We now invite you to view the JazzinCaribin Calendar below for details on this and other Caribbean-Jazz events taking place in the region and further afield. Also, go to the right Sidebars here at the Woodshed to link to Facebook for yet more listings.
Ocean Club Jazz: Ocean Club, Rodney Bay: Carl Gustave Band (St. Lucia)
We now invite you to view the JazzinCaribin Calendar below for details on this and other Caribbean-Jazz events taking place in the region and further afield. Also, go to the right Sidebars here at the Woodshed to link to Facebook for yet more listings.
Original post, February 08, 2012
Update 2, May 02, 2012
On Thursday, January 26 2012, the twentieth edition of St. Lucia Jazz was launched live on radio and television – for the first time. Stakeholders of the festival gathered ‘in-studio’ at the Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa and Beach Resort on the Pigeon Island Causeway to await the much-anticipated announcement of the line up for the purportedly pared down event.
As background, St. Lucia Jazz actually started in 1991 as theSt. Lucia Jazz Festival, as it was called then. It was – and still is – a marketing ploy to boost tourism in the off-season.
In the ensuing 20 years of its existence, St. Lucia Jazz has become a world-class event that has featured the biggest and heaviest names in Jazz, Cadence, zouk, reggae, pop, R&B and everything in between. Name them and they have been to (Anita Baker, Boys II Men, Kenny G, Rihanna, Santana) and performed at (Boo Hinkson, Luther Francois, Shane Ross, Teddyson John) St. Lucia Jazz.
Speaking at the launch, St. Lucia’s Director of Tourism, Louis Lewis stated that the country has “…every reason to be proud… It has not been an easy road. We have many challenges.”
Referring to the idea of carrying the launch live, the Director of Tourism rationalised that the goal was to “…reach out to people who cannot participate in the Jazz Festival.”
As for the festival, Director Lewis revealed that St. Lucia Jazz has now opted for a wider embrace of the so-called fringe events – he prefers to call them “community events” – by bringing together the ancillary community organisations that have produced those ‘outfests’ at venues in Castries, the East, South and elsewhere on the island under one banner, one festival, St. Lucia Jazz.
This fresh approach comes with some well-needed changes to the format, the point being that St. Lucia Jazz is no longer living up to the original objectives. To address this issue, a different track is proposed, one that focusses on a tighter festival. The result is a reduction in the number of acts to address the problem of the increasing length of the festival days. With shows ending as late as 10:00 pm at the Main Stage on Pigeon Island for instance, it is felt that the character of the national park has been so stultified as to eliminate the lure of a picnic and the child and elderly-friendly atmosphere it fosters.
Regarding the so-called Community Events like Jazz on the Square, it was noted that they have steadily outlived their usefulness. Singling out the Derek Walcott Square (Jazz on the Square), complaints abound that it is hot, parking is limited and the businesses in the area have not embraced it. Apparently, the surrounding business houses are harping on the noise and the perceived disruptions to their mercantile activities. So…the action has been moved to Pointe Seraphine just outside central Castries.
The St. Lucia Jazz producers claim to recognise that the Jazz Festival is not living up to the original objectives, hence the formation of a core group of people who were tasked with the responsibility of doing some brainstorming. They have concluded that the Jazz Festival is not living up to the original objectives and that the focus should be on tightening it up. Therefore, the decision was made to reduce the number of acts in part because the increasing length of the festival days has stultified the event.
As an added incentive for patrons interested in attending the weekend of concerts at Pigeon Island National Park and to cater to the high demand for an “up scale” VIP corporate experience that gives patrons a premium view of the stage, a Gold Pass is being reintroduced.
Looking further forward into the future, St. Lucia Jazz believes some bold steps need to be taken if for no other reason but to reinvigorate the festival and transit this marquee event to something that is more truly St. Lucian.
The expectation is that they will continue to enjoy the logistical support of the sponsors, particularly Platinum Sponsor, Digicel, which has just renewed its association with St. Lucia Jazz for a second three-year term. Digicel’s Country Manager for the Eastern Caribbean, Geraldine Pitt, told the launch party that Digicel is “excited to put on a show as never before” this year, stressing that their sponsorship is gratitude for the support of the St. Lucian people to the company. That relationship, she noted, strengthens the company’s resolve “to provide an avenue to market the event throughout the Caribbean… This is the commitment of Digicel!”
The launch was impressively choreographed and MC’d in spirited fashion. However, if I am afforded one pet peeve, it would have to be the appearance of Mervin Wilkinson and 1090 who was a waste of time, playing pop and reggae at the launch of a Jazz Festival. The chatterboxes on Scruffy TV agree.
April 28: Coconut Bay Resort & Spa: Sisterhood (Barbara Cadet), Loula Trio featuring Ricardo Francois |April 29: Black Antz Jazz Combo, Rupert Lay Quartet, Etienne Charles
Tuesday May 01: Rudy John Beach Park – Cameron Pierre (Dominica/UK) featuring Fred Nicholas (Dominica) Ricardo Francois, Emerson Nurse (both St. Lucia); Miki Telephe (Martinique); Alibi (St. Lucia) featuring Richard Payne, Teddyson John and Francis John; Loula Trio featuring Ricardo Francois; Laborie Steel Pan Project (St. Lucia)
Thursday, May 03: Saint Lucia School of Music, Castries, 4pm – 7pm - Master class with Cameron Pierre, UK-based Dominican guitarist, a stalwart of the British jazz scene since the 1980s, who recently released his fourth CD, ‘Radio Jumbo’.
Friday, May 04: Independence Square, Vieux Fort - Mushy Widmaier (Haiti); Alchimik’s (Guadeloupe) Cancelled; Sisterhood (St. Lucia)
Sunday, May 06: Coconut Bay Resort & Spa, Gil Tony’k (Martinique) featuring Tony Chasseur and Gilles Voyer; Sakésho with Andy Narell (US), Mario Canonge (Martinique), Michel Alibo (Guadeloupe) and Gregory Louis; Rupert Lay Qtet (St. Lucia); Black Antz Jazz Combo (St. Lucia)
Wednesday, May 09: Gaiety on Rodney Bay – Ronald “Boo” Hinkson
Thursday, May 10: Gaiety – Luther Francois followed by Mario Canonge
Friday, May 11: Main Stage, Pigeon Island National Landmark – Derek Yarde Project ‘DYP” – En Kweyol
Saturday, May 12: Pigeon Island National Landmark – Alison Marquis Nonet featuring Andy Narell
Sunday, May 13: all-star cast of Richard Payne (St. Lucia), Joel Widmaier and Jean Caze (Haiti), Sonny Troupe (Guadeloupe) and of the The Wespe Pour Ayiti Project; Hugh Masekela
Jazz on the Grill: (Fire Grill and Lounge Bar, Rodney Bay, May 07-09, May 11, May 14)
Monday, May 07: St. Lucia School of Music
Tuesday, May 08: Rob Zii & The Vibe Tribe
Wednesday, May 09: Carl Gustave & BMF Band
Friday, May 11: Luther Francois, Emerson Nurse Band
Monday, May 14: The Encore (Jam Session)
JAZZY RHYTHMZ: (JQ Rodney Bay Mall, May 07-11, May 14)
Mallorca Smooth Jazz Festival, Spain, April 27, 2012
Eric Darius – saxophone
Protur Biomar Gran Hotel & Spa, Sa Comar, Mallorca, España, 09:00 pm, April 27
Tampa, Florida-based urban instrumentalist, producer and composer, Eric Darius, has broken down the door of the Woodshed, demanding attention. But on Friday, April 27, Mallorca, Spain is the focus of his attention. Darius brings to Mallorca the passion of his Haitian and Jamaican roots, embodied in his lead instrument, the saxophone.
The result is Contemporary Jazz that to him is a “vehicle for change.” Darius confesses that Contemporary Jazz is the genre that has fuelled his early success. “I’m ON A MISSION to celebrate every style of music from Jazz, R&B, Pop and Reggae to Hip-Hop, Rock and Gospel,” he explains in his biography.
It seems to me that Mallorca is up for fun times with Eric Darius, April 27 (03:00pm E).
I just listed my upcoming shows on my facebook page! Please check it out: facebook.com/ericdariusband. Hope to see all of you there! :)— Eric Darius (@ericdarius) April 05, 2012
We now invite you to view the JazzinCaribin Calendar below for details on this and other Caribbean-Jazz events taking place in the region and further afield. Also, go to the right Sidebars to link to Facebook for yet more listings.
Mario CANONGE et Michel ZENINO Duo Jazz, Le Baiser Salé, PARIS, April 25, 2012
Mario CANONGE et Michel ZENINO Duo Jazz
Mario Canonge – piano, Michel Zenino – cbss.
Le Baiser Salé – 58, rue des Lombards – 75001 – PARIS
Martinique pianist Mario Canonge is in duo with Michel Zenino playing “Jazz standards” at Le Baiser Salé in Paris this and most every Wednesday from 19:30 hrs (Paris time).
Canonge’s pianisms are endowed with a Caribbean accent that perfectly aligns Zenino’s double bass with clarity and empathy.
More than just a gifted pianist, Canonge is a musician whose distinctive feature is his adaptability, whirling from one style to another, Jazz, zouk, salsa, you name it!
We invite you to view the JazzinCaribin Calendar below for details on this and other Caribbean-Jazz events taking place in the region and further afield. Also, go to the right Sidebars to link to Facebook for yet more listings.
Michele Henderson with Ming and Friends, Act 4 – The Grand Finale
Michele: vocals, flute
Michael Low Chew Tung (Ming): keys
Richard Joseph: drums
Modupe Folasade Onilu: percussion
Kevon La Fleur: bass
Dean Williams: guitar
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
DOMINICA
The saying goes, “You never know what you’re gonna get till you get it.” Actually, that’s no saying; I am just saying … whatever I want. But it’s true, isn’t it?
Look at it this way: You love Jazz. There is something going on at Farm Road, St. Joseph, Trinidad called Jazz Artists on the Greens. It is your understanding that some female artist from the Commonwealth of Dominica called Michele Henderson is headlining. That name sounds familiar, you think, but that doesn’t matter. At least, you have somewhere to go on Saturday, March 24, 2012.
You get to The Greens on time. The booths form an arc and inside of it, white chairs are lined up in rows and columns. The J-Fans, die-hard and casual alike, are streaming in. The atmosphere seems good.
You are a bit distracted; there are old friends to get reacquainted to and new alliances to forge. There is a stir on stage. Thanks to the artistry of opening acts, Carlton “Zanda” Alexander & The Coalpot Band, Llettesha Sylvester and Clifford Charles Quintet, the show is chugging along quite nicely, building up to the headliner.
Michele Henderson at JAOTG (courtesy Production One Ltd.)
Then Michele Henderson walks on and Ming and Friends strike up with “Agua de Beber” (Antonio Carlos Jobim). Richard Joseph fleshes out the bossa nova beat and the atmosphere changes for you. Didn’t it? The Greens become electrically charged … up. And all those of you who might have been absent-minded for some reason over the previous three hours, sit up (at first) and take notice for the Lady in Red is dancing … with you. Fatal attraction! Smitten!! Mind-blowing!!!
Not letting up on the tempo, Michele re-acquaints us with the well-worn but evergreen Errol Garner classic “Misty” in intoxicating fashion, her pipes flowing notes with fluidity, power and passion.
That’s the word, “Passion!” For it is passion that connects the artist to the essence of a song … and her audience … our soul. Michele has this attribute, Passion, in abundance here.
This characteristic feature becomes more evident on her next delivery, the sappy Rogers and Hammerstein pop songturned Jazz standard that becomes so because of the improvisational and harmonic possibilities it lends itself to. Michele calls on lead guitarist Dean Williams to act as a foil to her immeasurable vocalizations.
One could be excused for hazarding a guess that Ming and Friends is Michele’s longtime backup outfit. They are not of course. However, in witnessing how confident and seamless the players are matching wits with her, one wouldn’t know it. By the end of the command performance, the band will have kept pace with their leader, locking horns with her no matter what she threw at them – Classic Jazz, Latin, Bossa, Zouk, Pop and Reggae.
This brings me to the dawning realization that Bob Marley is after all a staple on the Jazz circuit, eliciting all sorts of interpretations. For the most part, a Marley is played straight, a solo or two passing for Jazz interpretation, which in some instances is hardly credible and boring.
On the night of March 24, Ming and Friends added themselves to the short list that is balking that trend, the easy way out. On “Waiting in Vain,” Richie’s drums and Kevon La Fleur’s bass handle the one drop rhythmic formula, leaving it to Ming on keys and Dean to inject stylistic Jazz sensibilities that set Michele’s cover apart from the rest.
Michele with Ming and Friends at JAOTG (courtesy Production One Ltd.)
I argued in this series of JAOTG reviews that a critical hallmark of a musician is a repertoire that does not exceed her limitations. Michele does not have to worry about that. She can pull a rabbit out of a hat and turn it into vocal gold.
For the purpose of this critique, I have to say that it is one thing for a Caribbean singer rooted in a French Antillean culture to deliver a Martinican call to arms in “Fo Daw Leve,” and a Groovy-Zouk original called “Pani Pawol.” It is an entirely different kettle of fish to pull off Chic Corea’s, “500 Miles,” “Armando’s Rhumba” and especially “Spain” (Concerto de Aranguez).
“Spain,” a staccato adaptation by Corea of the Joaquin Rodrigo adagio for an Al Jarreau collaboration must not, under any circumstances, be attempted at home without professional or parental supervision. Yet, Michele nails it to the door frame and pins it down like a WWF wrestler – the epitome of true and unfettered talent.
Michele does not, however, hug all the glory for herself. She lets Richie and percussionist Modupe Onilu in on the action via “500 miles,” letting them trade for a bit and then giving Modupe room to squeak the inside of his bongo drum while straddling his signature congas to reach the mic.
Modupe squeaks (courtesy Production One)
With all this drama taking place on The Greens, riveting and transfixing “all and sun-dry,” as one notable politician once put it, the best was still one song away. I speak of Stevie Wonder’s “Do I Do.” Michele had the folks on The Greens abandon their chairs and charge to the front of the stage to occupy an area that remained largely unoccupied throughout the previous four hours of the show.
Pumped up by this reaction, the band took its game up another notch, unbelievably so. Zen Master Ming got off his haunches, a wide grin on his face. Priceless! Dean, surged forward, leaned back and threatened to shred his six-string axe as Michele hovered over him, demanding more.
Then it was all over, though not quite. Michele had earned a standing ovation – although it could be said that everyone was already on their feet. “The Diva,” quoting a member of my party, graciously offered a reprise to end the pandemonium on Farm Road.
Surprisingly, no one saw it fit to call the Fire Brigade. Maybe Production One Ltd. would be wise to have a tender on standby if ever Michele’scraftlands on The Greens again.
Most Memorable Moment in technicolour (courtesy Production One Ltd.)
Legendary Caribbean-Jazz pianist Raf Robertson wraps it up best. “This is the first time that I have experienced Michele and what an experience! And she plays the flute. This girl serious.” Do I Do, Raf…Do I Do.
Jazz Artists on the Greens 2012, March 24: Act 5Annise Hadeed with Richard Bailey, Theron Shaw & Douglas Redon
Hadeed: steelpan
Bailey: drums
Shaw: guitar
Redon: bass
I am putting this out there: it is uncommon, in my personal experience, for the pan to be utilized as a lead instrument on a strictly straightahead set in the context of a Jazz Festival. All the more reason why I was taken aback – and pleasantly so I might add – by pannist Annise Hadeed’s offering at Jazz Artists on the Greens on Saturday, March 24.
Annise Hadeed (courtesy Production One Ltd.)
One may query the wisdom of scheduling a guy like Annise as the final act, after Michele Henderson and her band of Trinidad and Tobago’s finest musicians led by Michael Low Chew Tung aka Ming. We could complain about the quality and dynamics of the sound of Annise’s pan, and that his choice of instrument from the family of steel drums was not quite suited to The Greens. No one would be wrong either in citing Annise for not engaging an audience already on a musical high from having died and gone to musical heaven, thanks to Michele. Frankly, I am not sure if any of the acts on the bill could have topped Michele. Truth be told, none could!
