other projects include the series Sound Check: Tales From the Musical Underground. Equal parts Netflix’s Song Exploder and Parts Unknown, co-creator, Polaris Prize winning rapper Rollie Pemberton (Cadence Weapon) in the Anthony takes us on an immersive, intimate journey into the world of Canadian independent music. Also on the slate are Decrypted: Cybercrime, in development with true crime veteran Barbara Shearer, the “Untitled Science Project”, a top secret follow up to 2018’s successful Toxic Beauty, and Michael’s Wars, a scripted feature film.

Swedish Soul-Rocker Jesper Lindell Pays Homage to Dan Penn With “If Love Was Money” From ‘3614 Jackson Highway’

Eric Alper
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Swedish Soul-Rocker Jesper Lindell Pays Homage to Dan Penn With “If Love Was Money” From ‘3614 Jackson Highway’

Jesper Lindell made a pilgrimage, and ‘3614 Jackson Highway’ is what came back with him. The Swedish singer-songwriter releases his cover of Dan Penn’s “If Love Was Money,” the latest preview of his forthcoming album recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama, out now via Yep Roc Records. The album arrives as a tasteful, deeply felt collection of songs originally recorded at Muscle Shoals, capturing the creative rush of a band finally inside the room where the Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, and so many others made history.

The journey to get there was anything but smooth. Flight delays cut the band’s two full days in the studio down to a day and a half, but the pent-up energy, joy of playing, jet lag, and sheer wonder of being inside Muscle Shoals Sound Studio produced something that exceeded expectations entirely. Penn’s “If Love Was Money,” the closing track from his 1972 solo album, was a discovery Lindell made on the three-day drive down from Boston. “I could have recorded almost every song on that record,” he says, “but the last track felt 100% like something me and my band could really sink into.”

Lindell grew up in Ludvika, Sweden, developing a reverence for classic American songwriting and the warm analog textures of the sixties and seventies. His breakout EP, recorded with members of First Aid Kit, revealed a strikingly emotive voice with a natural instinct for blending retro soul with contemporary Americana. Albums including ‘Twilights’ and ‘Before the Sun’ cemented his reputation as a craftsman capable of turning personal stories into widescreen, roots-steeped soundscapes echoing Van Morrison and The Band while remaining entirely his own.

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That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

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