VIRGIN ISLANDS (Br.)
First, it was an inconspicuous listing on a BVI entertainment calendar that indicated Jazz on the Hill 2012 was being brought forward to March from the usual May. I waited expectantly for details of the festival to emerge and the advertising campaign to be cranked up; after all, Jazz is a minority sport and needs time to sink into the consciousness of even the moderately avid fan. But time went by and…nothing.
Finally, an inquiry about the festival reached us at the Woodshed, but we were completely in the dark and regrettably so. (Remember, Jazz on the Hill always takes place in May. Thus, the question was, what is this about JotH in March?) Unable to bear the thought of being clueless, we reached out to the producers and confirmed that Jazz on the Hill is indeed on the holiday weekend of March 02 and March 03. Point person for the festival, Laura Fox provides the rationale: “We moved the festival up due to the weather that seems to plague us in May and also to move it to a time where we can attract more tourists.” We can dig that!
Ming
Dubbed ”A Jazz Weekend” in Virgin Gorda, the two-day event follows the programming model introduced last year wherein the Friday takes the form of “A Night of Caribbean Jazz Fusion” with Trinidadian Jazzalypso super-group Elan Parle playing indoors at St. Ursula’s Community Center on Virgin Gorda.
Never mind the name of the show, Ming tells the WEC, Elan Parle will dish “a mix of danceable reggae, soca, pop, R&B and soul music featuring Kerwin Trotman (former frontman for legendary soca band Charlie’s Roots) on vocals.”
Tickets qualify patrons for complementary beverages and tapas and an atmosphere conducive to a bit of Jazz clubbing, if you will.
Elan Parle is taking its act outdoors to The Hill on the Saturday when core members of the band, keyboardist Ming and drummer Richard Joseph (bassist Sean Friday cannot make this trip), with sub-bass player Rodney Alexander added for the gig, will “play some Caribbean Jazz classics as well as some Jazz Standards along with the vocals of Vaughnette Bigford….Tony Paul and Mikhail in different tunes.”
Elan Parle will be joined by Tortola’s own, Jeremy Vanterpool, the Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS) Jazz Band and the Ryan Deihl Jazz Trio out of the US. The little ones of the St. Mary’s School will sing their hearts for their supper. Really! “A Jazz Weekend” is really a fundraiser for their private Episcopal School.
Elan Parle has been to Jazz on the Hill before, their last appearance being four years ago. EP is coming off the release of a free-to-download CD entitled “Jazzalypso” that is a must-have for Jazz fans of any persuasion for it is is a tutorial on the fusion of Classic Jazz with Calypso.
The band is also an exemplar on stage. Therefore, expect a high calibre display of musicianship on both nights, only their sets will not be from the new CD due to the Friday’s untimely cancellation. This is the first time Alexander will be playing with Ming and Joseph together so “that pretty much rules out the original stuff on this outing,” Ming explains.
We’re optimistic that what we are preparing is going to be pleasing to the audience. Looking forward to it. (Michael Low Chew Tung aka Ming)
The band Elan Parle is Ming and Joseph augmented by Bigford, Trotman, saxophonist Anthony “Tony Paul” Woodroffe and pannist Mikhail Salcedo who toured with EP the last time they performed at Jazz on the Hill in 2008.
Vanterpool
Jeremy Vanterpool is a home-grown saxophonist whose most recent performance with the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College’s HLSCC Jazz Band at “NPT Jazz and Blues” in November 2011 caught the eye of this Shedder. His expressiveness on stage will work wonders for the scene on The Hill this Saturday. Take this to the bank: Vanterpool’s upward curve will not allow him to do anything less than take you higher.
I just hope I am mistaken about the publicity of “A Jazz Weekend” and that people will climb to the Hill-top on Virgin Gorda this weekend. It will be worth the sweat.
Related articles
- VI Jazz bands make it count at NPT Jazz and Blues, November 27 2011 (woodshedec.wordpress.com)
- Shades of Vaughnette…The Experience (woodshedec.wordpress.com)
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