London calls Arturo Tappin & Michele Henderson to Caribbean Soul Fusion, August 09

One sports commentator, an anchor at iMc (International Media Company), the official broadcast carriers of the Olympics to the Caribbean islands, shared the sentiment the other night that one would have had to be hiding under a rock not to be aware of the feats by our Caribbean athletes. Not so well publicised and for good reason – the Olympics are sucking all the oxygen from the air – are the cultural events being put on by some Caribbean countries and entities.

One particular show did, however, catch our attention here at the Woodshed: Caribbean Soul Fusion at Grosvenor House in London. Caribbean Soul Fusion is sponsored by the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) as part of its London Engage Initiative that will, on Thursday, August 09, bring together a number of Caribbean artists representing a broad range of indigenous Caribbean styles, namely Reggae, Soca, Zouk and Kompa, folk, Afro-Haitian…and Caribbean Jazz.

The artists chosen to perform, according to the organisers, are a mix of six emerging and two headline acts, Jamaican Reggae singer/songwriter Christopher Martin…and Jazz and Reggae saxophonist Arturo Tappin of Barbados. Supporting Martin and Tappin are multi-talented petite from Dominica, Michele Henderson who straddles everything from Jazz to Zouk to Cadence to Rhythm and Blues; BelO of Haiti; Hezron Clarke from Jamaica; St. Lucia’s Claudia Edward; Mr. Dale, Barbados; and Xiomara Fortuna out of the Dominican Republic.

Grabbing a quote from our main source, Caribbean 360, Pamela Coke Hamilton, Executive Director, Caribbean Export put it this way: “One of the best identifiers of the Caribbean Brand and its uniqueness is our music. Its ability to have global appeal is unquestionable. What we are seeking to do with Caribbean Soul Fusion is to showcase that authentic Caribbean culture and widen the market appeal for our regional music.  As such, the artistes that will be performing will represent the diverse nature of musical genres across the Caribbean. Not only will the entertainment industry benefit from the increased demand for the products on offer, but also performers will have the opportunity to display the export potential of their craft and its appeal to an international audience.”

Michele Henderson at Jazz Artists on the Greens 2012…

…good to the last drop

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 song turned 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’s craft lands 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.

Related articles

• Pannist Annise Hadeed closes Jazz Artists on the Greens 2012 on a question mark (woodshedec.wordpress.com)
• Clifford Charles heats up Jazz Artists on the Greens 2012 (woodshedec.wordpress.com)

Pannist Annise Hadeed closes Jazz Artists on the Greens 2012 on a question mark

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Jazz Artists on the Greens 2012, March 24: Act 5

Annise 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.

 

Related articles

• Carlton “Zanda” Alexander stirred the Coalpot at JAOTG, Trinidad, March 24 2012 (woodshedec.wordpress.com)
• Clifford Charles heats up Jazz Artists on the Greens 2012 (woodshedec.wordpress.com)

Clifford Charles heats up Jazz Artists on the Greens 2012

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

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 Michele to take them up like the helium balloons they had become.

Would she do it, would she not? We’ll see about that next.

Clifford Charles JAOTG 2012 profile

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• Listen to Trinidad’s Smooth Jazz Guitarist Clifford Charles’ new CD (woodshedec.wordpress.com)
• What’s the BuddZ, tell me what’s happening: The JazZ BuddZ (woodshedec.wordpress.com)
• Jazz Artists on the Greens 101: Just Getting There (woodshedec.wordpress.com)

Carlton “Zanda” Alexander stirred the Coalpot at JAOTG, Trinidad, March 24 2012

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Jazz Artists on the Greens 2012, March 24  2012: Act 1

Carlton “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.

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What’s the BuddZ, tell me what’s happening: The JazZ BuddZ

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

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.

 

Jazz Artists on the Greens 101: Just Getting There

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

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 at The 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 Henderson with Ming and Friends and Annise Hadeed with 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.

What’s not to like about Cameron Pierre’s newest, Radio Jumbo?

DOMINICA

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 in his 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.

Extra resources: Radio Jumbo preview

French West Indies inspires latest release from UK-based Jazz guitarist Cameron Pierre

DOMINICA

submitted by Ayeola George, AGSelectPR

“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.

Radio Jumbo is available online via HMV, Amazon, iTunes and Pierre’s Official Website under the Destin-e Records label.

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ABOUT CAMERON PIERRE

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.

CAMERON PIERRE ONLINE

Homepage, Myspace, Reverbnation, Facebook, You Tube

ABOUT AGSelectPR

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.

September Jazzz page updated with news on Pan Jazz DVD release

…a sampling of Jazz news deserving of a post rather than a roll, a blogroll

→ Have a yearning for Pan Jazz?  Well, Pan Trinbago has released “Pan Jazz in De Yard A Tobago Experience,” a concert footage DVD featuring two of Trinidad and Tobago’s champions of steel, performances by some of the country’s Pan Maestros and a Caribbean Jazz virtuoso.

The footage on the DVD was taken in part from Pan Jazz in De Yard, which was held in April of this year as a fringe event of the Tobago Jazz Festival.

