TRINIDAD voted Jazz capital of the Caribbean by Woodshed Warriors

Trinidad

Trinidad and Tobago was this past June voted ‘Caribbean Jazz Capital‘ by Woodshed readers. The month-long Woodshed Poll asked the question, “Which country would you say is the Caribbean Jazz capital.”

The results of that poll show that 36% of Woodshed Warriors favour Tn’T as the place to be for Caribbean Jazz action. Second in line is St. Lucia at 27%. Guadeloupe leads Martinique 18% to 9%. Barbados is tied in fourth place with Guadeloupe.

No votes were cast for Anguilla, Jamaica or the United States Virgin Islands, which all have active Jazz scenes. Similarly, none of our readers suggested any of the other Caribbean islands such as Cayman Islands, Cuba, Bahamas, Bermuda Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, countries with well-established Jazz scenes. In our view, therefore, this simply means that Woodshed Entertainment has not sufficiently penetrated these countries.

Add to that our failure to attract one single Jazz Author (one who would regularly submit news on Caribbean Jazz events to the blog) after two years of trying.

Anyway, the vote for Trinidad now sets the stage for the Woodshed banner to be altered to reflect Trinidad’s place on the Caribbean Jazz landscape.

However, there is one more question that needs to be asked to determine whose images should be included in the collage that will make up the head banner. That is “Which TRINIDAD Jazz artists – past or present, heavenly or earthly, at home or abroad – have influenced CARIBBEAN JAZZ the most? The answers are for you to provide.

All of you Woodshed Warriors, not just Trinis mind you, are eligible to share the names of the Trinidad artists you think fit that bill. Share those names and your justifications in Comments.

The strongest candidates will form the basis of another Woodshed Poll that anyone (ANYONE) can vote on.

Now, Woodshed Warriors, ready? Woodshed Warriors, Go…

Rules of Engagement: Should there be less than three (3) adequate nominations, meaning the submission of complete names and justifications, within the next fortnight, the whole idea of making the Woodshed banner Trinidad-centric, will be scrapped altogether. The administrator of Woodshed Entertainment Collective will not undertake to singlehandedly pick the most influential Trinidad Jazz artists for that would render the name “Collective” meaningless.

Jazz Summer – The Festival, Nassau, Bahamas

Bahamas

The Bahamas was home to an early Jazz Summer festival from June 12 to 20.  Held over two consecutive weekends (June 12/13 and June 19/20) in Nassau, Jazz Summer – The Festival, was produced to lend value to the tourist product, especially now that Caribbean economies seem to be taking a hit in the wake of the current global financial tremors.

But for the J-Fans who went to Harbour Island, The Balmoral Club, the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas, The Humidor at Graycliff and the National Center for the Performing Arts, the only tremors they felt were the musical strains of their local talents in Sammi Starr, Bodine ‘Be’ Johnson, Irate, Frydeh and Paul Hanna; and the mastery of the headliners, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Orchestra and trumpeters Joey Summerville and Arturo Sandoval.

An additional benefit of the festival was the granting of six musical scholarships to the Washington Jazz Institute by the producers of the festival, Ivory Global Promotions in collaboration with the Bahamas Department of Culture through its E. Clement Bethel National Arts Festival.

Adjudicators traveled the entire country to assess the entrants in the music category of the competition organized by the Arts Festival to pick the eventual winners of the five-week scholarships this summer.

How interesting it will be if one or more of this years’ winners (trumpet player Liam Brown and baritone/tuba player Steven Cefort from the Orchestral School of Music in Grand Bahama; singer Osano Neely from Queen’s College; pianist Bernard Farquharson from the Lyford Cay International School and singer Sharade Taylor from the Jack Hayward High School in Grand Bahama) show up on the Jazz Summer stages in the not too distant future.

Jazz Summer – The Festival 2009 schedule:

June 12th: Jazzy Day in Harbour Island with the Duke Ellington School of Arts on the bayfront;

June 12th: Joey Summerville at The Balmoral  Club, Nassau;

June 13th: Vaughn Anthony (brother of John Legend), Sammi Starr, Bodine ‘Be’ Johnson at the NAGB;

June 19th: G-Note All Stars Band at the Humidor at Graycliff;

June 20th: Arturo Sandoval and Paul Hanna at the Center for the Performing Arts.