Given this context, I will take Annise Hadeed for what he was worth, a highly skilled practitioner of the pan who presented a remarkable set that included a couple of bona fide Jazz Standards, a Calypso-Jazz standard by a Trinidadian pianist of note and several originals by the leader. That was, however, a blessing and a curse for Annise.
Here is the problem Annise faced: For a pan soloist playing contrapuntal arrangements calling for heavy syncopation and, very critically, more than casual interplay between the instrumentalists, Annise adopted an unacceptable role of (what should I call it?) guest soloist. The guest soloist takes a few choruses here and there and then slinks to the side of the stage, letting the band play on.
This is important. As lead soloist, Annise does not have the luxury of stepping away from his instrument and laying out as much. His job is to bind himself to his instrument like, say, a pianist would, suggesting ideas and patterns to his cohort thus remaining in the fray, ever-ready to take or retake the spotlight to restate or extend the melody and add flavours in harmony. Annise does not do that, opting to play the head, expand the theme some and then side-step to give his band free reign. Whereas Clifford Charles and Llettesha Sylvester could get away with that because of the character of their sets and set lists, Annise could not for reasons now very obvious.
But all that is not to say that the band dynamics are not considerable. I mean, give drummer Richard Bailey his due, pinging the ride cymbals on “How High The Moon” (Morgan Lewis) and “Someday My Prince Will Come” (Frank Churchill), cracking the snare on Brother Valentino’s “Dis Place Nice” and Clive Zanda’s Calypso-Jazz standard “Fancy Sailor” while Douglas Redon keeps the beat and pulse like a buoy marker. Annise, for his part, plays the changes deftly on his originals, “Spur of the Moment” and “Square Up.” And guitarist Theron Shaw gets all abstract on the tail ender, “Cornertalk,” another Hadeed original.
Bailey, Shaw, Hadeed & Redon (courtesy Production One Ltd.)
As usual, the crowd began to trickle out of the WASA grounds as Annise Hadeed drew his set to a close and the curtains began to come down on Jazz Artists on the Greens. That was entirely expected, which is precisely why the producers put on Michele Henderson as the penultimate act.
In spite of the pros and cons I have expressed, there is no coming away believing that Annise was not an the act to help the fans warm down after the blistering show put on by Michele Henderson with Ming and Friends.
My feeling though is there is more to Annise playing live than what I saw between 09:00 and 10:00 pm on Saturday, March 24. Annise whet my appetite; and I would go on a limb to say that the rest of The Greens salivated as well.
Jazz Artists on the Greens, March 25 2012: Act 3
Clifford Charles Quintet
Charles: guitar
Sean Friday: bass
David Richards: drums
Deryck Cadogan and Rodney Harris: keys
The Jazz crowd had thickened over the past two hours during which time Carlton “Zanda” Alexander & The Coalpot Band had dished out a menu of Calypso-Jazz and Llettesha Sylvester’s Nu-Jazz had tempered the good souls as a fitting prep for headliner Michele Henderson, Cultural Ambassador of the Commonwealth of Dominica. But as the evening skies darkened, it was about time to smooth out the proceedings.
A Calypso-Jazz set followed by a dose of Nu-Jazz…then Smooth Jazz. A little bit of everything thing for a diverse audience, don’t you think?
Clifford Charles at JAOTG 2012 (courtesy Production One Ltd.)
After years of doing what Trinidadian musicians do, groomed and weaned on Calypso-Jazz and soca music as they are, Smooth Jazz guitarist Clifford Charles is said to be ready to take on the world. Well, the world is a very big place when you think of it. So step one would be to conquer the local Trini audience settled on The Greens in St. Joseph on March 24, 2012.
By song number three, Clifford had successfully achieved that initial goal, grabbing our attention with “Strollin” from his debut CD “Just in Time” but more so Stevie Wonder’s “That Girl” and the title track from his brand new CD, “Songs From Deep Within.” And Clifford knew it too. You saw the change in his body language; he strutted comfortably on stage interacting with his keyboardist Deryck Cadogan, his fleet-fingering ringing true to these ears.
At the other end of the pleasure spectrum, Charles brought forth the age-old Dave Brubeck classic, “Take Five” towards the end of his set. Now, there are some tunes that ought not to be experimented with too much. “Take Five” is one such. Thus, it was difficult for me to appreciate the odd key changes Clifford wrapped around the synthesizer strings layered on this one. Not even the likes of drummer David Richards or bassist Sean Friday could save it.
Clifford Charles Quintet (courtesy Puretrinbago.com)
Charles bounced back from that dip immediately with another original from Songs, rightfully entitled “Bounce.” The third original of his set (the first being “Strollin” reprised as “Strollin’ Again” on his second CD, Downtown Scarborough), “Bounce” was the forerunner to a string of two songs that were essentially an all-out rave, “Dance With Me” by Machel Montano, which also came off Downtown Scarborough and the climax, Sherwin Dubois’ party favourite, “Bachanalist.”
Totally uninhibited, Charles invited the fans to the bachanal fête under the tall stage and many responded without reservation.
de bachanal in effect (courtesy Production One Ltd.)
Clifford had sufficiently lightened the mood and released the spirits on The Greens. The stage was now set for Michele Henderson’s introduction to the Farm Road crowd. His job well done, it would be up to Micheleto take them up like the helium balloons they had become.
Would she do it, would she not? We’ll see about that next.
Jazz Artists on the Greens 2012, March 24: Act 2Llettesha Sylvester
Sylvester: lead vocals
Dion Nora and Joshua Caines: keyboards
Alpha Simpson: drums
Kevon La Fleur: bass
Aneesa Paul and Nisa Nora: backup vocals
There is no greater challenge for a young singer than to follow a veteran pianist onto the big stage, any big stage. But that is precisely what Llettesha Sylvester faced on the evening of March 24 at Jazz on the Greens, the 10th edition. Llettesha took to the stage on the heels of a thumping performance by Carlton “Zanda” Alexander & The Coalpot Band.
LLETTESHA Sylvester at JAOTG (courtesy Production One Ltd.)
Llettesha exhibited no signs of intimidation at having Zanda & The Coalpot Band open for her, which is how it worked out. She struts to stage front in her flowing yellow gown chanting Lauryn Hill’s “Ready or Not (here I come).” We were ready alright. Zanda infectious had made sure of that.
Some may frown on Smooth or Nu-Jazz or Neo-Soul, call it what you will. But try hitting Anita Baker’s notes on a bad day. If you’re not prepared, you will fall flat. Llettesha was not about to be done in on the night. Her voice, though somewhat raspy on “Sweet Love,” was well delivered. However, this seemed to be just a glimpse into her talent. I sensed there was more rice and beans in her arsenal than what was evident two songs into her set.
As it turned out, Llettesha did have more to give. Somehow, her voice cleared up on Hill’s “It Hurts So Bad” and Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep” and her vocals were all the better for it.
However, Llettesha could have benefited from more bouyant backup vocals. It would be difficult for me to say whether the backup singers were just not up to it or that the miking was inadequate. I suspect it was the latter. But whatever the cause, Aneesa Paul and Nisa Nora were not in harmony with each other and the lack of unison and synchrony caused their output to suffered badly.
Llettesha powered on, making light of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” and Chrisette Michelle’s “Be Ok” – a Nu-Jazz piece with a straightahead bridge – and “Fragile,” the notes becoming increasingly easier to navigate. Paul and Nora came into their own too.
With the package coming together, Llettesha braved Alicia Key’s “Unthinkable,” which is not an easy song to sing by any measure. She then capped her hour on stage with Jilll Scott’s big hit, “One is The Magic Number.” These two songs, taken together, defined Llettesha Sylvester on the evening of March 24 at Jazz Artists on the Greens. They convinced me that although the singer did not take a job above her pay scale, the suite of songs being somewhat of a vocal challenge, she came close to doing just that.
I was also concerned that by sticking basically to one tempo throughout her hour on stage, there was none of the emotional ebb and flow that a festival crowd yearns for. Nor were there sufficient solo spaces worked into the repertoire, the kind of thing that builds intensity, exhibits musicianship, fosters interaction and perhaps encourages spontaneous improvisation, which is after all an essential credo of a Jazz gig. Joshua Caines (keyboards), Alpha Simpson (drums) and Kevon La Fleur (bass) could have done well with a bit of stretching.
I do not fear contradiction when I say that Llettesha obviously loves Lauryn Hill and Chrisette Michelle; she sang a total of four songs between them. No doubt, her guts guided her on that route. Her head ought to have prevailed in pointing her towards material more suited to her range.
The comment was made afterwards by someone who shall remain anonymous that “…as an artiste, you need to be yourself as much as possible even in your repertoire.” Then he added,Llettesha ” …didn’t do herself any favours….” He and I are in agreement though that Llettesha does possess talent and that the potential is there. And I am mindful that she is primarily a Classical singer who is in the process of developing her Jazz sensibilities. Still, Llettesha Sylvester did not quite conquer her repertoire as convincingly as she might have done on another good day. Hence, my verdict is that she might have done better to go with her head than her heart in choosing the songs she would present at The Greens.
Nevertheless, I do commend Production One for putting Llettesha on the JAOTG stage this year. In doing so, a talent has been further exposed and nurtured. Who knows, in a few years’ time, they can make the boast that Llettesha Sylvester got her big break at Jazz Artists on the Greens, the 10th edition. That is what it’s all about, isn’t it?
Jazz Artists on the Greens 2012, March 24 2012: Act 1Carlton “Zanda” Alexander & The Coalpot Band
Carlton Zanda: keys
Russell Durity: bass
Makasei Joseph: drums
Anthony Woodroffe: saxophone
All day Saturday, March 24, the winds were stiff, really stiff. One tent sagged to the side as an upright buckled thus calling for some elbow grease to be righted; the backdrop to the Jazz Artists on the Greens (JAOTG) stage flapped like Trinidad’s national bird, the hummingbird, and required a bit of engineering to keep it from being grounded like Redjet; and petite Michele Henderson lamented that the draft would nullify the sound from her flute.
But by show time, 05:05 pm, the flutter from the heavens had subsided only to be replaced by an equal and opposite force of human nature – from stage to The Greens below. Those bearing the brunt of the musical assault were the hundreds of patrons seated on rows upon rows of lily white chairs or otherwise sprawled picnic style on the lawn or in lawn chairs with their “sprinkles” (a term cousin Milton Israel, a far worse Jazz head than I am, coined over twenty years ago) at arm’s length for instant lubrication.
It was a stroke of genius, in my view, to strike up Jazz on the Greens with as strong an act as keyboardist Carlton ‘Zanda’ Alexander rather than going the traditional route of building up the programme for the headliner.
Carlton “Zanda” Alexander is an accomplished Pan-Jazz arranger and one of the more prolific composers in that realm. Carlton Alexander & The Coalpot Band has been his vehicle for Pan-Jazz experimentations for the past thirty years to date.
ZANDA & Coalpot (courtesy Production One Ltd.)
Zanda has not confined himself though to those core elements, but has taken the liberty, and obviously so, to fire things up a bit by accenting the soca variation in his repertoire leading naturally to a welcome diffusion of the style. A fine example of this is “Bondodey,” heard at the end of Zanda’s set. This song, built on a vamp architecture (What did you expect? Zanda is an architect.) is a representation of the lore from Zanda’s youth. Yet, dated as what inspired it, Zanda nevertheless houses the composition in some forward-thinking with triggered saxophone effects by Anthony Woodroffe and astonishingly dissonant piano runs bordering on the avant garde.
The spirited and muscular, stick-work of pannist Akinola Sennon fits, hand in glove, with Carlton’s progressive approach to Pan-Jazz. Sennon demonstrated his considerable chops on “Tension” (Shadow) and “Mr. Panmaker” (Stalin). I would like to believe that what I experienced of Sennon on this date was but one side of his personality. I saw enough to want to see the pannist in a more intimate setting where his more sensitive and subtle side would emerge.
It was a deft touch on the part of the leader to bridge Shadow and Stalin with a straightahead original called “Remember When.” I am always impressed by our Caribbean bands who have the gumption to make the statement that while rooted in a Caribbean Jazz sensibility, we have mastered the fundamentals of Classic Jazz and are down with it.
Speaking to Zanda on the backseat of an SUV after his set, I confirmed that he was not feeling well and that the decision was taken to put the Coalpot Band on first in case his condition worsened, precluding him from playing at all.
Not everyone is in agreement as to the wisdom of opening a Jazz Festival or any musical event for that matter with an act who, in fact, has the credence and credibility to be a headliner in his own right.
But for JAOTG, it is like a Usain Bolt powering to the front of the field and letting momentum carry him the rest of the race. Put on a powerhouse like Zanda at the top of the programme and let the energy he generates charge up The Greens for the next four hours. My hairs are still standing on my head.
The Coalpot Band live at JAOTG
Now the question is this: Was the act to follow Zanda, Llettesha Alexander, strong, weak, or indifferent? My critique is next.
The JazZ BuddZ initiative, Production One Limited’s signal of decade number two in the business of mounting Jazz Artists on the Greens (JAOTG), will be a yearly music education programme for the benefit of Trinidad and Tobago’s at-risk youth. “We are focused on giving thanks and giving back as we strive to cultivate a new generation of Caribbean musicians. We are passionate about this venture that aims to bring a rewarding experience to the lives of young people who may not otherwise be afforded such opportunity.” So said Production One Chairman, Anton Doyle in a company press release dated February 28, 2012.
The JazZ BuddZ programme is aimed at coalescing the efforts of the community, its Classical and Jazz musicians and Production One to provide ten music scholarships to under privileged youth from rural Trinidad and Tobago who will benefit from attendance at workshops in voice, steelpan, drums and percussion, piano, wind and string instruments as well as music appreciation.
The programme was launched officially on Friday, March 23 in the lobby of the Little Carib Theater. Present at the function was a small gathering of dignitaries and academics and aficionados mingling with yours truly and the principals of Production One Ltd.
Kicking off the proceedings half an hour after seven was Secretary of Production One, Maria Wellington. In her presentation – “short and sweet” as she was referred to, figuratively – Maria touted JazZ BuddZ as a “an exemplary beacon” of Production One. Walters, Programme Leader of the BFA Music Area of the University of Trinidad and Tobago’s Academy of the Performing Arts, added that JazZ BuddZ was conceptualized, not as a tool of music theory and practice for young musicians – I guess there are ample avenues and houses of learning already in place – but as a means for the young musicians to learn self confidence and social skills while excelling in academics.
That said, Derron Ellies, was ushered to stage front. Ellies, now engaged full-time in the promotion of the PHI, otherwise known as the Percussive Harmonic Instrument, across Trinidad and Tobago, had the unenviable task of demonstrating the dynamics of this ground-breaking instrument that will undoubtedly take more of a position of prominence in steel orchestras in the twin-island republic to begin with and the world over in time.
Derron’s ten-minute clinic with accompanying soundtracks covered Ralph McDonald (Just The Two Of Us) and John Legend (Save Room), using harp and traditional pan settings – a sampling of the extension range of the PHI.
BuzZed by Ellies’ wonderful performance, the guests, including Michele Henderson, Goodwill Ambassador of the Commonwealth of Dominica and headliner of Jazz Artists on the Greens, mingled around the Carib Theatre lobby briefly before dispersing for the night, all pumped and ready for an evening of Caribbean Jazz and other improvisations at Farm Road, St. Joseph on Saturday, March 24.
Percussive Harmonic Instrument
The PHI is a MIDI-based electronic pan that can virtually access synthesized tones of any number of other instruments and a full range of effects in addition to allowing the practitioner to customize own sounds.
