Cayman Jazz Fest 08, here and now

Cayman Islands

update 3, December 05, 2008

Cayman Jazz Fest 08 (version number 5) sounded off again on Grand Cayman on December 04 and will run through December 06.  J-Fans have been flocking to Pedro St. James and Pageant Beach for a serving of the typical BET J fare of Classic and Smooth Jazz, R&B with some variations, and of course, Jazz with Caribbean inflections.

Making the rounds of the main stages are Adult Contemporary Jazz vocalist Anita Baker; Smooth Jazz saxophonist/bassist Gerald Albright; the eclectic Cassandra Wilson; and 23 year-old bass phenom Esperanza Spalding, among others.

Without an official outfest, the band Mainstream and singer KK Alese lead the pack of opening acts at Pedro and Pageant.  The other local acts who have been signed up for the festival are Jonathan Ebanks (guitar), Impulz (show band) and Stuart Wilson (guitar, vocals) & Love Culture.

KK Alese

No stranger to the Cayman Jazz Fest, KK Alese will bring to bear her unique fusion of Nu-Jazz in the vein of Jill Scott, the quirkiness of Nina Simone, the adult contemporary stylings of Baker, the classic soul of Gladys Knight and Aretha Franklin with the Reggae of Jimmy Cliff.

 

 

And the influences do not stop there.  Nor will the music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alese performs on the final night, Saturday, December 06, with bassist Esperanza Spalding, pop instrumentalist Norman Brown and Baker at the top of the bill. Also on this night is the blue-eyed soul of Robin Thicke.

Mainstream

On opening night, Thursday, December 04, at Pedro St. James, Mainstream ushered in Albright and Wilson, with Terrance Howard as the undercard.

 

December 05, one would have dressed casually for the heaviest offering of Caymanian talent – on any one night – in Impulz, Jonathan Ebanks and Stuart Wilson & Love Culture.

Then work your way as far forward as possible for the start of the Pageant Beach Pop Fest 08 featuring Algebra, Angie Stone and Michael Bolton. (Disclaimer: I must have been high on something when I typed this last line.)

Previous Post: Will the St. Croix and Cayman Jazz Fests benefit the islands’ Jazz musicians? 

St. Lucia Jazz 2008 video review and all (updated September 17)

St. Lucia

update 3 on September 17, 2008 with link to review of Jacques Schwartz-Bart’s new CD

Channeling the words of St. Lucia Star Online writer Toni Nicholas, St. Lucia Jazz 2008 resounded with such stellar performances that the political drama, orchestrated by St. Lucia’s tourism minister Allen Chastanet, was effectively drowned out.  The Minister had earlier cast doubt on the future of the festival citing a downturn in J-Fan arrivals.

It is well documented though that the festival began to suffer midway into this decade when the Jazz concept was overly diluted with R&B.  But due to the increased amount of true Jazz fare this year, St. Lucia Jazz saw a resurgence in patronage, thank you.

Following a low-key opening at Fond d’Or in the south of the island, St. Lucia Jazz cranked it up with the funky Maceo Parker of James Brown fame at the Gaiety on Wednesday, May 07,  Martiniquan saxophonist Jacques Schwartz-Bart (read John Stevenson’s review of his latest CD “Abyss”) on May 08, the empress Diane Reeves on Thursday 09 and the majestic voice of left-handed guitarist Jonathan Butler on Friday, May 09 when attendance records fell as heavily as the music itself.  That set up what Nicholas called an “exhilarating climax” on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 amidst the ruins of Pigeon Point.

Butler was tight!  He ran the gamut from his home country, South Africa, paying tribute to “Mandela” and Miriam Makeba (“Pita Patta”) to the Caribbean (Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry”).  Being a born-again Christian, Butler also served up the gospel (“Falling in Love with Jesus”) with his classic Contemporary Jazz hits (“Lies” and “Sarah, Sarah”).

Wanting to fit into the Jazz theme, Michael Bolton fronted an orchestra to deliver a set of Jazz standards in between the tried and true repertoire that his fans had expected.  Disappointed, they walked out on him.  What can I say?

Barbara Cadet

Come Saturday 10, Barbara Cadet and Friends started a flame that burned brightly through the respective performances by the Jazz Explosion featuring Najee, Alex Bugnon, Nick Colionne and Ledisi as well as David Sanchez and Anita Baker.

Ledisi performing “Alright” with Najee, Alex Bugnon & Nick Colionne

Anita Baker threw down those sultry Jazz inflected ballads (“Sweet Love,” “You Bring Me Joy,” “No One in this World,” “Same Old Love,” “Fairy Tales,” “Body and Soul” and “Caught up in the Rapture)  from the days when she rode the Quiet Storm in cahoots with Sade.

Anita Baker performing ‘Mystery’ at St. Lucia Jazz; Anita Baker performing ‘Sweet Love’

Then on Sunday 11, it was back to the Pigeon Island National Landmark for a last dose of straightahead Jazz compliments of Martiniquan saxophonist Eric Ildefonse and his St. Lucian counterpart Luther François.

The St. Lucia Tourist Board may have had a question mark placed on the 17th Annual St. Lucia Jazz festival 2008.  But from the looks of it, by injecting more pure Jazz into the ten-day roster than in the previous few years, the question mark was removed and replaced with an exclamation point.  Bravo!

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Previous Posts: St. Lucia Jazz opening, a mixed success

Eric Ildefonse in SKB