Kaiso Street Collective

The Kaiso Street Collective is set to make its Markham Jazz Festival debut this summer.

Join us as we perform music from our debut album, Bomber’s Dream: The Music of the Mighty Bomber, celebrating one of calypso’s great storytellers.

“Kaiso” is more than a word—it’s a movement. Derived from the Ibibio language of Nigeria, where it means ”go forward,” Kaiso became the name of a musical tradition created by enslaved Africans in Trinidad and Tobago, eventually evolving into what we know today as calypso.

Carrying that spirit forward, Kaiso Street Society is dedicated to preserving and celebrating calypso’s rich legacy for new generations. Led by founder, saxophonist, and arranger Jesse Ryan, the nine-piece Kaiso Street Collective reimagines classic calypso through the lens of contemporary jazz.

2026 Markham Jazz Festival
Sunday, August 23
1:00 PM
Millennium Bandstand Stage
Main St. Unionville & Fred Varley Dr., Markham, ON

See you there.