Sources: The Bahamas Weekly, The Nassau Guardian Online

6th Panama Jazz Festival: on stream

The legendary Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés was the headliner for the five-day Panama Jazz Festival with Wayne Shorter, John Patitucci, Brian Blade and Danilo Perez January 12-17 2009.

The festival under-card was Puerto Rican saxophonist Marco Pignataro and his Quintet featuring bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Billy Drummond, Panamanian saxophonist Jahaziel Arrocha, flutist Hubert Laws and bassist Jimmy Haslip among others.

The brainchild of Boston-based Panamanian pianist Danilo Perez, the festival was founded five years ago.  Perez has served as its Artistic Director from the inception.

Panama Hotels

The Berklee College of Music Quartet got the groove going on Monday 12th under Jahaziel Arrocha’s direction.  Writing for thepanamanews.com, Eric Jackson is convinced as hell that every single individual in the quartet are on a “fast track” to success, through timely and well-placed apprenticeships with the masters as a matter of course.  And Arrocha is no less gifted, according to Jackson.

Jahaziel Arrocha (photo credit: Eric Jackson/thepanamanews.com)

BCM reappeared off the main stage again on Tuesday 13th to give a class in Improvisation.  Then on January 15, the college held auditions for international music students at the Teatro Ascanio Arosemena, Autoridad del Canal de Panama in Panama City.  Auditions for Panamanian students took place on Sunday 11th January, all day at the Academia de Música La Nota in the city.

The Chucho Valdés Quintet came up for review on Thursday, January 15.  Accompanying the Cuban pianist was Lázaro Rivero, Yaroldy Abreu, Mayra Valdés and Juan Carlos Rojas.

Cuban legend Chucho Valdés (photo credit: thepanamanews.com)

The Marco Pignataro Quintet opened for Valdés with compatriot Eddie Gómez (double bass), Billy Drummond, Mark Kramer and Matt Mervuglio in tow.

Eddie Gómez, the renowned master (photo credit: thepanamanews.com)

thepanamanews.com was overawed with the Pignataro Quintet saying that the band’s performance far exceeded its billing as “warm up” act.  The article went on to state that the “original” music presented by the band, packed as it was with “all sorts of influences,” was played with a welcome sensitivity to the oft abused volume control slide.

A special mention was made of the contribution of bassist Eddie Gómez who was reportedly one of a number of exemplary upright bass players who plucked and bowed the thick strings at Panama Jazz.

But for the most part, Pignataro rallied his musical troops in such a way as to lend a fresh meaning to the term “band.” That was how generous he was with the solo space he gave to his cohorts.

Keep an eye on the festival homepage for the complete daily schedule of performances and on Esteban’s blog, My Panama Ranch for links to other reviews not covered here, and all things Panama.

Jacques Schwarz-Bart Tunepak

Listen to Caribbean Jazz while you chop wood in the Shed. Click the Reverbnation player. A new window will open. Come back to this page.

Courtney Pine on promotional tour of ‘Transition in Tradition’ CD

England

As reported here at the Woodshed earlier, British saxophonist and Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Courtney Pine, has a new CD out called ‘Transition in Tradition.’  Now we learn that a tour has been scheduled to promote the album.  For this venture, Pine has gathered together a rhythm section of Dominican guitarist Cameron Pierre, Robert Fordjour, Alex Wilson and Darren Taylor.  The tour runs through to October.  See the remaining schedule of appearances here.

Pine’s signature is a blend of Caribbean and hip-hop rhythms with the Classic Jazz of John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins.

In other news, Courtney Pine’s 14 piece big band, the Jazz Warriors, an Art Blakey-styled breeding ground for promising, young Jazz musicians, played the Theatre Royal on May 13, 2009.

1st Guadeloupe Piano Summit, June 8-18, 2009

L’association Gwadloup Groove, on the initiative of its current President, Steve Nuissier, organised and presented the 1st Piano Summit (1ère rencontre autour du piano)  from June 8 to 18, 2009.  The objective was to enable local Guadeloupean pianists the opportunity to present their varied repertoires, Beguine, Jazz and Classical music to the public at several events in different settings.