There is nothing like listening to the PHI played live – the warmth of the instrument was lost on me on YouTube. The ring of the traditional steel drum is actually dampened by the electronic impulses conveyed by silicone pads housed in a fiberglass dome, soon to upgraded to plastic within the next eighteen months to two years.
Talking to Marcel Byron, one of the innovators of the instrument under the leadership of Dr. Brian Copeland, I discovered that the PHI is not quite ready for prime time hence the all-out marketing campaign now being undertaken within Trinidad and Tobago.
Egged on to tell me more, Byron eagerly pointed out that the PHI, at a couple thousand bucks a piece, (US$2,250 is the unit cost quoted at the Panadigm Innovations Ltd. online store) has the potential to reproduce the sound of a large steel orchestra – without the numbers – never mind the multi-functionality of the instrument.
Travelling by air from the northernmost end of the English-speaking Caribbean to the southernmost tip, as it were, can be a logistical and frustrating nightmare, what with the seemingly endless stops on this island and that. This sort of journey is made more hazardous to good health and well-being by LIAT, the Caribbean’s commuter in the skies, which has done away with the mouse-bits of nutrition one used to enjoy in that bygone era when island-hopping was heaven to a pleasure-seeker.
I have been told that LIAT has earned a sound reputation for not taking you to your destination on time.
So when this Jazz fan willingly endured seven hours of flying - on and off of course - on Thursday, March 22 and was not given time to refuel while in transit at V.C. Bird International, Antigua and Grantley Adams in Barbados because LIAT was turning around its stops on the button, the prospects for Jazz Artists on the Greens in Trinidad began to look good; the stars had aligned themselves in perfect harmony.
The outlook for JAOTG, Production One Limited’s flagship event, became brighter still when on Friday, March 23, the scheduled four-hour rehearsal for headliner Michele Henderson (Dominica’s Cultural Ambassador) with her Trinidadian backup band Élan Parlé started and ended bang on time. What kind of miracle is this?” I thought.
Wait, let me not forget driver Massey Williams who showed up atThe Cascadia Hotel and Conference Centre frighteningly early to take me to “Ming” Low Chew Tung’s studios out there in Diego Martin and again on the morning (03:30 am) of Sunday, March 25 headed for Piarco and the commute back to the British Virgin Islands.
There is also something to be said about the creative process that evolves during remote practice sessions – the singer one way, in her home country, while the back up band works on the charts over in Trinidad. Moreover, it is a wonder to witness the two parties come together in person and weld their repertoire in the same musical space, as Michele & EP did on that Friday afternoon, with such precision and apparent ease. Again, perfect timing?
It is a rare treat as well on being permitted free rein to meet the musicians and other fans on the grounds of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) on Farm Road, St. Joseph Trinidad, during the Saturday sound check. A most welcome challenge it was trying to identify the Trinidadian artists hanging around on the Greens going by their Facebook profile pictures, You Tube videos and such. I felt no shame or embarrassment though for erring when distinguishing Dougie Redon fror Russell Durity; or for failing to recognize Richard Bailey; or for repeatedly introducing myself as the Jazz blogger from the Woodshed; or for the few clueless people who did not readily make the connection, leaving me speechless. Thus, within the first forty-eight hours, I pressed the flesh repeatedly with Jazz Artists whom I was previously acquainted with only in the Cloud.
Finally, the clock struck 05:05 on Saturday, March 24. The Greens were still partially full, but the music struck up anyway. Jazz Artists on the Greens was under way. Precisely five hours later, Carlton “Zanda’ Alexander& The Coalpot Band, Llettesha Sylvester, Clifford Charles Quintet, Michele Hendersonwith Ming and Friends and Annise Hadeedwith Richard Bailey, Theron Shaw & Douglas Redon finished their musical workout. The Jazz picnickers folded up, packed up and turned away, some for the tenth time with no illusion, I am sure, about returning next year.
If there were organizational challenges, one could not readily tell for the event ran like clockwork from start to finish. That was stage production at its finest.
It was an honour to cover the 10th celebration of Jazz Artists on the Greens as presented by the Production One. Ltd. team of Anton and Rolf Doyle, Maria and Martin Wellington, Nigel Campbell et al – an experience never to be forgotten.
Jazz on the Hill has been a feature of the Virgin Islands’ entertainment calendar for the past 6 years. Before last year’s fundraiser for St. Mary’s School of Virgin Gorda, it was a two-day open-air event held in May, one week before the BVI Music Festival. In 2011, the format was modified to include a cocktail and Jam Session on Night 1. But after the drenching patrons received in 2011, the producers brought Jazz on the Hill forward to the first weekend in March, which just so happens to be a holiday weekend in the BVI’s.
Over the years, the fixed stage at the base of The Hill was graced with an impressive roster of local, regional and international acts. The lineup on the 02nd and 03rd of March, 2012 was, however, devoid of international artists as the producers favoured British and US Virgin Islands-based bands. The one exception was Elan Parle out of Trinidad and Tobago. As was the case in 2011, the band that anchored the Jam Session on the Friday night also played The Hill on the Saturday. Elan Parle was that band for the Weekend of Jazz on Virgin Gorda this year.
Without first-hand details of the Friday Jam – no ferry, no ride, no Jam – I have to take Michael Low Chew Tung’s word for it: “Had a very enjoyable gig…in Virgin Gorda that literally satisfied my soul,” he wrote on his Facebook page afterwards. Jazz Singer Vaughnette Bigford whom Ming nabbed for the tour was more effusive. According to her, the Jam (replete with Reggae, Soca…and some Jazz) was one the best.
I cannot account for that Jam, like I said, but I can vouch for Elan Parle’s set up on The Hill. The Master of Ceremonies was not exaggerating when he introduced Elan Parle as the “ultimate in Caribbean Jazz.” The band for this engagement (Ming – keyboards; Richard Joseph – drums; Rodney Alexander – bass; Mikhail Salcedo – steelpan; Anthony Woodroffe – saxophone, flute; Vaughnette Bigford – vocals) served due notice they were up for the challenge from the ‘sound check’ Jazzalypso opener with its slant towards the Calypso end of the spectrum – rolling pan and a burnished sound to boot.
ELAN PARLE, l-r: Alexander, Salcedo, (Kerwin Trotman), Joseph, Woodroffe, Ming Pic: VINO/EP
What a stark contrast they were from the harsh atonal sound of Jeremy Vanterpool and Friends, the Blues-influenced Ryan Diehl Trio and the fledgling Elmore Stoutt High School Jazz Band who preceded them. (I will talk about Vanterpool, Diehl and the ESHS Jazz Band in a later post.)
Elan Parle justified the stature bestowed on them by the MC with a diverse programme in subtleties of rhythm and style that flowed methodically from one rendition to the next.
Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay” unveiled a sensitive, reflective side that could not have been any more touching. Woodroffe was illuminant in conviction on this one, sizzling as he developed the theme with a beguiling intensity. And how thoughtful of the arrangers to have Salcedo peg this back on pan for a welcome release of the tension created by Woodroffe’s head of steam.
“Steelband Times” by the iconic Andre Tanker was Elan Parle’s way of demonstrating reverence for this Caribbean classic by virtue of the song’s openness to melodic and improvisatory interpretations by the pannist and saxophonist. Again, Salcedo and Woodroffe wrote singular sonic essays on this ten-minute jive that stood tall on their individual merits. However, I have to say, had they mounted a duel between them and traded fours or something, St. Mary’s School might today be replacing part or all of their roof.
Miss V backstage
These attributes, taken together, would have satiated this fan to the brim. But Elan Parle went a step further, the leader calling on stage The Jazz Singer Vaughnette Bigford for the first of her two effervescent appearances. Part One saw Bigford deliver a pair of standards in ”Willow Weep For Me,” written by the little known Ann Ronell and ”One Day I’ll Fly Away,” made popular by Randy Crawford.
Changing pace and meter, Miss V and EP somehow transformed Bob Marley’s ”Waiting in Vain” into a Trance courtesy of Ming’s keyboard setting that was pretty strange to say the least though delightful.
Woodroffe at once took on the role of balladeer when accompanying Miss V on the flute and sax, matching the gentleness of V’s voice on “Willow” with his flute and crooning longingly with her on the sax as the title of the song “Waiting” rightfully suggests. After a two-song break V returned to stage front to channel Miriam Makeba via “Pata Pata.” That was the ‘spike’ in my black coffee.
That girl can sang. That is all.
Irrespective of the place the music was taking her, Bigford’s voice soared through the night sky hanging over on The Hill to a backdrop of the most remarkable instrumentation by Ming and his sidemen.
Three of the most exciting tunes of the night were Grover Washington’s “Winelight,” Kenny Garrett’s “Wayne’s Thang” and the master Clive ‘Zander’ Alexander’s “Fancy Sailor.”
I had such great fun with “Wayne’s Thang” for its silky intro that served as the repetitive motif for the rare trading that occurred after solo forays by Woodroffe, Salcedo and Alexander in that order. Ming, ever the accompanist, announced himself briefly at times with accents that forced themselves on your consciousness.
Richard Joseph, straight back and stoic, kept time like a Rolex watch; Rodney Alexander worked his way around the fretboard, his fingering leaving nothing to the imagination; Anthony Woodroffe‘s pleasing tone was the perfect condiment to the band’s potpourri of sound; Mikhail Salcedo, armed with four sticks, played the showman in persona and on the pan; and Ming was his usual economical self, buried in concentration over his keys, flinging chordal suggestions to the soloists now and then and segueing from the high notes on the right down to the low ones to the left like nothing else mattered.
As I walked back up The Hill for the last time early Sunday, March 04, I wondered about the lost potential of the festival. Here is an event, set on a Virgin Island already immensely attractive to anyone who has ever set foot on it and those whose knowledge of it is but a fond memory. Furthermore, this is the height of the tourist season so presumably, visitors are in the territory in far greater numbers than at any other time of the year.
The first week-end of March is also a holiday weekend with nothing like Jazz on the Hill taking place. Why on earth were there not truck-loads of folks from Tortola hopping off the ferries to attend the festival? Why is it that the tourists were not encouraged to plan their vacations to coincide with it; and for those in-country not to be motivated to leave their hotels, villas and what not to trek to The Hill for a couple of hours of class entertainment?
Based on past patronage, the potential for Jazz on the Hill is there. My hope is that the producers will start to work on next year’s edition NOW (not later) to ensure that sufficient time is set aside for proper planning and marketing both inside and outside the country. To you I say, do not squander a good thing. The errors made this year ought not to be repeated in 2013.
Seven editions and counting…you have the experience. Work it!
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.
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.
However, it’s another thing when the boy lays down the saxophone, sits himself down on the comfy chair in front of the camera to read to the children ofVincyclassroom.
Vincyclassroom is a one-stop online resource for the youth of St. Vincent who have access to the internet and use computer technology as an educational tool.
Arturo Tappin was performing at the recently concluded Bequia Music Festival when he was called upon to share some words with the online crowd.
Vincyclassroom.com reports that Tappin enjoyed the reading exercise and thanks him for the endorsement. They hope to parley that into video testimonials by persons with careers that are not “typical” to help guide young people thinking of exploring opportunities “Outside Da Box,” as the website puts it.
…and the Woody goes to Arturo Tappin.
Know of any Caribbean Jazz artists anywhere doing great things outside of performing and touring? Let us know who you would recommend for the next Woody. Share the name of your artist of choice and your reasons here.
The number of sub-genres of Jazz has gone one up; add Afri-Garifuna-Jazz to the list of fusions of Classic Jazz with indigenous rhythms. The proponents of the style is the aptly named Afri-Garifuna Jazz Ensemble.
AGJE: Thomas, Wignal, Lovell, Blanco & Butler
The band is five-strong, but only two of the members are actually Garifunas from Honduras and Belize. So the heritage of the personnel is not the point. Singer Lucy Blanco, whose parents are Garifunas of Honduras, provides an explanation of the band’s concept: “Our goal is to introduce Garifuna to the Jazz community and share our story with music.” The Afri-Garifuna Jazz Ensemble will do just that with a live fund-raising performance and a question and answer session on Saturday, February 25 at the Biko Center, 1474 Bushwick Avenue (at Granite), New York.
The Afri-Garifuna Jazz Ensemble is Garifunas Lucy Blanco (vocals; Honduras) and James Lovell (vocals, percussion; Belize) supported by percussionist Ismel Wignal, bassist Lavondo Thomas and pianist Terrence Butler.
Sample the band’s music at reverbnation.com/afrigarifunajazzensemble and Like them on Facebook.
Beginning with the self-penned title track from Victor Provost’s eagerly awaited “Her Favorite Shade of Yellow” (Victor Provost 844553051597), the tone was set for an adventurous exploration of the possibilities open to this pan player whose enormous potential and credentials were long-established and solidified before he hit the record shelves on November 23, 2011.
Every track on the CD is of a unique aural character that makes for a balanced outing, one that ensures the continuous engagement of the listener – essential attributes in my view.
“Beautiful Love” (Victor Young) applies a Brazilian flare with typical samba rim shots turned up high in the mix for effect. Drummer Dion Parson takes the spotlight unabashedly here.
“Dolphin Dance” (Herbie Hancock) and “All The Things You Are” (Jerome Kern) make the listener believe, for a moment or two, that this is the drummer’s date. Parson’s nimbleness on the ride cymbals, complete with swishes and washes, dexterous accents on hi-hats and snare, are all over the cuts like a signature. Victor Provost is in the fray, mind you, but does not assert himself to the point of obstructing the balance and emotional drive of the pieces.
Familiar with Joe Williams’ vocals on “Just Friends”? (John Klenner and Sam M. Lewis) Yes? Then work with me on this mental exercise: Ditch Joe and imagine, say, Jon Hendricks when Provost and his cohort take off on the Post-Bop changes on this classic. Don’t get it? Only a vocalist with a frenetic style of delivery could keep up withProvost and band on this one; that is how hard these guys swing.
Not to be ignored is pianist Carlton Holmes whose ten fingers are heard working overtime, all the time. Pay special attention to the intro on “All The Things You Are” for instance and appreciate how the left-hand delivers a bass line that is mirrored later on by bassist Reuben Rogers – a little subtlety that goes a long way to sweetening my coffee.
“Moments [SIC] Notice” (John Coltrane) and “Blue in Green” (Miles Davis) are workshop demonstrations of tonal synchronization, pan versus piano. With piano and pan in perfect tandem, we have fine examples of the care the leader has taken to dampen the inherent ring of the pan to meet the mellowness of the keys. Pan and piano compared favourably for the way they must be approached as lead instruments.
“Mother Theresa” (Victor Provost) harks back to an era that predates the Post-modern era, recapturing the heyday of the quartets and quintets when leaders, though ultra strong soloists, had a penchant for developing cohesive units of musicians with like pedigree and acumen. Provost’s does that, surrounding himself with a killer rhythm section of Holmes, Rogers, Parson and (AND) saxophonist Ron Blake. Spare a thought for Blake who does not get to party all CD long.
“Redemption Song” receives the kind of treatment that is akin to the sensibilities of Big Band Swing. I let my mind go on the 5:43 minute ride to see where Provost’s Bob Marley would lead me. I could not resist filling in a phantom brass section as Holmes strummed some mean Freddie Green licks on his piano. (Had I been absent-minded, I would have thought there was a guitarist on board.)
The shifting rhythmic patterns on “Rainorama” transforms the Lord Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts) composition from minimalist to seamless in the vein of the most rapturous of clubhouse jams. It falters a tad on the bridge, but that takes little from the song.
In February 2011, I went into the Bennett Studios with a hard-hitting rhythm section – Dion Parson (dr), Reuben Rogers (bs), and Carlton Holmes (p) – and endeavored to make not just a great record, but a one-of-a-kind recording. With the assistance of sax giant Ron Blake, who channels ‘Trane on my tribute to my “Mother Theresa”, engineer extraordinaire Rob Harari, and mastering master Steve Vavagiakis, the record found its voice and vibe and took the form of a commercial product. I’m very proud of the result and grateful for the incredible musicians and technicians that made the process possible. (Victor Provost)
Finally, if one accepts the saying that nothing is new under the sun, then Victor Provost may not have broken any new ground on this record. But what is for certain is that he has tilled the already fertile sod the pan was planted in when the American soldiers walked the land of the hummingbird decades ago.
