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.

 

JAZZIN’ for St. Lucia – KysoFusion and Makadanm

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Trinidadian multi-instrumentalist Michael Boothman added another title to his hat, that of philanthropist, when he and his band, Boothman’s KysoFusion put on a benefit concert on November 28 to aid the island of St. Lucia recently devastated by floods and landslides brought on by Hurricane Tomas.

The 2010 Caribbean Jazz Fusion Concert, held at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain , Trinidad on November 28, also featured Biguine-Jazz band Makadanm out of Martinique.

Boothman was inspired to commit part proceeds from the concert to St. Lucia by virtue of his long-standing relationship with St. Lucia Jazz and the people of St. Lucia.

The concept of the Caribbean Jazz Fusion Concert is being expanded into a first of its kind Caribbean Jazz, Food and Wine/Spirits Festival tentatively scheduled for the first quarter of 2011. (Source: Jazz takes on Martiniquan twist)

The Blackberry Bro, Nigel Campbell was at the Caribbean Jazz Fusion Concert and filed this report on the KysoFusion segment of the concert:

After Makadanm had taken flight with their French Caribbean beguine, Michael Boothman’s KysoFusion hooked up and with our Songbird, Nisa Nora on the vocals, did “Saying it with Music,” a remake of a 1970s Boothman classic.  Much was expected from Nisa because you know the lady can sing.  And she delivered the goods.

Then KysoFusion played “Maya Mosquito” – never sounds old; the hallmark of great song-writing.

But as Boothman pulled out those kaisojazz gems and classics out of his creative bag, the crowd began to dwindle.  That’s disrespect.

“Jump to It,” another classic co-written with percussionist Ralph MacDonald, was a loss for those people who left, and worse yet, those who were not there to witness the man Boothman playing with a band for the first time in a while, by his own admission.

KysoFusion closed its set with a cover of a Roger Boothman composition (the Boothman Brothers are an institution in Trinidad) and a Michael Boothman original entitled “A Brighter Day.”  This song was dedicated, quite appropriately, to St. Lucia, that she may see a brighter day after the scourge of Hurricane Tomas weeks ago.

However, the fun was not yet over for Makadanm was invited back on stage for a last jam with KysoFusion. They came out with Bob Marley’s “Waiting in Vain” with Makadanm’s vocalist doing a creole rap over the melody.

Fun Caribbean Jazz.   I love it!

Caribbean Latin Jazz band, CANEFIRE played TOBAGO JAZZ EXPERIENCE, APRIL 25

Canada             Cuba          Trinidad

update 3 on April 25

The Arbor Room, Hart House, University of Toronto was the venue of a free concert on March 12 given by Canefire, a seven piece band featuring pan men, Jeremy Ledbetter, and Marc Mosca from Trinidad; Cubans Alexis Baró on trumpet, drummer Chendy León, Alberto Suarez on percussion and bassist Yoser Rodriguez; and Canadian saxophonist Braxton Hicks.

 

The previous weekend (Saturday, March 07), the band was at the Millpond Centre at 106 Victoria St. W., Alliston, Canada where, as simcoe.com has reported, “Canefire brought the house down with a blend of saxophone and steel drums, with an infectious rhythm of the island beat.”

Canefire’s sound is grounded on Trinidadian Calypso, Latin, Jazz and Blues.  No wonder since Ledbetter has lived and worked in Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba.

His experience in and with Trinidad has seen him share the stage with all-out Calypso bands and the calypsonian, David Rudder – with whom he has a seven-year working relationship as his pianist, musical director, arranger and producer – and artists like Ralph McDonald and Andy Narell who have found a happy medium at the Calypso-Jazz junction.

Jeremy Ledbetter, who can now be said to be at home there too, earned himself a degree in Jazz performance from York University in Toronto.

Canefire goes back to Trinidad off and on and was originally scheduled to return to the Caribbean in April for the Tobago Jazz Festival, now deceased.  They in fact made the trip on April 25, but to the replacement festival called Tobago Jazz Experience.

The band was on the same Latin Jazz stage with Trinidad’s Élan Parlé led by pianist Michael Low Chew Tung aka Ming, and Mungal Patasar.

Canefire has one CD on the market, a 2005 recording of original material called Kaiso Blue.  Narell is in there as a guest.  But that was then; this is now: The Andy Narell Group, steel pan Caribbean Jazz, 8 p.m. April 3, UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium; and April 22, Pan Jazz in d Yard, Tobago Jazz Experience with Liam Teague and others.

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.

Steelpan Jazz Sold Out Saturday 16th

Steelpan Jazz at the House of Jazz at Lincoln Center featuring headliners Robert Greenidge (pan), Ralph MacDonald (percussion) and David Rudder (voice) has come and gone.  This event, organised by Abstract Entertainment Inc. (AEI), took place in Lincoln Center’s Allen Room in New York this past Saturday, June 16 to a full house crowd, sold out to overflowing – outside.

Each of these top draw artists performed select compositions from their extensive repertoires to highlight the steelpan since this was a celebration of the one instrument to have been invented in the twentieth century, and most importantly, in the Caribbean island of Trinidad. 

According to the website of “When Steel Talks,” MacDonald performed the unforgettable “Just the Two of Us.”  (I still own a well preserved cassette recording of that track from Grover Washington Jr.’s Winelight album (1980).  

Greenidge was the pan soloist to carry the torch for the pan.  However, he was admirably supported  by a cast of Caribbean Jazz icons in the persons of Nicholas Brancker (bass), Arturo Tappin (sax), Etienne Charles (trumpet), Scott Galt (guitar) among other notable extra-regional practitioners of the Jazz music genre, Buddy Williams (drums) and Onaje Allan Gumbs (keyboards).

 

Read the official press release on Steelpan Jazz at this link>

If exposed to or aware of any independent reviews of Steelpan Jazz, do share in Comments 

Tappin and Brancker join Caribbean All-Stars Band

David Rudder to headline Steelpan Jazz concert at Lincoln Center

Showtime: Saturday, June 16  2007

 

The upscale Allen Room of the Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center will be host to a Caribbean Jazz bash on Saturday, June 16 2007.  Conceptualised as “Acoustic Revolution” by Abstract Entertainment Inc., this pre-Father’s Day event will bring together some of the most notable Caribbean Jazz artists under the banner of the Caribbean All-Stars. 

Barbadians Arturo Tappin and Nicholas Brancker, fresh from wreaking havoc at Jazz on the Hill in Virgin Gorda in May, will join forces with renowned Trinidadian pannist Robert Greenidge, percussionist Ralph McDonald, son of a Trinidadian father and Canadian-Guyanese chanteuse RHEA to back David Rudder in this celebration of Caribbean American Heritage Month and Black Music Month.  Caribbean Heritage Month, a recent designation of New York Caribbean Week, was officially sanctioned by US President George W. Bush.  

Read more > on Steelpan Jazz concert