Waleed Kush Afro Jazz
From Nubia to Harlem, from Harlem to Toronto: Waleed Abdulhamid’s quintet sets Sudan’s ancient rhythms in conversation with jazz improvisation
Biography
Waleed Kush Afro Jazz is a Toronto quintet led by Waleed Abdulhamid, a Sudanese multi-instrumentalist, composer and singer. Their music is meant as an art of healing and gathering: its members describe themselves as “humanity practitioners”, and Toronto — a city of every diaspora — is their meeting place.
The sound is a dialogue: Africa’s ancient rhythms, from Sudanese Nubia to Harlem, often in odd time signatures, carry the harmonies and improvisation of American jazz. Around Waleed Abdulhamid’s bass and voice — he sings in more than fifteen African and Western languages — Simon Miminis (drums), Sarah Lounsbury (keyboards and vocals), Cory Sitek (saxophones) and Rudy Ray Kwaku (trumpet) join the conversation.
The ensemble documented its world on the EP Pilgrimage to the Nubian Pyramids, recorded live at the Small World Centre and available on Bandcamp; a studio album, From Nubia to Harlem: In the Meeting Place, is announced for 2026. In Toronto, the band also leads African rhythm workshops and mentoring, and its leader has seen his solo and group projects honoured with JUNO and Grammy awards and nominations.
Upcoming dates
- Wednesday November 18, 2026 — Vitrine officielle — Mundial Montréal 2026 (soirée) · Petit Campus, Montréal (Canada) — Official page ↗
Public dates — collected from the artist's official channels on November 9, 2026.
Discography
Pilgrimage to the Nubian Pyramids (EP, recorded live at the Small World Centre) · From Nubia to Harlem: In the Meeting Place (studio album announced for 2026)
Gallery
On stage
- 18 November 2026, 8:05 p.m. — Montréal, Petit Campus — official Mundial Montréal showcase
- 19 November 2026, 9 p.m. — Montréal, Club Balattou — Cabaret Acoustique Nuits d’Afrique
On video — their Mundial Montréal 2026 showcase
The official presentation video of Waleed Kush Afro Jazz for Mundial Montréal 2026: Wednesday, November 18, 2026 · 8:05 p.m. · Petit Campus, Montreal. Video © Mundial Montréal — provided to Festival TV in the festival's official media kit.