“Her Favorite Shade of Yellow” surely deepens the roots of the pan. Every cover is given a fresh treatment that reveals the oft spoken truism, that creativity knows no bounds. Moreover, Victor Provost has stamped his name very early with a strong contender for the most innovative Jazz CD of 2012.
In fact, Provost’s choice of lead instrument could even become a by-line when all is said and done. Reason being, “Her Favorite Shade of Yellow” is not for an exotic sub-category, Pan-Jazz; it can be proudly labeled as “Jazz”, plain and simple.
Ah, what a relief…a CD by a Caribbean Jazz artist that swings, I mean swings and swings really hard, straight up and straight ahead – no chaser. Not to discount any of the recorded works by Caribbean artists in the most recent past especially, I have longed to hear an attempt by anyone of our artists to place and pit our music against the gold standards of Jazz – Classic Jazz.
Check 1 for “Her Favorite Shade of Yellow” by pannist Victor Provost for he has.
There is the issue of the rank and file unrecorded Jazz artists and upstarts from the English-speaking West Indies, not given to tackling Classic Jazz standards, Indeed they avoid it, opting to record strictly original material that is more Smooth than edgy and familiar covers of sub-regional composers. Though commendable, this approach rarely succeeds in attracting critical acclaim beyond the white sands and pellucid waters of our tropical borders.
Some have baulked at my kind of thinking. I am nevertheless throwing out this challenge to the aficionados who do to think Trinidadian trumpeter Etienne Charles, arguably the most prominent upstart from our neck of the woods today. He surveys the compositional minefield of traditional folkloric tales and Calypso and has excelled beyond all conceivable expectations. Add to that Charles’ involvement with Jacques Schwarz Bart’s Voodoo-Jazz Racine experiment.
Pick up the gauntlet and think Shirley Crabbe, a daughter of the British Virgin Islands, based in the US. Largely unknown at home (pun intended) in the Caribbean Sea, her debut album “Home” is trending stealthily upwards since its release in late 2011 to the point where it is being featured in the March issue of the acclaimed Down Beat magazine.
For perspective, think of Andy Narell, an American cum honorary Trinidadian whose solo work in the sphere of Calypso-Jazz and his collaborations, particularly with Mario Canonge, that have extended the range of the pan as a lead instrument from Calypso to French Caribbean rhythms and sensibilities.
One horn, one voice, one pan…and another pan, Victor Provost’s.
Check 2 for “Her Favorite Shade of Yellow” by USVI’s own Victor Provost!
Go back in time to find yet more fine examples of Caribbean Jazz artists swinging their butts off or concocting fresh approaches to syncopation. The examples abound. The few I have given are not necessarily representative.
As for the Pan…the Steel Pan…the Steel Drum – call it what you will – it might be synonymous with calypso and light-weight tropical fare to some, and rightly so. But do not call on Victor Provost to perpetuate this stereotype for he is past that. He has in his debut CD “Her Favorite Shade of Yellow” mastered two originals, six standards and a reinterpretation of Bob Marley – with a walking bass line and then some .” It is not until track 8 that Provost even touches The Calypso, and that is it.
Mark you, if I were to ask Victor about that (and I will), he would probably say that “Her Favorite Shade of Yellow” was not a deliberate attempt to distance himself from Calypso-Jazz. Rather, his song choices afford the steel drum a credible chance of garnering desperately needed prominence in the competitive Jazz market. Or is acceptance the word?
I’ve picked up the glove here, taken my challenge. That is what I think. What do YOU think?
Monty Alexander celebrated his 50th year of phenomenal musicianship by releasing two outstanding recordings: the now Grammy® nominated Harlem-Kingston Express Live! and Uplift (via Jazz Legacy Productions). Co-Produced by Jana Herzen, Katherine Miller, and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola’s Todd Barkan (who introduced Motéma and Monty to each other), the Best Reggae Album nomination is truly a fantastic accomplishment in what has been a hugely successful year for the pianist. Upon its release, Harlem-Kingston Express Live! dominated the airwaves, reaching #1 on both Jazzweek’s Jazz and World radio charts, while press buzzed over the album’s Jamaican influences, which include elements of mento, ska as well as R&B.
Jazziz heralded the project a “joyous recording,” and NY Daily News labeled it a “honeymoon of musical bliss.”
Dominican musicians, home-grown and foreign based, have for decades flocked into label studios in Barbados, Trinidad, the French Departments of Guadeloupe and Martinique, North America and the UK as well as home studios on island to produce everything from Cadence-lypso, Calypso, Country and Western, Bouyon, Dub Poetry, Folk (Chorale and Jing-ping), Pop, Reggae etc. Taken together, the artists have made the Nature Isle a fountain of musical innovation and transformed its shores into a musical capital of sorts.
But there is one style of music that Dominica is not known for…Jazz. All that changed in the latter half of 2011 with the release of Radio Jumbo, a guitar-led date by Dominican-born, UK-based guitarist Cameron Pierre. Maybe not coincidentally, this ground-breaking CD is a collaboration between Pierre and Martinican pianist Mario Canonge, Martinique having helped wean Dominica’s Cadence-lypso, create a much-needed gateway to the French market and launch its subsequent ingestion internationally.
CAMERON PIERRE
Radio Jumbo
featuring Mario Canonge
(Destin-e World Records 77754462011)
From the first spin of Radio Jumbo, it’s impossible (I say, impossible) to miss the conversational style that Cameron Pierre eschews on his axe. That said, take it from me, you do not want to be on the receiving end of a diatribe by the likes of “Ma Molly”. Don’t believe me? Take a listen to the transcription of said telling off by Pierre whose flurries of single notes and chords, configured into shifting patterns and time signatures, at once frenetic or otherwise stilted; and those supple runs up and down the fret board, never straying too far from the melodic hook which he deposits in the middle of his conversation.
Pay attention and you won’t miss Mario Canonge, egging on the leader by just doing the simple things right, that is not letting the intensity drop when Pierre clutches to change gears. Canonge adeptly fills in the brief spaces between Cameron’s phrases by slightly raising his volume, hinting to the soloist as it were, that he is ready to enter the fray…whenever.
Get into the zone and the strings will seep unobtrusively into your consciousness. Largely remaining flat under the rhythm – the violins, viola and cello bubble up here and there – adding harmonic fills that make you think this recording could not possibly succeed in their absence. This is important for it tells you that the string quartet is not on the date as window dressing.
Being aware of Pierre’s reverence for the music of Malavoi, Canonge’s alma mater by the way, it is to be noted that by suppressing the strings on “Radio Jumbo”, Pierre does well not to copy Malavoi’s typically predominant string arrangements.
The mark of a well-thought out record is in the style: is it discernible on Track 1 and manifest through Track 10? “Radio Jumbo” is constant throughout, due in large measure to the virtuosity of Cameron’s featured soloist in Canonge who throws his enormous arsenal of chops at the project.
The pianist can be heard essaying pop-like strums on “Big Foot”, rolling Blues figures on the title track and hints of avant-garde measures on both. With regard to the latter, the left hand is not used merely as a bearer of chords. But because the track, “Radio Jumbo”, is based on traditional Antillean dance, the integral element of which is always the drum, Canonge puts on his percussive hat here.
Canonge does not stop there though; he goes on to inject some Salsa sensibilities into this performance as is pretty much the norm in the French Caribbean where Latin is more prominent in the language of music when compared to the English-speaking countries like Dominica and St. Lucia where French patois is widely spoken.
This brings us to the concept behind this recording. As Pierre explains – and I do recall – “Radio Jumbo was a French (Martinique) radio station based in Dominica [that] flooded its listeners with heavily-syncopated beats, Konpa from Haiti, Mazouk and Beguine from Martinique, Kwoka Drums from Guadeloupe, Merenge from the Dominican Republic and Columbia, Afro Cuban from Cuba and Cadance Lypso from the Commonwealth of Dominica…” Cameron’s stated intention, therefore, was to draw from these formative influences in defining his CD. By the evidence on this outing, Canonge got it. So too does drummer Wesley Joseph.
Joseph under girds “Radio Jumbo” with the Beguine shuffle accented on the snare drums, the Quadrille tambou via “Traditional”, Kadans hi-hats sans the off-beat snare on “Solomon” and with the typical clave rim shots added on “Like I Remembered”, “If Only”, “Room 115” and “Another Star.”
“Traditional” and “Solomon”, taken together, are arguably Pierre’s way of paying homage to the core rhythms that shaped his musical identity early on in Dominica. His approach from song to song varies. In so doing, he avoids replication while adding something fresh to the tracks.
“Traditional” is for the most part a narrative of headline issues of Dominican life inhis youth. “Solomon“? Pierre stumps those of us who know the hook of this trad song by delaying the statement of the melody with a faux intro for a minute-and-a-quarter only to deviate from it just as quickly. However, it is the inventiveness of this piece that is really off the chain.
To balance out the album – and I might add, for good measure – Pierre throws in an all-out vocal by Michele Henderson, arguably the most outstanding Dominican female of the modern era, doing Stevie Wonder’s “Another Star” and a straight rendition of “Soul Eyes” [Mal Waldron], showing off the guitarist’s tender and contemplative side.
Don’t forget the strings, which are ever-represent, lingering appropriately under the mix – outside of providing strong harmonic counterpoint – with bassist Bailey and percussionist Gamble for company.
Credit must of necessity go to engineers Courtney Pine and Cameron Pierre for dulling Gamble’s cowbells and Courtney Pine’s keyboards (Track 4) to distinguish Pine’s playing from that of Canonge’s acoustic piano and capturing Cameron’s picking as he switches from a soft and mellow tone to sharp and edgy, from guitar to banjo.
While writing this review, I listened to Radio Jumbo for six hours straight, hoping to pick up on any nuances that might be lost in the excitement of the first few spins. You may not be so inclined, but beware, you will have a hard time hitting either pause or stop once you strike play. Go ahead…prove me wrong.
Latin jazz pianist Arturo O’Farrill was recently on Vince Outlaw’s New Jazz Thing in anticipation of his January 27th show at the Birch North Park Theater as well as talking about his latest release “40 Acres and a Burro”.
The New Jazz Thing with Vince Outlaw airs weekly on Monday evenings, 6-8pm PST, on Jazz 88.3 FM and jazz88.org
Originally published, December 09, 2011, GuardianMedia, Trinidad (Excerpted)
Oh what a night, what a night! Twenty five years on, the Breakfast band reunited in London on November 14 to play the Tabernacle in Ladbroke Grove, much to the delight of die-hard supporters (and new believers after the performance).
The line-up was the same…
Known for its blend of Afro/Caribbean/jazz/kaiso/funk in the 80’s (call it what you want, but this unique fusion is theirs, and theirs alone), the band exceeded expectations.
The weather forecast warned of a cold, November night, but the Breakfast band was able to warm patrons with its own “heat”. Those in the know instantly recognised the strains of crowd favourites such as Dolphin Ride and LA 14.
A treat it was, to listen to and view these extremely talented musicians in action. One could sense a mutual respect for each other, happy to be on stage and jamming again after so many years.
Drummer extraordinaire Richard Bailey moved from behind the drum kit, to occupy centre stage on the timbales, showing off his versatility and ability to make the “riddum talk”.
His performance throughout the night highlighted why this man is so highly rated as a drummer on the international circuit. And then there was Annise Hadeed on tenor pan and double seconds, moving from one instrument to the other with effortless ease.
The rest of the cast, not to be outdone, included James Lascelles (keyboards), Winston Delandro (guitar), Tony Maronie (percussion), Ken Eley (sax), and Kuma Harada, the steady bassist.
As they say, good things come to an end, but not before the unrelenting chants of “we want more” from the audience were answered, three times.”
The smiles on faces at the end of the performance said it all, satisfaction. Musicianship of the highest order!
Bratislava welcomed big names from across the globe to once again wow audiences
by Radka Minarechová, 7 Nov 2011
VIVID and full of energy on one hand, calm and mysterious on the other: jazz can be as different as the people who have dedicated their lives to playing it. The fact that this older musical style can combine very easily with rock as well as Latino rhythms could be attested to by anyone who was at the Incheba Expo Centre in Petržalka, the venue for Bratislava Jazz Days, during the October 21-23 [2011] weekend.
People did…put on their dancing shoes during the performance by Cuban piano players Chucho Valdés and Harold Lopez-Nussa [...]
As an Aside: Jazz at Lincoln Center presents, “Best of the Cuban Big Bands”
Hosted by Wendell Pierce
Bandleader and composer Paquito D’Rivera guides us among the composers of his Cuban homeland — Mario Bauza, Arturo ‘Chico’ O’Farrill, Ernesto Duarte et al. He brings Latin percussion with Horacio Hernandez (drums), Richard Padron (guitar) and Pedro Martinez (percussion), with the five-beat rhythm, to the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Source of Wendell Pierce hosts Jazz at Lincoln Center – Jazz Radio: jalc.org
Wendell Pierce broadcasts Jazz at Lincoln Center Radio weekly to over 240 public radio affiliates nationwide through the Jazz Satellite Network/WMFT.
Jerry Gonzalez and Omar Sosa offer two views on Latin Jazz
by Tim Wilkins for The Star-Ledger
What is Latin jazz? This is a question the Fort Apache Band and Afreecanos…answer in very different ways.
FORT APACHE
“It’s a connection between some ancient tradition, and what’s right today,” says trumpeter and conga player Jerry Gonzalez, who leads the Fort Apache Band. “It’s rooted in Africa — a cross-span of 2,000 years or more of time, hooked up together.”
Hand drums like the conga and bongos, says Gonzalez, give Latin Jazz a closer connection to African rhythms than most straight-ahead jazz, which relies on drumstick techniques developed in the 19th century for marching bands. “Military street drumming is one thing, but the hand drums came before that,” he says.
The Fort Apache Band was one of the first to fully fuse jazz harmonies with Afro-Caribbean rhythms 30 years ago, on seminal albums such as “The River Is Deep” and “Rumba Para Monk.” Jerry and his brother Andy, who plays bass, experimented with this mix as teenagers in the Bronx and refined their concepts in the ’70s alongside jazz heavyweights such as trumpeters Kenny Dorham and Dizzy Gillespie, and Latin bandleaders like pianist Eddie Palmieri. [...]
AFREECANOS
Cuban pianist Omar Sosa also follows an independent musical path. While jazz harmonies and Latin rhythms are prominent in his work, he foregoes the clave patterns found in most Latin jazz and salsa and creates a pastiche for each piece that may include thumb piano, banjo, electronica or hip-hop beats. His solo piano works, such as this year’s Latin Grammy-nominated “Calma,” evoke the impressionism of composers like Satie and Ravel.
“I guess I have the guts to try new, crazy things,” he says by phone from his home in Minorca. “When we play, we try to take a voyage, and we never know where it’s going to lead.” [...]
Despite this iconoclasm, Sosa says “I always come back to African music, where the first things you feel are freedom and happiness.”
[...] Is it Latin jazz, or Pan-African jazz (as Dizzy Gillespie used to call it), or something else?
“I prefer to call it music from the Earth,” says Sosa, “because whatever you call it — Latin, jazz or classical — it’s always from this planet, and it’s about creating something new.”
“I love Jazz music and its tradition for it offers me the unique opportunity of self-expression unmatched by any other art form,” says the Dominica-reared Pierre, who had only one day of rehearsal with the musicians prior to recording the live album. Radio Jumbo consists of ten tracks, two of which see vocal contributions, one each by Dominicans Michele Henderson and Dave Joseph.
Henderson, hugely popular in the French West Indies, masterfully covers Stevie Wonder’s “Another Star,” while Joseph gives a stirring narration on the track “Traditional.” Pierre debuts his banjo playing skills on “Traditional” as well as the title track “Radio Jumbo.” A staple of the Jing Ping bands he listened to as a child; Pierre says he always dreamt of incorporating the traditional African instrument into his music.
