Latin Nights

Latin Nights is a terrific, vivacious documentary about a community of Central and South American musicians who have emigrated to Canada over the past few decades, slowly establishing an exciting club scene characterized by sizzling stylistic fusions. Director Anthony Azzopardi wisely divides the film's running time between complete performances by various combos, and interviews with performers, many of whom left repressive military dictatorships in their home countries to seek freedom in Winnipeg or Toronto (though other players simply drifted to the Great White North because job contacts led them there). Their stories are all worth hearing, though it is the music here—unusual marriages of musical influences such as Greco-Chilean, for example, or Afro-Peruvian—that is truly exciting. Presented in Dolby Digital stereo, DVD extras include information about various genres of Latin American music and a director bio. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)