The DVD is not in wide circulation, unfortunately, and is only available at select places in TnT.

Buzzz off to the September Buzzz page for more

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→ Cuban composer and saxophonist Yosvany Terry premiered a suite of World Music exploring the West African Arará culture on Saturday 15 at Central Park, New York.  Commissioned by the Stanford Jazz Workshop, the piece was designed to “explore the enduring legacy of the Arará culture that…continues to thrive in Cuba (La Habana and Matanzas) and throughout the Caribbean (Haiti, Trinidad and Carriacou in the Grenadines as in St. Vincent and the Grenadines”) even today.

Terry fronted the Yosvany Terry with Yedégbé & Afro-Caribbean Legacy (or Yosvany Terry & the Yedégbé Project Afro-Cuban Septet).  This outfit comprised of the brightest stars of Afro-Caribbean, West African and Jazz including Terry’s younger brother Junior on bass.

Buzzz off to the Jazzz Buzzz page for details

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→ September 22 is a D-day of sorts for the Jazz cats of Gants Hill in Ilford, Essex, England.  What’s the Buzzz?  Well, Jamaican Jazz trumpeter and now legend, Sonny Bradshaw and his wife, singer Myrna Hague, will be in that town to give a Jazz concert for charity.  The beneficiaries of their generosity is the Gants Hill Methodist Church, which is where they worship when in Britain.  They divide their time between Jamaica and their home in Gants Hill.

Myrna Hague and Sonny Bradshaw

Buzzz off to the Jazzz Buzzz page for details.

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August 2007

→ Step aside Rihanna, Barbados has a new rising star on the horizon, Marisa Lindsay.  Her stylings are well grounded in Jazz though she demonstrates a conspicuous relish for rhythm and blues that when brought together  point her in the direction of Erykah Badu.  Having sampled some of the tracks on Lindsay’s debut recording, Submit2Love, I have to agree that Lindsay does share a sound with Badu.  But as to whether this is intentional or coincidental is not for me to say.

Buzzz off to the Jazzz Buzzz page for the full story and make up your own mind.

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→  Come Sunday, August 12, Trini trumpeter, Etienne Charles will take to The Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) Garden stage as the featured artist for a free summergarden Jazz concert at sunset.  According to freenyc.net, Charles will explore the Jazz idiom to the backdrop of African rhythms and the folk traditions of the Caribbean.

Buzz off to the Jazzz Buzzz page for more on EC

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July 2007

→ To aficionados of the genre, the name “LRF Soundworks Jazz Project” will ignite a measure of excitement among the jazz faithful, reminiscent as it is, of the short-lived but glorious days of the West Indies Jazz Band, the Caribbean Jazz Project and their predecessor, the Luther François Music Lab project. 

On April 24, LRF Soundworks Jazz Project launched its maiden voyage from the stage of the National Cultural Centre under the direction of St Lucia’s Jazz pioneer Luther François, alongside former members of The West Indies Jazz Band and the Caribbean Jazz Workshop Group.

 Luther Francois

Buzz off to the Retro Caribbean Jazz page for more

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Andre Woodvine Album Launch

 

→ After four years of hard work in an 8×10 home office, using a PC, sound card, software, speakers and microphones, Caribbean jazz saxophonist Andre Woodvine presents nine unique, original compositions in a package entitled “Some Assembly Required.”  Released on April 29 at a special live performance at Barbados’ Plantation Garden Theatre as part of the Notes to Notes concert series, this CD reflects the many diverse influences on Woodvine’s music, from jazz to Caribbean rhythms, science fiction to family.

Woodvine is a longtime collaborator of St. Lucia’s premier saxman Luther François. 

Buzz off to the Jazzz Buzzz page for a few notes on CD Baby

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→ Barbadian saxophonist Arturo Tappin’s latest CD “Inside Out” has been out on the market for several weeks.  However, it is only on Tuesday, July 24 that the Album Launch will take place.  

Buzz off to the Jazzz Buzz page for the press release on Earthtimes.org

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→ The Sun reported in its Friday, July 06 edition that Dominica’s singing star, Michele Henderson, was due to give a benefit concert Saturday 07 in St. Kitts. 

The concert did come off as planned and was said to have attracted a “sizeable” audience who witnessed a “passion filled” and “talent pregnant” concert, which was second to none.  

Buzz off to the  

I had the privilege of seeing Michele with the Freewinds Band aboard ship at Road Harbour, Tortola, British Virgin Islands in 2005 and then again at the St. Lucia Jazz Festival in May ’06, on the Main Stage.

Buzz off to the Jazzz Buzzz page for my personal impressions of the Tortola, British Virgin Islands concert.

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→ Have you ever wondered about the roots and heritage of international Jazz luminaries?  I have.  And so has Jamaican pianist Monty Alexander.  Speaking to Andrew Gilbert of the Union-Tribune, Alexander speaks to this issue as well as detailing one more root of the Reggae tree and his role in bringing Reggae together with the Jazz idiom.      

SignOnSanDiego.com

June 2007 

→ Carnival of Instruments III – Steelpan Jazz at Brooklyn’s Afrika House