Port United band are a perennial favourite at the CCRA July Concerts.
Bing Serrao and the Ramblers, a Latin/calypso string band, will be making their July summer concerts debut at the Port Union Community Centre on Sunday, July 7, at 7 p.m. This band may be new to our community, but they are not new to the music business.
Bing Serrao and The Ramblers brought their music from Guyanna to Toronto in the latter part of 1964 .Guyanese and West Indians, new to Toronto, would flock to the Jamaican Latin Quarter Club in downtown Toronto to hear them play. The band’s renditions of calypso, standards and South American hits such as Spanish Eyes, Maria Elena , Amor Amor, Anna and others, were the stuff that filled a void for immigrants from many places.They are the winners of several awards and have released a number of CDs of their own compositions and renditions of popular contemporary music. We hope you will welcome Bing Serrao and the Ramblers to our concert series this summer.
Also mark your calendars for Port United and James Funnyhat. – On July 14, at 7 p.m., the ever popular local pop band, Port United, will be performing once again. Bring your dancing shoes and make the most of an energetic summer evening.
James Funny Hat will be performing for the third time at our concert series. James will be bringing back a fresh show that includes music, humour and costumes to an audience of children on July 21, starting at 3:30 p.m. This matinee performance has gained popularity over the past 2 summers and we hope you will bring your children for an afternoon of fun and laughter. All concerts are rain or shine. Indoors if the weather is wet, or outdoors if the weather is fair. Enjoy refreshments (cash only) along with wonderful live musical entertainment. These concerts are brought to you with the support of the concerts committee and the area associations. I want to single out Robert Hinz and his son Jon who partner each year to coordinate the musical acts for this series, as well as Winterfest and the Port Union Waterfront Festival. Without their hard work, these concerts would be at a big loss. I asked Robert to share with me the steps involved with selecting bands for our festivals throughout the year. Robert explained:
“Jon and I have been helping out with live entertainment at local events for the past 20 years. I do the booking and scheduling of the performers and Jon provides the technical sound technician skills with professional level equipment to run the live stage. We’re very fortunate to have a large and diverse group of performers who are willing to share their time and talents with the community. I liaise with the performers by giving them details specific to the events. We try to accommodate different age groups and entertainment tastes with each festival. The entertainment ranges from dance groups to solo singer/songwriters to full electric bands. All performances bring a variety of music.”