Student workshops precede Trinidad and Tobago Steel Pan and Jazz Festival 2009 (updated, October 13)

Trinidad & Tobago

originally published on September 30, 2009; update 2 on October 13, 2009

The Trinidad and Tobago Steel Pan and Jazz Festival (TTSJF) returned this past month-end for its eighth edition of workshops and live performances.  In the lead up to the start of the festival on October 1, the producers, The Queen’s Royal College Foundation, mounted a workshop series led by vibraphonist Joe Baione from Delaware, USA.

Sponsored by Frist Citizens, these workshops were to expose Trinidadian youngsters to new instrument-playing techniques, practical uses of music theory, and the aesthetics of Jazz and other genres of music.

Mortimer Baptiste is an executive member of the Festival’s Management Committee.  Going by the heightened interest in last year’s workshops, Baptiste believed the turnout for this year’s sessions (would) be just as good.  “One of the objectives of this festival is the development of TT artistes as music practitioners and business people,” says Baptiste. Baione explained his vision as enhancing “..the understanding that music is the universal language as students develop an understanding for each other’s culture through music education.”

The free musical workshops were introduced to take advantage of the presence of professional artists while they are in Trinidad to perform at the Steel Pan and Jazz Festival.

The workshops were mounted in Trincity, Couva/Central, San Fernando and Port of Spain, Trinidad from September 29 to October 02.

This year’s festival was being held from September 30 to October 2, 2009.

The three-day Festival programme itself placed the Delfeayo Marsalis Quintet front and center of stage on the very first night, Wednesday, September 30.  Drumming for the trombonist  was supposed to have been his brother Jason, the youngest of the first family of New Orleans Jazz, grounded by father Ellis and brothers Wynton and Branford. However, that did not work out somehow and Herlin Riley was called in to do the honours.  The Quintet was rounded off by Mark Shim (tenor saxophone), Mark Gross (alto sax), Dean Hulett (bass) and David Bryant (piano).

Added to the pot were the steelpans of Robert Greenidge who served as Delfeayo‘s special invited guest for the occasion.  For Joan Rampersad of the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, Marsalis and Greenidge were a “class act” especially on Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.”

The band also covered the Duke Ellington’s “Limbo Jazz” along with original music from the leader .

Trinidad Rapso group, 3 Canal, Exodus with Pelham Goddard on keyboards, singer Candice Alcantara and saxophonist Sandy Gabriel from the Dominican Republic rounded off the evening’s lineup.

The festival resumed on Thursday, October 1 with workshop leader Joe Baione.  The vibraphonist, like Marsalis, also had a Trinidadian for a favoured guest.  For this round though, it was pianist Chantal Esdelle who is otherwise known as the figure behind the band Moyenne.  Representing Trinidad on that night as well was the Etienne Charles Quintet, which served up Charles‘ interpretations of Folklore Tales – as told on his sophomore CD, Folklore, released back in June.

Trinidadian upstarts, Blue Culture, made their appearance on the final night, Friday October 2, as opening act for the Alexis Baró Sextet and Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra.  The other steel bands to balance out the Jazz and Steel scales were the Desperadoes and Exodus Steel Orchestras, who rang in on night two and night three respectively.

Sources: newsday.co.tt (1), newsday.co.tt (2), steelpanjazzfestival.com

Previous Post: Tn’T Steelpan Jazz Festival ’08 climaxed November 01

Tn’T Steelpan Jazz Festival ‘08 climaxed November 01

Trinidad

update 2 on November 04, 2008

The Trinidad and Tobago Steelpan Jazz Festival revved up and raced headlong from the media launch in October to the Festival Finale on November 01, 2008.  The Steelpan Jazz Festival was launched at the Kam Wah Restaurant by producer Ainsley Mark, Chairman of the Queens Royal College Foundation, a thirteen year-old charitable trust, established to assist the namesake college with its programmes.

This TT$6 million event got going in earnest on Tuesday, October 21 with a Photo Exhibition at the National Museum.  Entitled ‘Steelpan and Jazz: the Trinidad and Tobago Experience,’ the exhibits stood through to the end.