Recorded in just one day at London’s Holodeck Studios, and featuring renowned French pianist Mario Canonge, Cameron Pierre’s Radio Jumbo is a mix of French Antillean rhythms and influences fused against a backdrop of jazz interpretation.
The album was named after a radio station from his teenage days in Dominica called Radio Jumbo and reflects the Creole heritage of both Pierre and Canonge (who hails from Martinique). Sharing a love for sounds such as zouk, cadence, kompa, and beguine and influenced by bands such as Tabou Combo, Magnum Band, Malavoi (of which Canonge was a member) Grammacks, Exile One and others, working together was easy. Pierre, who first saw Canonge perform at a party in Paris in 1994, found his way to the Canonge’s band’s rehearsal the following day. It took 16 years, though, for the two to actually get together to record any music.
During the recording of Radio Jumbo, Canonge was instrumental in getting Pierre’s ideas across to the musicians (including a string quartet) who were not familiar with some of the French-influenced rhythms. Still, they all shared a Caribbean sensibility: drummer Wesley Joseph is of St. Lucian descent, and the bass player Michael Bailey and percussionist Donald Gamble have a common Jamaican heritage.
Pierre is hopeful that a European and Caribbean tour with Canonge can take place this year. In the meantime he plays the UK jazz circuit with his own Cameron Pierre Band, and tours with Courtney Pine, who produced the album with him.
Composer, producer, arranger, teacher, Cameron Pierre is a respected staple on the UK Jazz scene. Pierre taught himself to play the guitar at age sixteen and began his musical career in the reggae genre playing for artists such as Barrington Levy, Al Campbell, Dennis Brown and Wayne Marshall. He found his niche with jazz and cites George Benson, Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, Miles Davis and Charlie Parker as some of his greatest influences.
His music unabashedly reflects his rich Caribbean heritage.
To date he has released six albums: Friday Night (1997), Return To The Source (1999), The Other Side of Notting Hill (2002), Devotion (2003), Pad Up (2007) and now Radio Jumbo featuring Mario Canonge (2011).
Pierre has also worked with Pee Wee Ellis, Orphy Robinson, Alex Wilson, Jazz Jamaica, Dennis Rollins, Omar Puente, Junior Walker, Joe Cocker, and numerous others in the jazz genre.
In 1994 he formed ‘Creole’, a multi-cultural mélange of musicians from Africa, Haiti, Cuba and the Caribbean, enjoying wide critical acclaim for their performances at the Glastonbury and Womad Festivals. He is the first artist signed to saxophonist Courtney Pine’s Destin-E label and has toured Europe and the Caribbean with Pine. Pierre’s own The Cameron Pierre Band has performed at the London Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland, Brecon Jazz Festival in Wales.
AGSelectPR is a boutique public relations firm specializing in the Entertainment Industry. The company aims to create and execute successful communications campaigns for its clients. Central to the company is the goal of relationship building with clients; as well as media sources, that disseminate AGSPR’s releases; and the general public, to whom we are introducing our clientele. The company is based in Jamaica and is a division of On Target Communications Group.
îlOJazz – carrefour des musiques créoles, édition 2011 is on again, for the third time. Centered in the municipalities of Pointe-à-Pitre and Abymes, Guadeloupe, FestivalîlOJazz is a well-rounded event that is not only about live music.
More broadly, this festival, which runs from December 12-18, 2011, is on a mission to “enhance Caribbean musical expressions and facilitate their dissemination locally and eventually internationally.” This goal is enhanced by the creation of the Caribbean Network for Kreyol Creative Industries that unites all territories sharing the common Creole language- Martinique, Guyane, Haiti, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, France and for the first year, Dominica.
The network is Lamentin Jazz Project, Biguine Jazz Festival and CMAC, Martinique; Jazz Collective, Guyane; Jazz in the South (Len LEONCE), Saint Lucia; Festival International de Jazz de Port-au-Prince (Milena SANDLER & Joel WIDMAIER), Haiti; Jazz n’Créole (Daphne VIDAL & Colin PIPER), Dominica; Vibration Caribbean, Paris.
Starting on December 12, 2011, la Communauté d’agglomération Cap Excellence, with the sponsorship of university lecturer and musician Fred Deshayes and the unqualified endorsement of la Direction régionale des affaires culturelles de Guadeloupe, is meeting its stated goal of supporting the development of Jazz in the French Department by putting on a series of master classes, film screenings and conferences along with the usual menu of concerts dubbed3 scenes…3 Colors. In this vein, there is the Afro Caribbean Scene at le Centre culturel sonis, Caribbean Urban Jazz Scene on the campus of l’Université Antilles Guyane, and the International Sceneat la Place de la Victoire. Two more workshops were due to take place on Friday and Saturday of this week.
Also on that first day was a conference on Jazz Festivals that brought together cultural personalities, academics and social scientists to address matters pertaining to the market economy the festivals generate; their goals in terms of cultural development and impact on the public, including the development of amateur and professional performing artists, their status and social roles; the issue of Jazz in the festival setting; teaching methods of improvised music; the sharing of Live music and works; Creole and Jazz.
Workshop facilitators were Incognito, Shiela E, Erol Josué. Festival îlOJazz ends on Sunday, December 18 following three consecutive days of quality performances by homegrown acts, Jacques Schwarz-Bart and Bwakoré and their distinguished guests, Incognito.
Taking a cue from the festival website, it is clear that these workshops were a manifestation of the need for sober reflection on the state of culture in Guadeloupe and its future in the face of the phenomenon of globalisation.
Headlining Scène Afro Caribéenne were Jean-Christophe Maillard, Karim Ziad & Ifrikya featuring Linley Marthe on bass and Guadeloupean saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart who brought his most recent project, JACQUES SCHWARZ-BART & JAZZ RACINE HAÏTI, to le Centre culturel sonis on December 16. Jazz Racine is Schwarz-Bart; Matew Hoenig (drums); Milan Milanovic (piano); Sam Parham Minaie (bass); Lee Tatum Greenblatt (trumpet); James Jean-Baptiste aka Tiga (percussion); Erol Josué (vocals).
l’Université Antilles Guyane is playing host to Scène Caribbean Urban Jazz on December 17 when Incognito, Claudel Atride with drummer Eric Danquin and Bwakoré are down to appear. Atride, a bass player, offers something new in the musical landscape of Guadeloupe with his mixture of Jazz & rap to produce an entrancing groove. Bwakoré (Claude Césaire – piano); Alwin Lowensky – saxophone); José Zébina – drums); José Marierose - basse); Max Télèphe – saxophone, flute and vocals), is a group of old friends who, in looking for a new way to play that leaves plenty of freedom for each musician, has taken the traditional rhythms of Martinique and mixed them with modern music and Jazz.
Festival îlOJazz – carrefour des musiques créoles, édition 2011 calls it judged on Sunday, December 18. Bringing down the curtains is vocalist Leeddyah Barlagne Project and Shiela E.
I overheard myself say emphatically, “That was great” after the very first listen to Barbara Bully-Thomas’ new CD release, Creole, Christmas and Jazz. Perched on my favourite couch several hundred feet above the Caribbean Sea, I thought I was on vacation in paradise somewhere…I thought it was “National Day” there…I thought, no, it must be Christmas time.
As I came around and the ambient sounds of the real world began coursing again through my unconscious mind – by then the CD had come to a stop in the carousel – I welcomed the sensation that I might have been to this wonderful place at those celebratory times of the year.
I could have been in a dream state or in a trance. Whatever it was, I seemed to recall hearing a folk ditty, “Selebwe Nwel,” inviting me to give thanks for everything because Christmas is nigh and the year is coming to a close. I distinctly heard the call to clean house, do the mandatory painting, then gather around to serve up the kindness, love and prayers along with the seasonal feasts.
There was also that sense of longing for a “Christmas Kiss” from you. It’s just one of those things, I guess, that the season is embodied by anticipation and hope, that you will return home for the holidays in a spirit of forgiveness. Carried on a lilting samba, prosecuted by Fred Nicholas’ bubbling bass lines and Rob “Zi” Taylor‘s emotionally charged soprano waves, “Christmas Kiss” exudes the pure joy of knowing that we can leave the past behind and write a new page into life.
Still not fully recovered from the trance, a story emerged of a reunion of the lovers taking a walk, hand in hand, on the Caribbean sand, resolving their issues. “Maybe ‘Cause It’s Christmas” was the song that kept being replayed in my head. Of course it was. I do recall Barbara swinging and scatting with the big band and St. Lucia’s Ronald “Boo” Hinkson taking the time off from the arranger’s chair to sing a couple of choruses on the guitar.
Love lost…love found, it was time to rejoice. “Gloria”– no more sullenness. This thirty-odd year old Alwin Bully composition in the hands of producer Cornell Phillip is smelted into Bouyon gold.
Originally done in the playwrights’ “Folk Nativity” easter musical (1977), Barbara’s arrangement of “Gloria,” as well as “Come to Dominica” and “Dou Dou Mwen” are reminders to some of the Bouyon practitioners of how the Jing ping sensibilities that inform the Bouyon is still relevant in spite of the harshness they have imposed on the style.
And what better place to celebrate Creole, Christmas and Jazz with Maxine, Tasha P and BARBARA BULLY-THOMAS than in Dominica. So go to Dominica. No, “Come to Dominica” “Dou Dou Mwen,”…the most beautiful island in the world.
Come and see what we have here Come to Dominica Come we’ll welcome you Come to Dominica Come and hear what we say here Come to Dominica Come and see what we do And you can do…you can do almost anything You can come for Creole Festival You can come to spend Christmas and all You can come to jump up for Carnival Just come to Dominica
Creole, Christmas and Jazz is, to this scribe, a portrayal of Barbara Bully-Thomas, the singer/songwriter. She sings and does it remarkably well on “Maybe ‘Cause It’s Christmas”. But apparently, she is comfortable letting Dominica’s Maxine Alleyne-Esprit and Tasha P (reigning Calypso Monarch of Dominica) vocalize her songs and Cornell Phillip and Boo Hinkson produce them for her. Honourable mention goes to the Sixth Form Sisserou Singers of Dominica who provided the chorus on “Selebwe Nwel.”
The other striking feature of this piece of work is its accessibility. Additionally, it is a document to be sustained beyond the first listen or radio play. There are tracks here for Christmas, lent, Independence and all occasions in between. The Francophone crowd will appreciate the beguine embodied in “Dou Dou Mwen.”
As I regain consciousness and my legs, I find that I thoroughly enjoyed being in that 20 minute trance, much too short by any measure. I am hoping, therefore, that Barbara will consider reissuing a full-length CD when the time is right for her.
…and I still hear myself exclaiming, “That was great.”
Ah go play it again. You can too.
Pick up your copy at Cartwheel and Choices in the Commonwealth of Dominica.
Creole, Christmas and Jazz with Maxine, Tasha P and BARBARA BULLY-THOMAS
For every word that is written and published, there are hundreds, thousands even that remain in draft form although worthy of publication. The words that follow are some that were drafted with every intention of being made Public, but never were. Sometimes the reasons are clear, sometimes not. Why this review of a May 15, 2009 Jazz concert by Virgin Islands singer Ericka Ovette was kept in the Woodshed vault this long can only be described as unfortunate.
The urge to share the sheer joy I experienced back then courtesy of Ovette and guitarist Paul Pieper now demands that I hit the “Publish” button. And so I have…
The diminutive Ericka Ovette presented on stage in a duo setting accompanied by her “musical companion,” guitarist Paul Pieper and resplendent in a flowing black dress accented with a knee-length shawl drooped over the right shoulder.
Ovette opened with “God Bless The Child” as a channel to the legendary Ella Fitzgerald, whom she called “the mother of them all” in referring to the “five very important (African-American) women” of Jazz,” namely Ella herself, Carmen McCrae, Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, all of whom are long gone now.
“Them There Eyes” was a swing seance to Holiday. This brought the crowd alive, and quite fittingly so. Ovette attributed that to the family that she packed the hillside with, and quite wrongly of course.
That applause, I am sure, was not directed only at the singer, but at the guitarist whose dexterity could not have gone unnoticed. Certainly, an acoustic guitarist backing up a Jazz singer is no easy matter. He has to provide the rhythm, the beat and jaunt. Pieper was on top of his game in this respect, not only on “Them There Eyes,” but on the very next selection, a song made popular by Sarah Vaughan, “Cherokee.”
Ovette then took a side road from her stated theme of paying tribute to the five ladies of Jazz song by essaying her interpretation of “Jinji” in a bossa nova styling. Although “Jinji” would be associated more firmly with Vaughan, it was fitting to acknowledge that this song was also covered by John Lucien, another crooner from the British Virgin Islands, now on his way up on high.
Back on the main road, Ovette returned to the work of Ella Fitzgerald in the form of “Squeeze Me.” At this point, Ovette is visibly enjoying her act as much as we are perched on chairs, benches or one or the other of those large stones that is typical on the Virgin Gorda landscape.
Sticking with Ella Fitzgerald, Ovette nevertheless angled her song choice to recognize the penchant that Fitzgerald was well-known for having “recorded music by every music songwriter from the great American songbook.” The songwriter she chose to single out next was Irving Berlin. The song, “Cheek to Cheek.”
Then it was Carmen McCrae‘s turn to shine down on us. Ovette did two numbers of Carmen McCrae, “arcane, very obscure tunes” that McCrae was known for popularizing, “One More Look at You” from the movie, “A Star is Born” and “The Best is Yet to Come.”
“Work Song” and “Brown Baby” are both Oscar Brown Jr. songs. The latter is “about the aspirations that parents have for their children“; the former a mother’s cry for an offspring lost, I suppose, an aspiration dashed. Both of these songs were taken from Nina Simone who made her platform one of Black activism as few of her time did with the kind of eloquence that she so successfully pursued. This marked the close of Erika Ovette‘s homage to the “Five Divas of Jazz”
However, there were three songs left to do in the programme. The first was a medley of two songs that culminated with the Four Tops’ “My Girl,” seemingly dedicated to Coralie George, the hard-working producer of Jazz on the Hill.
Ovette turned inwards with “The Need to Be” to please herself with a tune that she said she always does. It is like an anthem to her, she confessed.
She closed her set with “Let There Be Peace On Earth,” a song she has known pretty much for as long as she has sung.
Hers was a set that those of us who were on the Hill will remember very fondly. Me, make that very, very fondly for I hold a special attraction to Jazz duos of every configuration, let alone the full-proof, tried and true voice and acoustic guitar pairing. ErickaOvette and Paul Pieper represented the sub-genre with such aplomb, it would be a wonder if there isn’t a clamour by all and sundry for a return engagement real soon.
PS: “Brown Baby” and “My Girl” can be found on Ericka Ovette’s latest CD, That’s What Friends Are For (Stolen Moments Records)
National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands’Jazz & Blues Series
The National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands is mandated to conserve Nature’s Little Secrets, from the marine environment and the white sand beaches, up the trails to the parks and heritage sites on all fifty-odd islands, Cays and rocks.The NPT has been at it now for fifty years. This calls for a grand celebration.
The Queen Elizabeth II National Park in Road Town was transformed into NPT Village. This is where the Trust conducted educational sessions for school-age children and adults during the day and hosted various forms of entertainment in the evenings.
Jazz fans were pleased to learn that a Jazz & Blues Concert Series took place the weekend of November 26-27 2011. Visiting Latin-Jazz headliner Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble performed on Saturday, November 26 and the two foremost bands in the BVI today, alternative-fusion band Blue Essence and the Community College’s HLSCC Jazz Band, the former led by guitarist/vocalist Oren Hodge, the latter by trumpeter, pianist and orchestral conductor Andre Braithwaite, opened for multi-Grammy winner John Legend on Sunday, November 27.