The idea was also to allow the pianists to give workshops in schools of music such as Ecole de musique du Lamentin, salle Robert Loyson du Moule, Artchipel à Basse terre and Centre Culturel des Abymes.

Besides the workshops and the concerts, the event was also a tribute to the pianist Jean-Louis Mérault who disappeared in tragic circumstances just one year.  ”Before his death, I wanted, in my own way, to help Jean-Louis to spread his music because I felt like a good pianist with technical qualities, a sense of composition and virtuosity deserves full recognition.  Unfortunately, I have not had the time, but the desire has not left.  [...]The creation of this event is totally inspired by JEM.  It is in my view…the best way to keep alive his vision as an artist while showing him my friendship each year, ” confided Steve Nuissier.

All concerts were filmed with a view to broadcasting them on television and for the production of a documentary on the piano in Guadeloupe.

Five pianists were invited to perform at this tribute, Griffault Clement, Paul Lay, David Fackeure and Gilles Rosine and Mario Canonge.  However, Fackeure had to pull out after suffering a bad fall and was unable to move.  His foot was placed in a cast.  He was replaced by Mario Canonge for the Sonis concert on June 8. (See program below)

They were supported by les guadeloupéens, Lesdel Jean-Michel, Michel Mado and Jocelyn Marboeuf .

The opening was a triple header on Monday, June 08 at Centre culturel de Sonis.  For starters, the young Cyril Kunzelmann, a student of Lionel Benbanaste à l’école Men Art Music executed the compositions of three of his favourite pianists.

Kunzelmann was followed by the Jocelyn Marbeouf Trio. Marbeouf and his cohorts, Atrides Claudel (b) and Pascal Latour (dms), launched into a set of Beguine-Jazz from Guadeloupe.

Finally, Mario Canonge, walked right off his plane into a solo concert tracing the history of Piano-Jazz from the great masters of the past (Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus) to Caribbean compositions by Stellio and Canonge himself) - an exercise he enjoys more and more.  The next day, the first part of the concert was performed by Michel Mado accompanied by Philippe d’Huy (g) and Raymond d’Huy (b).

The concert program was as follows:

A Sonis (the Abymes)

• June 8: Mario Canonge and Jocelyn Marboeuf .
• June 9: Mario Canonge and Michel Mado
• On 10 June: Gilles Rosine and Jean-Michel Lesde
• June 17: Paul Lay + Jocelyn Ménard 4tet and Clement Griffault

Robert Loyson (Le Moule)

June 14: Paul Lay duet with Jocelyn Ménard, (Jazz), Clement Griffault (Classical)

Movie theater Lamentin

June 15: Jean-Michel Lesdel / Clément Griffault

Closing night at Lakasa

On 18 June: Michel Mado and Philippe d’Huy, Paul Lay, Clémen Griffault t, Jean-Michel Lesdel, Jocelyn Marboeuf

Workshops:

with Paul Lay (Piano Jazz)

June 14 at la salle Robert Loyson au Moule
June 15 at l’école Men Art Music aux Abymes
June 17 at l’institut Chopin à Pointe-à-Pitre
and finally at l’école de la Clé des Arts à Baie Mahault

with Clément Griffault (Classical piano)

June 13 at CEFRIM au Moule
June 17 at l’école de musique du Lamentin

Sources: Première rencontre autour du piano, Ouverture des rencontres de piano à Sonis, Plâtre et piano

…and the beat goes on in Trinidad with The Sean Thomas Trio

…and the beat goes on in Trinidad

The Sean Thomas Trio – Raf Robertson (keyboard), Douglas Redon (bass) and Thomas (drums) swung you down to your feet at The Corner Bar, 20 Ariapita Avenue, Woodbrook, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuesday, May 26, 2009 performing JAZZ and CALYPSO standards such as “Blue Bossa”, “Round Midnight”, “Pan In A Minor”, and “Forward Home.”  Up close and personal you got to feel each instrument like you have never felt them before.

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