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
Cayman Jazz Fest 08, Grand Cayman
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Are you a Caribbean Jazz writer, Jazz musician, a producer of Jazz music, or a promoter of Jazz events? Well, the Jazz fans will be travelling all summer long and would like to know where the gigs are. Place your schedule on the WEC Jazz calendar...You can also share your reviews and analyses of Jazz music too; become an author and get your props...Additionally, the Collective is now accepting Caribbean Jazz recordings (CD's and DVD's) for review on the site. Go to the "Me" Page for e-mail contact info.
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