The HLSCC Jazz Band put on a superlative performance like I have never seen from them…ever. The orchestration was in linear synchrony, the arrangements punctuated by amazingly unpredictable decimal starts and stops reminiscent of the best tribute bands around. I could not help being reminded of Count Basie’s - without the piano - which remained unhighlighted in the Jazz Band’s set.
HLSCC Jazz Band: conductor Braithwaite and Jeremy Vanterpool (far left)
That was the symbolic area in which the Jazz Band fell down, in not having a larger palette of solo instrumentalists to add variety to the choruses allotted to saxophonists Jeremy Vanterpool and Kamau Georges, and to a lesser extent trumpeter Reuben Fernandez and drummer Chedni Wattley who shared the drum kit with Dylan Penn.
HLSCC Jazz Band: Kamau Georges (row 2, 3rd from right)
Short harmonizing runs or melodic flurries by a flute here, a clarinet there, the piano here or the trombone there would have enhanced the sonic pleasure otherwise pummelled through the air at Queen Elizabeth 11.
The orchestra hit the ground running with a frenetic brass arrangement into which Jeremy Vanterpool and Georges injected themselves in character. Vanterpool was amazingly eloquent in the role of bop soloist.
Still playing the changes, the band took a stab at “Giant Steps” (John Coltrane) and near killed it. Trumpeter Reuben Fernandez lurked in the upper register and tenors Derek Vanterpool and Georges sailed above a plane of reeds and brass alternating the melody with clarinets thrown in for good measure.
Toning down, band leader Braithwaite then called “Fever” (made famous by Peggy Lee) and brought on a trio of female singers to finger snaps, vaudeville style. He kept the band in that sedate mode on “In Walked Bud” (Thelonious Monk). Here, Jeremy Vanterpool and Georges’ solos were more measured. Thus, when the greener Ryan Kelly was given his turn, there was no embarrassingly, stark contrast to contend with.
To close, there was no holding back on the parts of lead soloists, Vanterpool and Georges who, following a vibrant arrangement that saw the rhythm section dropping out and in, swung hard and took no prisoners.
Putting my personal views about Blue Essence on hold for a moment, I think it is useful and necessary here to echo the sentiments expressed by a couple of people who, by the way, offered me their ‘essential’ takes unsolicited. One person said emphatically, Blue Essence was “not my thing” while another called the music the “run of the mill.” Granted. But I would rather adopt the line that compared to my initial exposure to Blue Essence at Jazz on the Hill two years ago when I was left with an ear ache and was sadly unimpressed, I concluded this night that the boys are a much improved outfit. There was considerably more verve and pulse in their set of Smooth-Jazz and Reggae fare, with drummer Nehassie Chalwell laying down vibrant, chugging rhythms and ear-catching fills and keyboardist Andre Braithwaite tinkling some psychedelic chords that I found quite inventive, original and satisfying.
Pay attention to the band original ”Smile” for it could well become a local hit to begin with if marketed as such.
Monique Chapdelaine fronting Blue Essence
Invited vocalists Monique Chapdelaine and the fine April Glasgow spiced up the proceedings.
Blue Essence may not have pleased everyone. However, theirs was a credible display of musicianship that has convinced me that Chalwell, Braithwaite, Jeremy Vanterpool, Brandon Powell (bass) and Oren Hodge are finding a pathway to being a cohesive group. Considering their role as opening act for John Legend as Exhibit A, Blue Essence’s arrow is shooting upwards. I feel good about this.
There are times when I worry that in the Caribbean Jazz musicians’ quest to find a happy medium to visit calypso or reggae classics, whatever, he gets carried too far away from the fundamentals that make Jazz what it is. As they try to please an audience who has not paid much attention to or developed an appreciation for Classic Jazz and its precursors, the artists omit syncopation, inventive counterpoints and swing. This can be a problem for the authentication of Calypso-Jazz as a recognized sub-genre.
In spite of the best efforts of the forefathers of Calypso-Jazz – Clive Zanda, Luther François and company – the style has not yet broken sufficient barriers internationally to qualify as a sustainable idiom. Question: How many Caribbean Jazz acts are being called upon to headline major festival franchises or tour established Jazz clubs around the world? My point exactly!
The success of Etienne Charles in the last three years has made a dent on the scene to be sure. But that is just one notch in the totem pole. Where do we find the artists to create the next one?
I do not have the foresight to know who the next upstart will be, whether it will be a fresh face or a familiar one. I cannot tell whether Raf Robertson will serve in that role or if he wants to in the first place. What is certain in my mind is that given Raf’s pedigree as a pianist and keyboardist, he has put out a document in “Majesty” that has raised the bar all that much higher for the seasoned campaigners, let alone newcomers.
“Majesty” by Raf Robertson
[Thunder Dome Sounds 2011]
I take it that Raf’s goal on “Majesty” is to put forward another case for the establishment of a Calypso-Jazz standards songbook. Nothing new here. So what then?
Here is the essential difference in my estimation. “Majesty” is more of a conceptual band record than a vehicle of self-promotion for the leader. The superseding elements, therefore, are the arrangements of the six calypso classics to be found here dispersed as they are with a seminal Clive Zanda contrivance and the leader’s own singular idea about how the two styles fit.
With Kitchener’s “Margie,” Raf goes so far as to offer glimpses into the possibilities for the instrumental explorations written into it – a scat confrontation and an A cappella design are in order.
And as if to demonstrate how the primal instincts of a displaced people might have inspired the growth of the calypso idiom, Ras Shorty I’s “Endless Vibrations” is laden – not overburdened – with Marthadi’s pronounced percussion. Add to that a busy drummer in Larnell Lewis whose myriad overlay of patterns from snare to toms and back again are a perfect foil for the almost seamless tonality eschewed by Raf’s keyboard piano and his co-producer, Eddie Bullen’s keyboard. Amidst all of this musicality, neither keyboardist gets in the way of the other.
Yet there is no pretension as to whose date this is, Raf’s. Herein lies no better testament of how Raf conceives his work: concept is greater than the individuals presenting it.
Sticking to that theme, “Forward Home,” taken from the pen of Andre Tanker, speaks to the modern form of reverse migration, home to Trinidad, not Mother Africa. And unlike the forced migration from Africa that bred this Caribbean civilization, the one described in “Forward Home” is voluntary; whereas slaves coming to the West Indies was migration into bondage, ‘forwarding home‘ again is akin to regaining a lost identity, recapturing true freedom.
You see this paradox, encapsulated in “Majesty,” is not just about the music. A bigger story emerges as you immerse yourself into the cloud. That being the case, sonority for Raf becomes increasingly important in setting the mood of the pieces, recorded in Trinidad, Miami and Toronto and mixed in Bullen’s Thunder Dome Sounds studio in Toronto.
Enter Grant Langford whose saxophones on “Forward Home” and “Life is a Stage” (Brother Valentino) is critical to that sound, which makes “Majesty” work. His is by no means an all-out blowing session. To the contrary, Langford’s role is mainly to colour the harmonic and melodic palette of the arrangements. He does so with aplomb and verve.
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Raf is ever-present for the length and breath of the CD, but he assumes individual ownership on three tracks, Clive Zanda’s “Fancy Sailor” (a test piece for the Calypso-Jazz genre if ever there is one); “Slave” courtesy the Mighty Sparrow and “Endless Vibrations.” In all instances, Raf outshines himself. But make no mistake, the pianist’s brilliance comes through on the entire date.
This recording is characterized by the historically relevant rhythmic and vocal approaches to Calypso. The singers play their role – a major one at that – Raf choosing not to divest of the lyrics of songs he covers, except for Sparrow’s “Melda.” Now, although those variations appear all the way down the playlist, Raf succeeds in tying the tracks together into a total band concept, never allowing any one of them to become displaced as an oddity. Hence the flow of the CD serves to sustain interest thus making “Majesty” one continuous hit parade.
And the surprises do not end there. Make “Majesty” a must-have in the Christmas stocking and be treated to the “Majesty” of Calypso-Jazz like you have never heard it before…ever.
The Ladies of CoffeeTalk Jazz Radio are taking over! Jazz Vocalist Shirley Crabbe holds nothing back as she announces her artistic presence with the authority and confidence of a seasoned veteran.
She brings an adventurous, contemporary style that will satisfy the most discriminating of vocal jazz lovers. Making old school new and cool. Join the Jazz Conversation from December 6th with your host Ms. Bridgette Lewis aka the CoffeeLady and Shirley Crabbe.
The National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands is mandated to conserve Nature’s Little Secrets, from the marine environment and the white sand beaches, up the trails to the parks and heritage sites on all fifty-odd islands, Cays and rocks. The NPT has been at it now for fifty years. This calls for a grand celebration.
As the NPT reached the hump of its week of activities Wednesday, November 23, the Queen Elizabeth II National Park in Road Town was transformed into NPT Village. This is where the Trust conducted educational sessions for school-age children and adults during the day and hosted various forms of entertainment in the evenings.
There was supposed to be a Jazz Night on Thursday, November 25, but it was called off. I spent some time on the grounds of the park that evening thinking I was too early since nothing was happening, only to realise that the venue was not ready and that no concert could take place. The stage was still being set when I left. I might have been the only clueless person on site for no crowds were streaming in.
Word was that the Jazz Night would be fitted into the Friday night programme if the musicians were so inclined. Maybe they weren’t because the new MD’s featuring keyboardist and Jazz lecturer at the local community college, Eric Christian, was the only band to show up. Sad to say, a sound check on the main stage drowned them out, forcing the band off stage for good.
Under those circumstances, Jazz fans were pleased to learn that a Jazz & Blues Concert Series would certainly take place that weekend – Saturday 26 and Sunday 27.
Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble
Visiting Latin-Jazz headliner Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble performed on Saturday, November 26. O’Farrill and ensemble put on a spirited sundown show to a modest crowd, the absence of numbers apparently due to people not accustomed to anything but late-night start times. They would, therefore, have missed a display of explosive virtuosity via infectious dance rhythms in the styles of the rumba, guanguanco, cha cha cha and mambo that O’Farrill termed “trans-Caribbean” for the weave that they make in all of the musics of the region.
In full effect, The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble is made up of three trombones and a bass trombone, three trumpets including Jim Seeley and Mike Mossman, two tenorand two alto saxophones, two percussionists (Joe Gonzalez plays bongos, Roland Guerrero congas), one each of baritone, double bass and a drummer/timbalero.
However, paying tribute to Latin Jazz icon Tito Puente, covering two of his compositions in their set, “Picadillo” and “Para los Rumberos,” was Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble’s pared down horn section, two trombones, two trumpets, a tenor and alto sax.
Picadillo, a rumba, was particularly striking, having been given a somewhat classical treatment on the intro, only for the band to break melodramatically into a spate of shouting horns early on and spicy riffing at the coda.
One obvious connection the ensemble had with Puente was the man on the kit, Vince Cherico who was a one-time traps man with the master timbalero.
The lesson in Latin-Jazz continued on with a rendition of “Crazy City” built on the guaguanco and cha cha cha. On this one, all eyes were on Cherico and for good reason for the timbales came into play to pay respect to these folk sources. But layered atop that were clever soli first by bartione saxophone, then trumpet and finally percussion in guajira mode. However, these sonic beauties might not have worked so well had the arrangement not catered to shifting-up of the time signature.
Chico O’Farrill
O’Farrill was the consummate leader, unselfish with the allocation of solo spaces – such as allowing for an extended trombone solo on “Almendra” - by all instruments and arrangements that encouraged obviously dynamic harmonisation and trading by reeds and brass. The bop tenor sax of Ivan Renta and Jim Seeley’s trumpet shone throughout.
As the class progressed, O’Farrill called for a shift to the mambo in “Sambia.” This was a showcase for alto (Bobby Porcelli) and baritone (Jason Marshall) to experiment with different interactive patterns and motifs, trombone creating supple accents to summon the percussions in.
Clearly elated to boast the band’s virtuosity, bred on a regimen of practice and a desire for excellence, O’Farrill was not shy to repeat the phrase, “No computers…no drum machines…no synthesizers,” but strictly human beings playing real instruments,unaided, and totally dependent on their chops. I guess he was right. One ardent fan, Stan Bertie, exclaimed to me afterwards over a mixed drink, that he listened for but heard not a single odd note all program long.
Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble at NPT Jazz & Blues [photo: BVINEWS]
One of O’Farrill’s final comments before cranking up Tito Puente’s “Para los Rumberos” was that Puente wrote his music for “people who love life…people who love to eat.” For the few of us who caught Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Cuban Latin Jazz Ensemble, we loved the Latin Jazz life we lived this Saturday evening; and we loved the conk chowder we had for the road. Not so pleasant was walking out of the Queen Elizabeth 11 National Park in one huge puddle of storm water poured unto my world the minute (literally) Ali Campbell called it judged.
Ali Campbell, the legendary voice of UB40 closed out the night with a hit parade from the UB40 catalogue, covers of classic early reggae compositions and a taste of new material from his newest solo project. What caught this pair of ears was the remarkably sharp edge of typical Ska riffing by a brass section of trombone, tenor sax and trumpet.
Oh, and did I say that I returned home at midnight, one shoe less, partly wet, but elated at having seen Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble live in concert. Ali Campbell, former lead singer of UB40, was cool, but it was the completely acoustic set by O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble that will be forever etched in my memory.
Provisional review of Night 2, NPT Jazz & Blues Concert Series featuring the HLSCC Jazz Band of the H.L. Stoutt Community College, Blue Essence and John Legend here…
The Jazz Singer, Vaughnette Bigford, presented her burgeoning red, black and white fan base assembled at the Naparima Bowl in San Fernando, Trinidad on Saturday, November 12 2011 with a suite of standards taken from the American songbook, complemented with international hits and Caribbean classics. Sitting in rapt attention was the notable scribe and Jazz producer Nigel Campbell and musical icon in his own right, pianist Raf Robertson. Neither of them could contain their admiration for the La Brea girl after the Bowl fell silent that night.
In no time at all, their voices streamed into the Woodshed with resounding tenor.
Campbell, with no pointed reservations of his own, was stirred by the lack of familiarity a certain segment of the audience displayed in response to Bigford’s song choices from outside the popular music domain.
Nigel Campbell:
“Her song list touched Nat ‘King’ Cole and Bob Marley, and ranged from torch songs and jazz standards made popular by Nancy Wilson (An Older Man Is Like An Elegant Wine), Abbey Lincoln (Long as You’re Living) to international hits originally sung by Miriam Makeba (Soweto Blues) and Tania Maria (Yatra Ta), and included enough local compositions by Andre Tanker, ‘Nappy’ Meyers and Ras Shorty I to make this reviewer happy. But I err on the side of caution when I sit in an audience of fans, happily, whose body language suggests that we need to listen to a lot more music from any and all genres.
Audiences are hard to please, and the suspension of belief that an entertainer takes when confronting an audience that generally gravitates towards a handful of songs…makes song choice difficult. Very accessible music like Randy Crawford’s “One Day I’ll Fly Away” is a crowd-pleaser, but the more esoteric song choices like “Yatra Ta” by Tania Maria are applauded with respect at musicianship and obligation suggesting at not knowing how to react.“
Herein lies the dilemma Bigford faces. According to Campbell, she has already mastered the Latin American Songbook in addition to the American Songbook. She has exposed herself to higher learning at the Berklee College of Music and practised her hard-earned skills on the east coast circuit of the United States in a calculated effort to learn the industry there. The question she is confronted with, Campbell would assert, is whether to pander to an audience that does not bother to listen to styles of music beyond, say pop radio fare, or feed her own soul and self-interested gift as a vocalist who must chart an identifiably unique course.
Campbell suggests eschewing the American Songbook for what he terms a palette of Caribbean song. That approach, he says, would set her apart from the rest of a field of states side Jazz singers who survive from gig to gig but hardly make any meaningful and lasting impact on the scene.