The main launch was, however, a free event on Friday, October 24 at the Skiffle Bunch Theatre in San Fernando.

On Saturday, October 25, the action moved to Festival Square in Pointe Fortin, the Mayaro Resource Centre and Queen’s Hall in St. Anns.

Veteran Jazz pianist Raf Robertson led the pack at Festival Square; the John Arnold Quintet Jazz Ensemble of Tobago and Canadian pianist, arranger and composer Jeremy Ledbetter‘s Canefire were the headliners at the Resource Centre; and the Etienne Charles Quintet stood guard at Queen’s Hall, for a tribute to Slinger ‘Mighty Sparrow’ Francisco, the man dubbed the “Calypso King of the World.”

Boston’s Berklee College of Music Quintet and Ottawa, Canada’s Diane White Quartet held court on Sunday, October 26, again at Queen’s Hall.

All of the shows held were free events except for ‘Slinger: The Music of Sparrow.’

The members of Canefire gave a ‘Young Musicians Workshop’ on Monday, October 27 at Trinity College East, Trinicity; at San Fernando City Hall on Wednesday, October 29; and finally on October 31 at Cascadia, St. Anns.  Canefire also performed at the Exodus Pan Theatre in St. Augustine on the night of the 29th with the Diane White Quartet and others and as an opening act for Al Jarreau on November 01.

On the evening of the 27th, ‘Lyric Notes: Poetry, Rapso & Jazz’ took place at the Central Bank Auditorium (CBA).

Tuesday, October 28 saw a ‘Lecture/Demonstration’ by the Berklee Quintet at the CBA in Port of Spain and EVENING RHYTHMS OF PARADISE at the Harvard Club, St. James at 6 pm featuring Canefire and Cuban trumpeter Alexis Baró and Mark Mosca, a pannist of Trini descent, KV Charles, Tripolians, St. James Tassa Drummers, Parang and Chutney.

With Baró and Mosca’s help, Canefire concocted a hybrid sound from Calypso, Latin, Jazz and Blues, all the ingredients necessary for a truly unique Caribbean Jazz experience.  Little wonder that the Harvard audience lapped it all up.

Canefire is, from right in the above photo, Jeremy Ledbetter (leader, keyboards), Chendy León (drums), Mark Mosca (steelpans), Alexis Baró (trumpet), Canadian saxophonist Braxton Hicks (saxophone), and hidden from view are Yoser Rodriguez (bass) and Alberto Suárez (percussion).

Thereafter, the tempo picked up with several other heavy hitters that included local and international Jazz artists.

The bassist David ‘Happy’ Williams Quintet featured trumpeter Eddie Henderson and saxophonist Javon Jackson paid tribute to Miles Davis in a show dubbed Steel N’ Jazz held at the Central Bank Auditorium at 08:00 pm on Thursday, October 30.  Also on that bill was the saxophonist Oliver Lake Quartet as well as Trinidad’s elite Jazz group Èlan Parlè of pianist Michael Low Chew ‘Tung’ Ming.

To close the festival was Al Jarreau Live in Concert at Queen’s Hall, St. Ann.  Opening for Jarreau was Robert Greenidge‘s double second steel pans, first with the Desperadoes Steel Orchestra and then New York All Stars featuring Jazz singer Vanessa Rubin.

The New York All Stars in action

Vanessa Rubin

The New York All Stars was joined briefly on stage by Trinidadian trumpeter Etienne Charles who accompanied Rubin (of Trinidadian heritage) on a couple of songs, ‘Quiet Nights’ among them.

Pannist Robert Greenidge in the musical spotlight

Percussionist Ralph McDonald, calypsonian David Rudder and Canefire, and sax man Tom Scott rounded off the evening.

(Sources: Al Jarreau returns to TT; KV and Canefire light up Divali night show; Smooth jazz from Jarreau)

The Woodshed Coalition is putting out a call to patrons of the festival and to the Trinidadian Jazz artists alike to Comment on the shows here, either by e-mail or in Comments.