GAYAP 2009 is here! (updated with a V-pic, July 20)

Trinidad

GAYAP 2009, St. Joseph, Trinidad and Tobago is here!. Friends of St. Joseph’s Convent teamed up with Island Productions & Promotions to present this Jazz-centric event at The Nazarene, July 18, 2009.

This inaugural fundraiser for the namesake school packed the Bamboo Sanctuary in St. Joseph with a mix of local and regional Jazz artists.

Up on stage was guitarist Michael Boothman whose credits also include songwriter and producer; sitar playing Mungal Patasar, a Trinidadian of Indian heritage whose other life is dedicated to community upliftment; pianist Dave Marcellin, equally comfortable behind the keys as he is behind the boards as an audio engineer and music producer;

Vaughnette Bigford bends a note at GAYAP 2009

Caribbean Jazz star in the making, Vaughnette Bigford who is just five years removed from her debut but who has already benefited from studies under Trinidad’s Carlton Zanda, Theron Shaw, Raf Robertson and Ray Holman and international trailblazers, Dr. Barry Harris, Hank Jones and Sheila Jordan; electric guitarist Clifford Charles, well schooled in Musical Arts at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and at the Music College, Trinidad; pannist Mikhail Salcedo; and Relator, fresh from the release of the seminal ‘University of Calypso‘ collaboration with Andy Narell.

Right up under the Trinidadians were Guyanese flautist Ruth Osman and Barbadian sax lion, Arturo Tappin.

Osman, who has made Trinidad home, was expected to put on her poet’s hat in addition to her most obvious skill as a musician and writer.

Born into a musical family – her father is into Classical music, her mother a pianist – Osman started first on recorder then went on to flute and voice, gifts she would come to express in church. She continues to feed the writing aspect of her career with her spirituality, nurtured as it were by the music she played in the church as a youth.

“I see Jazz as a sort of conduit leading from my heart to my audience,” Osman explained to Patricia Grannum of the Woman of Colour blog.

Osman surprised Marielle Barrow, host of Trini Smooth (Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 at 03:00 pm) on wmjxfm.com with her depiction of her spiritual relationship, as expressed in her music, as “Jazz with God.”  Some of that will be enjoyed again at R to the Power of 3 at the new Daaga Auditorium, UWI (University of the West Indies) Trinidad, July 25 2009, the 3 R’s being Ruth, Russell (Leonce) and Rizon.

Then from across the fishing straights between Trinidad and Barbados came saxophonist Arturo Tappin to represent the collective spirit and goodwill of the rest of the Caribbean region for the noble effort to assist St. Joseph’s Convent.

With no time to spare, Tappin was on a flight out of Trinidad Sunday, after GAYAP, headed for Montserrat’s 4th Annual Calabash Festival, which would has been underway from July 11.

Tappin will be joining returning headlners from last year, trumpeter Paul Lunga and saxophonist Tony Chambers, for a gala evening on July 19 at the Montserrat Culutral Centre.

So that was GAYAP for you, a Smooth Jazz experience on July 18, 2009 at The Nazarene, a bamboo sanctuary next to Ortinola Estate, Acono Rd., Maracas Valley, St. Joseph, Trinidad.

I just have one question for anyone who can answer it: What on earth is a GAYAP?

About these ads