Nigel Campbell:
“Her ventures into the world of Billie, Ella and Nancy, and even into the Latin American songbooks had less impact with her Naparima Bowl audience than her interpretations of the songs of Ray Holman and Ras Shorty I (Garfield Blackman), masterfully arranged by Ming and Theron Shaw with Vaughnette respectively. While some connoisseurs would wince at the removal of almost every ounce of calypso from the latter two songs, the exposure of the local canon to the rigours of jazz improvisation showcases a new breed of song and songwriter to the world. While I would not want to thrust the “ambassador for local music” title on Vaughnette’s shoulders, this path could offer enough differentiation from the plethora of jazz chanteuses graduating annually from music colleges and conservatories in the United States… Context is the decider. Here or there? Artist or entertainer? Who do you please, yourself or the paying audience? Vaughnette is at a point of material decision.“
But when all was said and done in that moment, dated November 12 2011, The Jazz Singer Vaughnette Bigford was a star on the rise to Campbell and Robertson alike.
Rafael Robertson:
“Saturday night, 12th November, was a great night for me. The Vaughnette Bigford and friends concert at Naparima Bowl was the oasis in the desert of stupidity that is Trinidad life… Theron shaw did and excellent job transcribing and arranging the music. But truth be told, I know his work ethic and wouldn’t expect nothing less from him. Ah like dat.
Ron Reid is an excellent choice for what Vaug is doin because he is a talented professional who real easy to work with… I don’t think I need to say much about Frankie McIntosh… Anthony Woodroffe has a beautiful tone and personality to match so yer know that big things are in store for this young man. David Richards and Modupe Onilu held down the back line really great. I didn’t expect anything less from them either. There was also a cameo duet with Ming [Michael Low Chew Tung, piano].”
Nigel Campbell:
“The band, with musical director Theron Shaw (guitar) and featuring Caribbean music icons Frankie McIntosh of St. Vincent (keys), and Boston-based Ron Reid (bass) along with Anthony Woodroffe, Jr. (reeds), Modupe Onilu (percussion) and David Richards (drums) reinforces a point Vaughnette made to me back at our SONGBIRDS…live show, that she would not be complete without her perfect band which must include the aforementioned foreign-based musicians.”
Any final thoughts?
Raf?
“The choice of songs were a mixture of jazz standards such as “The Very Thought of You” delivered by Vaughnette with such easy and depth and the beautiful “Double Rainbow” by the great Antonio Carlos Jobim. The song that did it for me was “Who God Bless” by Garfield Blackman. I suppose the all-acoustic accompaniment by Ron and Frankie and Theron just took it to another place. I am very glad that a lot of beautiful folks came out to this event and had a great time… So kudos to Vaughnette, Shurlan, Theron, Ron, Frankie and all the folks who helped to put this together. You have made us all feel better thanks.”
Nigel?
“That night, Vaughnette was completed. Sublime duets with Frankie and also Theron, a frenetic scat workout on Tania Maria’s gem, a calypso duet with the great Lord Superior. The spirits of Ella, Billie, Betty Carter and most significantly for me, Nina Simone were sated. Their work is done. The template was set, and here in Trinidad and Tobago, a new star has arisen to continue the journey.”
Catching up on The Jazz in most Caribbean festivals nowadays can be quite the juggling act. Either it is buried somewhere in the middle of the roster or the bands are “disposed” of at the top of the schedule before the fans start showing up in earnest. To be fair, so to the modern and indigenous dance troupes and the “Dub Poets” at Creole in the Park, Commonwealth of Dominica in the week leading up to the World Creole Music Festival.
A tidbit of Jazz was slipped into the four-day event between midday and 05:00 pm on October 25, 2011. The lucky souls were Shades of Green, a Dominican band which has been part of the Jazz revival in the Nature Isle.
I got to the Botanic Gardens ahead of time not to miss the performance of this band, which I had only heard about but never seen live, braving the inclement weather and the muddy conditions resulting from days of torrential showers.
Fortunately, on this particular afternoon, the umbrellas could well have been left tied up or bagged as Shades, dressed all in black, broke through the murmur with a mind-awakening piece drenched, not in rain, but in Mazouk. Great! After all, it was Independence time and everyone was expected to eat creole, talk creole, dress up in madras, dance the quadrille and bélé, tell the unbelievably tall tales in the ‘kont‘ tradition, listen to and play recorded Jing ping music, Cadence-lypso and Bouyon music…and, yes, take in The Jazz spiced up with creole rhythms.
I am being carried away here…
Quanti Bomani
That opening song was all the creole Jazz Shades of Green would play. They quickly turned to what they are probably most comfortable doing, Smooth-Jazz. But theirs was less clichéd than expected mainly because of the addition of rock guitar and the straight-ahead tenor saxophone of fleeting guest, Yusufu Quanti Bomani, the Dominican Jazz troubadour visiting from the US.
Still in this edgy vein, Shades presented a curious composition called “Arise,” a composition with a funky back beat, bridged by Salsa and Latin sensibilities underneath a lead guitar reminiscent of Carlos Santana.
The band cooled down the pressure by bringing on the wonderful Tiffany to do my one-time radio theme song, “Smooth Operator” and “Route 66.”
To close, Shades of Green completely transformed “My Favorite Things” into a Jump-Blues romp setting the stage beautifully for the rest of the Creole in the Park acts to follow.
(Charlie Parker: Now’s the time) A local Jazz concert! What a rarity around these parts. Now imagine the anticipation…and the nervousness too. You want this one to go down well if for no other reason but to bolster the confidence of the producers in the genre to repeat the feat. I mean, there is less Jazz in the HLSCC (H. Lavity Stoutt) Concert Series these past few years since the scope was broadened to include Blues, Dance, Reggae, Theatre and World.
Even more unsettling to this writer was the slowness at which the Eileene L. Parsons auditorium was filling up. Where were the die-hard patrons who never miss a show, anyway? Something did not seem to be right. That was the floor. How about the stage…it’s show time.
Ok, Joseph “Macarldie” Nibbs and Friends, tackling a Charlie Parker composition like “Now’s the time” requires a certain amount of reverence, respect. So to state such a classic tune in reggae and not make it work was off-putting. And for the drummer not to swing it especially while the bassist is walking the five string electric hard body guitar was a further travesty. The greater disappointment still for this scribe was the lack of unison between the saxophonist and the pianist. But admittedly, those Parker changes are indeed difficult, to put it mildly. Bebop is no joke even though the bop is removed and reggae substituted for it. Not a good start, I’m afraid.
The band got themselves back on track and in sync on the leader’s ‘reggaefied’ original, which came next. Saxophonist Jeremy Vanterpool was more comfortable on this one; and so was the rest of them, drummer Nehassie Chalwell included.
(Begin the beguine) “Begin the beguine” (Cole Porter) was where the concert really went up a notch. It was time for Macarldie’s guest, Shirley Crabbe, to add her voice to the proceedings. Whatever it was, her presence seemed to do something to the guys. Vanterpool was now back to his usual high standards as demonstrated in the past, inflecting his notes with a subtle warmth that the singer’s delivery demanded. Shirley’s voice came through as beautiful as ever. Was that a CD playback or what? Just kidding!
(So Far Away) Speaking of which, “So Far Away,” a ballad taken from Crabbe’s debut CD “Home,” was exquisite, the singers soft lines complemented well by a seamless rhythm section, now on cue and in tune.
(Autumn Leaves) “Autumn Leaves” rose the temperature of the room just enough to light up the pianist too who, since Shirley hit the stage, had relegated himself to the respectful accompanist. Not a good idea. Bassist, Brandon Powell, who had up till this point been buried deep down in the mix, came to the fore with an unassuming embellishment of the theme.
(Caravan) Tremendous liberties were taken in rearranging the Duke Ellington gem called “Caravan.” The pianist introduced the song saying that what we were about to hear is how the Duke would have written “Caravan” had he been bred on Tortola. What I do know is that the composer would not have recognized his own work had he been at the Eileene L. Parsons Auditorium for the Caribbean treatment given “Caravan” was devoid of any discernible hint of the original.
(Original) I was late returning from intermission having gotten all caught up in a critique of the first set over a glass of wine. However, from outside the hall, I could hear the strains of Joseph “Macarldie” Nibbs and Friends, sans Crabbe, filtering through. For a moment, I wondered whether another band had taken to the stage unannounced. Of course not. Understandably, Macarldie Nibbs and his Friends – like so many of our Caribbean Jazz outfits who play Jazz – was more at home with Smooth-Jazz a sub-style that requires a command of swing.
That was precisely the problem Nibbs and Friends encountered when trying to accommodate Shirley Crabbe’s advanced vocal phrasing while playing to their strengths. Sadly, there was no happy medium to be found hence the unevenness of the programme, the exception being “In a Mellow Tone.”
“In a Mellow Tone” (Thelonious Monk) was just as remote from the original as “Caravan” was earlier on. However, the deviations were forgiven once Chalwell and percussionist Dylan Penn were let loose. Chalwell’s extended solo spot in particular had the audience lapping milk off his feet in the wake of identifiable zouk beats sprinkled with clever tom rolls and crashes.
(Straighten Up and Fly Right)
(Home) By far the most emotionally charged rendition of the night though was the title track from Shirley’s “Home.” All of the instrumentalists came together on this pensive ode to Tortola. The pianist was never more the essayist here. Drums and bass talked to each other with one voice as percussion accented the conversation. Soprano saxophone added harmonized snippets that tugged at the heart-strings. Bass kept time unobtrusively. If only the playlist was all like that.
(Summertime) All of sudden, the empty spaces the band had previously left unplugged at intermission were filled by “Summertime.” Macarldie caught the bug and handed the audience undoubtedly his most attractive choruses of the night. Vanterpool had by now hit his greatest high; every note, every phrase, though suppressed under the singer – and rightly so – hit the sweet spot every time and without reservation.
(Original) To shut the party down, Nibbs sought to raise the roof and the audience with it. That did not work out as planned. However, the band persevered, hitting another stride as they went, thanks again to the remarkable interplay between drums and percussion, with interpolations by the saxophonist who cued the players on the revolving motif that anchored the improvisations.
Joseph “Macarldie” Nibbs and FriendsfeaturingShirley Crabbe was a showcase of lows and highs, valleys and peaks, weaknesses and strengths. A times, the band dipped into the pothole that is the bane of many a Caribbean Jazz band, swing. They resurrected themselves off and on when playing to their strengths, Smooth-Jazz and were at their measured best backing Shirley Crabbe. However, I missed the straight up, straightahead underpinning Shirley might have lavished on us had she brought her own band for this date.
I sincerely hope she does some time soon. I could do with some of that.
Fresh from and buoyed by the resounding success of “An Evening of Jazz” at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center of the University of Maryland in September, Barbadian saxophonist Arturo Tappin did it again at The Aquatic Club in Villa, St. Vincent, October 28.
Back on September 23, Caribbean Jazz greats Tappin and Jamaican guitaristErnest Ranglin headlined “An Evening of Jazz,” a fundraiser for scholarships to aid needy University of the West Indies (UWI) students, strengthen the institution’s academic programs and to help them build relationships with the US-based Caribbean community.
Ranglin (left) and Tappin
The Jamaica Gleaner reported in its September 30 online edition that Ranglin and Tappin put on a command performance that drew spirited applause and loud shouts of “Encore!” from the audience.
The event was co-presented by the American Foundation of the University of the West Indies (AFUWI) and the University of the West Indies Alumni Foundation of Washington (UWIAA-DC).
Presiding over the event was the Chancellor of the UWI, Sir George Alleyne. Distinguished guests included Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Hon. Denzil Douglas, the Minister of Health of Jamaica, the ambassadors of Barbados and St. Kitts to the United States and the President of the UWIAA-DC.
The City of Hartford’s “Pork Pie Hat Jazz Series” came bounding back this fall for its fifth season showing promise of a long, productive life. The series presented Grammy nominated trumpeter Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band October 21 and the Dezron Douglas Quartet with special guest, vocalist Vanessa Rubin, November 4 at the Atheneum.
Gonzalez has worked with masters from the Jazz and Latin-jazz fields ranging from Dizzy Gillespie – his first high-profile leader at the age of 19 in 1971 – Tony Williams to Tito Puente.
Douglas’s special guest, Rubin, a onetime school teacher and an A+ interpreter of song, represents a special bonus for the series otherwise devoted to instrumentalists.
The H. Lavity Stoutt Community College’s Performing Arts Series will feature several United States-based Virgin Islands performers in a Jazz Showcase on Saturday, November 12 at 8:00 p.m. at the college’s Eileene L. Parsons Auditorium.
Heading the list of performers will be Jazz pianist Joseph ‘Macarldie’ Nibbs. Alongside him will be saxophonist Jeremy Vanterpool, bass guitarist Brandon Powell, and percussionists Nehassie Chalwell and Dylan Penn. There will also be a special appearance by soloist Shirley Crabbe.
‘Macarldie,’ as he is familiarly called, grew up in the British Virgin Islands performing religious music with his father and sisters. In his teenage years, he was in nightclubs and hotels performing the island standards and top 40 hits of the Caribbean and U.S.
After moving to the States, he studied Jazz and Classical Piano and Vocals at Florida Atlantic University, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Piano performance, and began pursuing his dream of performing around the world. His music blends Jazz, Blues and Caribbean styles into a sound that is instantly identifiable as his own, one his audience has defined as Caribbean Jazz.
‘Macarldie‘ has been a sideman with many musical greats, including Jamaican guitarist Ernest Ranglin, Trinidadian pan player Othello Molyneaux and many more. He has opened for Gregory Isaacs, Chuck Mangione and Dizzy Gillespie.
As a session musician, he has lent his instrumental skills to numerous recordings. Recently he has been playing at music festivals and clubs promoting his unique style of music. Some of these include the Miami and Dominican Republic Jazz Festivals.
Music education is also a huge part of his mission and, over the years, he has taught in high school and college and run specialised music seminars. ‘Macarldie‘ now combines a career as a Teaching Artist with his passion for writing and performing.
Shirley Crabbe was born in the Bronx to parents who hailed from the British West Indies (that is how it is put). Crabbe became intrigued with Jazz as a teenager when she saw Ella Fitzgerald doing ‘A-Tisket A-Tasket in Abbot and Costello’s “Ride ‘em Cowboy.
Her interest in Jazz led her to explore the classic recordings of Ella, Carmen, Billie and Sarah even while she was pursuing Classical Studies at the Manhattan School of Music. Crabbe also attended workshops in New York where she was exposed to Jazz masters, Harold Mabern, Dakota Staton and her mentor Etta Jones all of whom gave encouraging words of advice to stick with it.
Then just as she was about to break into the club scene, tragedy struck. Crabbe suffered a debilitating vocal chord injury that eventually made her voice “unusable,” as she put it. “I couldn’t sustain anything,” she explained in her EPK biography. “I really had to face the possibility that I would never be able to sing again. I had to re-focus my brain on what makes a singer a singer,” Crabbe opined.
Five years after her 2006 surgery to correct the problem, Crabbe is starting all over again with her debut CD entitled “Home.” This recording has nine standard titles, some of them variously arranged by Leonard Bernstein and McCoy Tyner; others, Jazz interpretations of Carole King and Stephen Sondheim; and yet more that deviate starkly from the original treatment or given judicious respect. Either way, the tracks on “Home” will beam you up if you not firmly tethered to terra firma. So to should Shirley Crabbe’s performance at the Eileene J. Parsons Auditorium on Saturday, November 12.
President of HLSCC Dr. Karl Dawson noted that, in the past two to three years, the College has sought to include performers from the Virgin Islands in its concert series, whether they are based at home or not. He said the aim is to expose the community to local and international talent, as well as to expand the Performing Arts Series to include more genres of music and types of performances.
Tickets, $20 each, are available from LIME, HLSCC Bookstore, Sunny Caribbee, Road Town Bakery, and UMI Fashions; or call 852-7223. LIME and First Bank Virgin Islands are platinum sponsors of the College’s Performing Arts Series.
