Music fans will gain a deeper appreciation for the sounds of the Caribbean this November, with the launch of Heart Beat - a unique 13-episode documentary series which showcases Canadian-Caribbean musicians and explores the hearts, minds and worlds of some of Canada's most dynamic musical creators. Heart Beat will premiere on Bravo! on Tuesday, November 27 at 7 p.m.

The official Heart Beat series launch event will take place on Tuesday, October 30 at Trane Studio. Guests can mingle with Solomon and her team, and enjoy an advance screening of an episode from Heart Beat.

The series was created by award winning filmmaker, writer and producer Frances-Anne Solomon and produced through CaribbeanTales and Leda Serene Films, in association with Bravo!, Canadian Learning Television, Book Television and Gayelle Television.

Each of Heart Beat's half-hour episodes tells the story of a different Caribbean musician, and explores the broad variety of musical forms and related performance artistry that their work features. Contemporary and archived footage will enlighten viewers, as 13 celebrated musicians share memories and perspectives on how their art relates to their cultural heritages and experiences.

Heart Beat features such performers as: Muhtadi, Kobo Town, Nick "Brownman" Ali, The Sattlites and Saida Baba Taleba, among others. It is directed with panache and passion by Lana Lovell, Safiya Randera, Paul Nguyen, Justin Lovell and Alberto Suarez.

Muhtadi:
'Muhtadi' profiles one of Canada's premier percussionists. A celebrity in his own right, Muhtadi plays djembe, bongos, congas, timbales, steel pan, and has been performing professionally for over 30 years. He has worked with a host of renowned performers, including Mary Wilson from The Supremes. Each year Muhtadi returns to Trinidad and Tobago for Carnival to perform with the world famous Desperadoes Steel Orchestra.

Kobo Town: Storytelling
Singer/songwriter Drew Gonsalves and the members of Kobo Town are one of Toronto's most exciting contemporary calypso bands. In 'Storytelling', these talented musicians invite us into the dazzling world of wordplay and images that define calypso tradition and Trinidadian culture, reflecting on their ten-year musical journey to Kobo Town and sharing the musical styles and legends that continue to shape it.

Frances-Anne Solomon is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, director and producer whose credits include Lord Have Mercy! (VisionTV, 2003), Peggy Su! (BBC Films, 1997), What My Mother Told Me (Channel 4, 1995) and Bideshi (British Film Institute, 1994).

She is the president and artistic director of the two companies she founded: Leda Serene Films and CaribbeanTales and has also worked as a film and television drama producer for the BBC.

Leda Serene Films is a film, television and new media production company based in Toronto, Canada. The company has produced an impressive range of award-winning programs-from feature films to more innovative multi-media projects-and is dedicated to placing people of colour in front of as well as behind the camera. The company has made its name as a producer of high-quality dramas and documentaries that celebrate diversity- strong personal stories from different cultural perspectives in the global diaspora.

CaribbeanTales is an innovative not-for-profit multimedia company committed to producing educational films, videos, and new media that celebrate the rich tradition of Caribbean-heritage storytelling. CaribbeanTales seeks to reflect the diversity and invention of Caribbean culture in its projects, using any and all types of media and state of the art technology.

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Available for interviews,
Frances-Anne Solomon

For more information, please visit:
www.ledaserene.ca
www.caribbeantales.ca