îlOJazz – carrefour des musiques créoles, édition 2011 du 12 au 18 décembre

GUADELOUPE

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, Festival îlOJazz 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 dubbed 3 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 Scene at 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.