The H. Lavity Stoutt Community College opened the 17th (2011-2012) Concert Series on Saturday, October 21 2011 in the recently re-named, “Eileene L. Parsons Auditorium”, formerly “the Auditorium”. On show was Ivorian singer, dancer, percussionist Dobet Gnahoré who was on a swing through the French West Indies, Jamaica, the Commonwealth of Dominica…and the British Virgin Islands.
Dobet Gnahoré (pronounced Dough-bay Na-ho-ray) started off-stage with a chant, sung in what must have been one of the several African dialects she is proficient in. What was fascinating to me was that Gnahoré’s chanting seemed to be in perfect synchronisation with someone whistle playing a bottle. Anyway, as she was off stage, I couldn’t tell whether she was singing/whistle playing solo ’Hindewhu style’ or was being accompanied by one of her sidemen.
The three-man rhythm section of guitar (Colin Larouche de Feline from France), bass (Clive Govinder from Mauritius) and drums (Yves William Ombe Monkama (Willy) from Cameroon) then entered the stage and broke into an R&B type groove, the drummer and guitarist providing rich, vocal harmony on that number – a dedication to all the women of the world.
Ms. Gnahore’ followed, and immediately showed her versatility as an artiste when she launched into a dance routine as the band played the intro to the next song.
Her outfit for the evening consisted of a pair of trousers, over which was a type of dress with the sides slit up to her waist. This allowed her the freedom to execute her athletic dance moves, while maintaining a semi-formal stage appearance.
The next offering, slow and plaintive, was specifically for the Mothers. I was pleasantly surprised at the chord progressions and chord types used as well as the unexpected changes in harmony. This rendition was reminiscent of Angelique Kidjo, I thought. As a keyboardist, I begrudgingly admitted aftereards that this unit did not miss having a keyboard after all.
Next, Dobet went into up-tempo mode on two consecutive songs. The second piece featured a “middle section” in the vein of a Son Montuno, as found in Latin music. This Montuno was perfectly in sync with the artist’s dance moves, or was it vice versa? The bottom line is that it was exceedingly well executed.
Not for the first time, Dobet prefixed a live performance by saying that she was she was tired of politics in the world. On this occasion, that statement preceded a piecewith a “4 against 3” feel in which each instrumentalist was given generous solo space. Not to be outdone, our featured artiste added her fair share to the excitement with a foray on percussion. This display saw patrons taking to the aisles in search of room to dance.
Singling out the guitarist, my take on his playing is that he has so immersed himself in the music of Africa, that it reflected in the Soukous-type fingering he employed. His solo here was so authentic in sound that I had to re-read the programme to confirm that he was not in fact born in Africa. I since learned that Colin had indeed moved to the West Africa to study music in 1999. By then he had known Dobet for three years. They got married the year he arrived on the continent.
Thereafter, we were given a slight reprieve from the high energy performances when, for her next rendition, Dobet did a solo piece, accompanying herself on the Udu (also spelt “Odu”).
The final item on the programme was nevertheless another high-energy “4 against 3” number.
The udu is an African drum originated by the Igbo people of Nigeria.
This, this first concert of the 2011 HLSCC Concert Series proved once more, that music is indeed a universal language. Even though I understood only some of Dobet’s stilted English, when she spoke, and NONE of the lyrics to her songs (I didn’t feel left out as there were African citizens present who didn’t either), there was never a dull moment!
This petite dynamo of a performer reached and touched everyone present with her charisma. With a vocal range extending from low contralto to high mezzo-soprano, her dance routines never once hindered her singing; there was no panting or gasping for breath.
The audience left satisfied, but still greedy for more. Dobet Gnahoré did not disappoint!
Dobet Gnahoré! Singer, dancer, percussionist! A wonderful experience!
Derry Etkins is a Musician/Educator and Woodshed Scribe whose career spans three decades. He has been a Radio Presenter and Music Commentator in Guyana and Barbados. Currently, he teaches music at the St. George’s High School in the British Virgin Islands.
Hailed as the “Paganini of the Steelpan,” Liam Teague currently serves as Associate Professor of Steelpan and Co-director of the Steelband at Northern Illinois University , the same institution where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music. He has distinguished himself as the recipient of many awards in his homeland, Trinidad and Tobago, including championships for his ability on the steelpan, violin, and recorder. In addition to being the co-winner of the National Steelband Festival Solo Championship of Trinidad and Tobago, Teague won the St. Louis Symphony Volunteers Association Young Artists Competition in 1998 under the baton of Dr. Paul Freeman.
The Ivorian performer, Dobet Gnahoré, opened the music season of the Scène nationale de Basse-Terre, Saturday, October 15, at l’Artchipel, boulevard Félix-Eboué, Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe.
But the previous night, Friday, October 14, Gnahoré was at CMAC in Martinique under the marquee, Dobet Gnahoré – The Tree of life – L’Iceberg.
DOBET GNAHORE, Haiti
Gnahoré’s Caribbean tour has since taken her to Haiti where, on October 19, she performed her new album ‘Djekpa la you’ courtesy of theInstitut Français d’Haïti.
This weekend, Gnahoré makes too stops, one on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, the second in Jamaica. Then, she turns right back around and points her finger on the map of the Caribbean. Her finger tips will land on the Nature Isle, the Commonwealth of Dominica. There, she takes part in the 13th World Creole Music Festival 2011, performing on Night two.
Back to the BVI, Gnahoré has the distinction of opening the 17th edition of the Performing Arts Series of the H.L. Stoutt Community College on Friday, October 21 at the newly renamed Eileene L. Parsons Auditorium, formerly the HLSCC Auditorium.
Jamaica will be introduced to the music of Dobet Gnahoré at the Philip Sherlock Centre, University of the West Indies, Mona, on Sunday, October 23. This as the Alliance Française de la Jamaïque promotes intercultural ties between Jamaica and France. Gnahoré’s appearance is their contribution to JA’s Heritage Week celebration, the theme of which is ‘International Year for People of African Descent‘.
Alliance Française’s Amandine Poret captured the reasoning behind the choice of artist for Heritage Week in Jamaica in a conversation with the Jamaica Gleaner. She told the Gleaner that her “…expectation is for the Jamaican public to discover a great, young…and brilliant artiste for the closure of Heritage Week, and share with the intercultural dialogue between France, Jamaica and Ivory Coast. It’s really a discovery for Jamaica because they don’t really know the artiste yet...”
Dobet Gnahoré’s talent was rewarded with a Grammy in February 2010 in the Urban/Alternative category for Pearls, a duet with India.Arie.
She sings in a range of African languages, including Bété, Fon, Baoule, Lingala, Malinke, Mina or Bambara, just a few of the twenty or so African dialects she has mastered. Gnahoré inherited the bété style from her father, Boni Gnahoré, a master percussionist of Côte d’Ivoire.
Educated very early at the Pan-African Centre for training in the arts and entertainment, the Ivorian artist is a true live performer who sings, dances and plays percussion. Her voice, lyrics and musical sensibilities are equally original attributes. Gnahoré explores her continent with unique vocals, informed by its diversity; and surrounded by her musicians, captivates audiences from east to west and from north to south.
Dobet Gnahoré continues to promote her blend of music, which is now recognized and highly rated in show biz today.
- Dobet Gnahoré, H. Lavity Stoutt Community College’s Performing Arts Series at the Eileene L. Parsons Auditorium, Tortola, British Virgin Islands on Friday, October 21 at 8:00 p.m.
- Dobet Gnahoré, Philip Sherlock Centre, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica on Sunday, October 23 at 06:00 p.m.
- Dobet Gnahoré, Windsor Park Stadium, Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica on Saturday, October 29.
Dobet Gnahoré has now left the Caribbean for the United States. First off, she takes her “multi-faceted approach to music and performance,” as legionarts.org puts it, to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, November 09, 2011.
Among the list of 22 artists who have earned US$500, 000 each – to do as they please – is the Cuban born drummer and composer Dafnis Prieto.
The 37 year-old who has four CD’s to his name, the first having been released in 2005, says he now has “the freedom to focus on my own music and my own projects.” Well, that is precisely the idea behind the MacArthur award, to remove any financial barriers that may hinder his creative process. The latest concepts the drummer has been thinking through is one with his Proverbs Trio and a book about drumming.
The only other Caribbean Jazz artist to win a MacArthur Genius Grant is Miguel Zenón and that was three years ago.
Folks in the Brooklyn and New York City areas have an opportunity this Sunday, October 16 to experience the continuing exploration and development of a unique musical project, showcasing the sacred chants and powerful drum rhythms of Haitian vodou, by the appropriately named Vo-Duo – guitarist Monvelyno Alexis and percussionist Markus Schwartz.
First up in a yet-to-be-released schedule of New York performance dates by Vo-Duo is a presentation by Ditmas Acoustic, a double-bill featuring the “Woodwind Maestro”, Oran Etkin, with Ben Allison and Matt Maneri at The Sanctuary, Temple Beth Emeth on 83 Marlborough Road (@ Church Avenue) in Brooklyn, New York.
DitmasAcoustic at The Sanctuary @ Temple Beth Emeth was started in the Fall 2010 by Ditmas Park-based musicians Richie Barshay and Michael Winograd. The Sanctuary at Temple Beth Emeth, was built in 1911.
Tessa Souter (voice), John Hart (guitar), Jennifer Vincent (cello), Will Gallison (harmonica) are on TONIGHT at 55 Bar on 55 Christopher St (@ 7th Ave So.) from 6:00-9:00pm.
SFJazz is the biggest non-profit on the West Coast of the United States and the presenter of the San Francisco Jazz Festival. Founded in 2004, SFJazz Collective comprises of some of the finest Jazz composers and performers on the scene today. Every year, in the spring, the cats assemble in San Francisco to prepare a brand new repertoire celebrating a modern Jazz master. The undertow is the opportunity given them by an SFJazz commission to compose original works for the ensemble. The object of their affection for the 2011/2012 season is Stevie Wonder.
That residency culminates in the participation of the SFJazz Collective in the SFJazz spring season, and a national and international tour.
SFJazz Collective (credit: SFJazz)
Miguel Zenón
Alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón of Puerto Rico and pianist Edward Simon of Venezuela, hooked up with Mark Turner (tenor saxophone), Avishai Cohen (trumpet), Robin Eubanks (trombone), Stefon Harris (vibraphone), Matt Penman (bass) and Eric Harland (drums) to present “SFJazz Collective plays the music of Stevie Wonder.”
Now in its first week of its Fall North American tour, SFJazz Collective will hit New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Ontario, West Virginia, Indiana and Michigan between October 05 and October 22.
Trinidadian trumpeter, bandleader and Assistant Professor of Jazz Trumpet at Michigan State University Etienne Charles has been roped in to headline the Miami Jazz Film Festival 2011, already under way. The festival’s claim to fame is the screening of Jazz documentaries, features and of course live Jazz. Charles’ show takes place on October 01 at 08:00 pm in the WDNA Jazz Gallery, South Florida.
Of the recording artist whose latest CD release “Kaiso” is still hot to the touch (and will continue to sizzle for a very long time to come), WDNA’s Music Director, Michael Valentine effuses, “I consider having Etienne here a major coup. He’s great. Blending calypso rhythms with Jazz traditions in a modern style is not easy and he does it brilliantly.”
Etienne Charles’ ebullient brilliance is on display, Saturday, October 01, WDNA Jazz Gallery, South Florida.
To celebrate the release of its latest album, ‘Pan People,’ Calypsociation Steelband extends an invitation to all for an explosive concert with special guests at Studio de l’Ermitage in Paris, France on Tuesday, September 27.
Calypsociation Steelband has released their second album, ‘Pan People,’ after more than two years of rehearsals and a debut album, Made it, dedicated to the innovators of the steeldrum, the national instrument of Trinidad & Tobago.
With this new recording, Calypsociation reaffirms its identity as it continues to surprise.
Mathieu Borgne and Laurent Lalsingué both offer a set of unique compositions with punchy arrangements, combining classic French songs (La Javanaise, Serge Gainsbourg), Trinidadian music (Pan in Harmony, Aldwin Roberts), Jazz music (Black Market, Joe Zawinul), and pop (Human Nature, Michael Jackson).
This is a concert not to be missed under any circumstances.
Calypsociation was created June 8 1993 by Guillaume Kervel, Barthélémy Fougea and Emmanuel Masselot - the founding fathers. The association aims to develop cultural exchanges between France and Trinidad and Tobago, and to promote the practice of the steel drum in France through introductory and year-round courses for adults and children and concerts as well.
Le New Morning hosted the latest edition of Festival Gwoka/Jazz this past weekend. A total of fifteen concerts were planned for the four-day festival, which took place from Thursday, September 22 to Sunday, September 25.
Top most on the programme was the Sonny Troupé Quartet on opening night and Grégory Privat on Night 2. Rasin Gwada headlined the next two nights.
Grégory Privat is an adept follower of Beguine-jazz. This young piano prodigy from Martinique, the founder of TrioKa, has collaborated with Jacques Schwarz-Bart,Paco Sery and Catia Werneck. His latest album,Ki Koté, is emblematic of his approach: a delicious and delicate alchemy of rhythm drummers, old melodies, Jazzy harmonies and sensual undulations of the Beguine.
Gwoka is the foremost traditional music of Guadeloupe. It bears the memory of melodies and rhythms of Africa heard in the very songs and throbbing beats that were played on the slave plantations and in the camps of the runaway slaves called Nègres Marrons.
LeBèlè from Martinique, Guyane’s Kassé Kkô, Voodoo, Son via Colombia and, by extension, Maloya of Réunion all share the same history of suffering and revolt. Le New Morning had it all.
Over time, because Jazz in general, and Caribbean Jazz in particular is derived from the same historical background, it became one of the partners of the Gwo-ka, thereby suggesting the title of the festival.
This legacy has produced many experiments, such as the Beguine-jazz of pianist Alain Jean-Marie, displayed in the 2008 edition of Festival Gwoka/Jazz. Even more relevant to the basic idea of the Festival, Guadeloupe Jazzman Jacques Schwarz-Bart de-constructed the ka rhythms in 2007, uses in his scores of broken ka rhythms, while the masters of the Gwo-ka such as Guy Conquet, does the opposite. Also Guadeloupe, guitarist Christian Laviso developed his technique by transcribing the rhythm of the drum.
The seven rhythms of Gwo-ka and its many variations are at the heart of a historical trajectory and a creative ferment in the world of music-world. Thus, the project, dear to the organizers, makes this Festival a musical crossroads around the Gwo-ka and feeds the input of the event which, since 2009, has been held at Le New Morning, Paris, the temple of Afro-jazz.
Programme
Jeudi 22: Edmond Mondésir (prix france musique 2011) Agathe Iracema Jazz Quartet Sonny Troupé Quartet Sam Tshabalala Vendredi 23: PG Project Kan’nida Grégory Privat Indestwa Ka Samedi 24: Michèle Voltaire Indestwa Ka Lénablou Rasin Gwada Dimanche 25: Elsa Martine Adjabel Kan’nida Rasin Gwada Sources: Festival Gwoka/Jazz¹²³
Are you a Caribbean Jazz writer, Jazz musician, a producer of Jazz music, or a promoter of Jazz events? The Jazz fans would like to know where the gigs are. Place your schedule on the WEC Jazz calendar. Also, share your reviews and analyses of Jazz music too. The Collective is now accepting Caribbean Jazz recordings (CD's and DVD's) for review on the site. Go to the "Talk To Me" Page for contact details.
WHAT IS JAZZ IMPROVISATION
Jazz improvisation is the process of spontaneously creating fresh melodies over the continuously repeating cycle of chord changes of a tune. The improviser may depend on the contours of the original tune, or solely on the possibilities of the chords' harmonies. It has been said that the best improvised music sounds composed, and that the best composed music sounds improvised. Composed music and improvised music may seem to be opposites, but in Jazz they merge in a unique mixture. (Source: answers.com)
Joseph ‘Macarldie’ Nibbs
1.jpg "Trumpeter Etienne Charles")
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