Carib Jazz in focus at Festival îloJazz, Guadeloupe & Le Festival Caraibes Vibrations, Paris

France

Guadeloupe

After thirteen years, “Jazz à Pointe-à-Pitre, Carrefour des Musiques Créoles” has been  re-branded as “Festival îloJazz, Carrefour des Musiques Créoles.” The name change became necessary in order to facilitate the decentralisation of this December event from Pointe-à-Pitre to Abymes in Guadeloupe.

The prime schedule was from December 10-13, but the action really began on December 03 with a CD launch on L’Université à Fouillole campus and the screening and discussion on December 07 of an Alexander Lourie documentary about pianist Alain Jean-Marie (bananier bleu profile) called “Alain la parole” (Alain’s Word).

In justifying the title of the festival, the Caribbean was well represented by Alain Jean-Marie, Alchimik and Fal Frett, not forgetting Magic Malik, a native son of Guadeloupe whose music could not be more diverse after his many forays in and outside of the Jazz idiom.

Alain Jean-Marie performed “Gwadarama” in cahoots with Marcel Falla (bass), Raymond Grégo (drums) and Roger Raspail (percussion) on Sunday, December 13  2009 at Place de la Victoire.

The Latin side of that show was illustrated by flautist Dave Valentin.  Valentin was accompanied by Roger Lane Ameen (piano),  Lincoln Goines (bass), Richard Flores, Richard Michael Bonilla and William Francis O’Conell.

The headliner was Jazz-Rock fusionist, Roy Ayers (vibes).  His backup band was Troy Miller on drums, Mark Adams on bass, Donald Nicks (keyboards) and Raedford Gaskins on saxes.

The multi-talented Mokhtar Samba, former drummer of Ultramarine, finally got to perform his music in Guadeloupe on Friday, December 11 at Parvis du Centre Culturel de Sonis, Abymes.  This show was a must-see.  Trio Alchimik (MySpace) with Jean-Michel Lesdel, Raymond d’Huy and Grégo opened for Samba.

The festival continued for a second day, Saturday, December 12 at Bourg des Abymes where the Bernard Brothers, Jacky and Alex, Luther François, Guillaume Bernard, Micky Télèphe and Renée Capitaine came together under the Fal Frett banner. (Source: bananierbleu.com)

Another festival which closed on Sunday, December 13, the same day as Festival îlo Jazz, is Le Festival Caraibes Vibrations 2009 in Paris, France.  Unlike Festival îlo, this was not strictly a Jazz Festival, unless of course one takes into consideration that Gwo Ka is being morphed all the more into the Jazz side of the music business and that Dub Poetry is all about improvisations and rhythms.

Anyway, Vibration Caraibes is actually a Festival of Contemporary Arts of the Americas and the Caribbean.  As such, there were helpings of Gwo ka Gnawa Jazz, Dub Poetry, Literary Readings, Photography and Video Art and screenings of ethnographic documentaries.

The musical component featured the deeply rooted Martinican percussionist and banjo player Kali and his guest Manu Dibango, special festival guest Valerie Louri and international Jazz pianist Randy Weston.

In regards to the Afro Drums Poetry section of the programme on December 06, Guadeloupean saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart and Schwarz-Bart’s electric and acoustic guitarist Hervé Samb accompanied the poet Simone Schwarz-Bart (who, by the way, appeared on her son’s Abyss CD to voice track number 8 that bears her first name).

Simone & J.S-Bart (sax) at Vibrations Caraibe '09

On the Dub Poetry side of things, there was the Dede St. Prix Dub Poets, that was St. Prix and Orlando Poleo with Brother Resistance and Mutaburaka.

So that was Le Festival Vibrations Caraibes 2009 from December 04-13, 2009.  Click on images above for full photo albums.

“Gwadloup Festival” on stage for six days from November 21-29 2009 (updated with le bananier bleu’s photos)

Guadeloupe

original post by Bananier bleu

makeover 3 for WEC by Israel, November 26  2009

The 2nd edition of Gwadloup Festival is being staged on the French Caribbean island from 21 – 29 November 2009.  Organized by le Conseil Régional de la Guadeloupe et le Comité du Tourisme des îles de Guadeloupe (CTIG), the artistic and cultural event is the brainchild of long-time musicologist, Pierre-Edouard Decimus.

The Gwadloup Festival is, however, not restricted to the French Department. And so the producers have this year invited Jose “El Canario” Alberto, Josean Jacobo y Tumbao Joseíto and Mateo of the Dominican Republic to the festival.

Gwadloup Festival celebrates 75 years of popular music from Guadeloupe through such creations as “Voyage au Pays des Biguines,” an exposition of traditional music, the Legends concert featuring the band Kassav, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and Le Grand Bal with L’Orchestre Jeunesse.

The Gwadloup Festival is also adopting a new format of dispersing the individual events to  several communities around Guadeloupe.  These include Basse-Terre, Petit-Bourg, Gosier, Abymes, Pointe-à-Pitre and Moule.

In order to make the festival accessible to as diverse an audience as possible, the producers have come up with the concept of “scenes” that they believe should enable every style of music to find its audience.

There was the Caribbean Folk-Jazz acoustic scene, Café Créole Blues, on Sunday, November 22, which showcased the talents of the new generation through artists like Erik, Jean-Michel Rotin and the Fabso Concept.  This show began with the Willy Salzedo Trio.

Salzedo is quite a successful composer who has written most famously for Tanya St-Val.  Also, he co-founded Moun Karayib with the Jean-Alphonse brothers, Castry and Olivier.  And fresh from Festival des percussions de Longueil et Nuits d’Afrique in Canada, K’Koustik represented the traditional drum culture of the Antilles. Among the ranks of this group is percussionist Joby Julienne of Iguane Xtet.

On Tuesday 24, La scène Jazz Caraïbe hosted the Martiniquan pianist Michel Sardaby Trio and St. Lucian saxophonist Barbara Cadet, during the course of an evening punctuated by a “Carte Blanche” granted Guadeloupean percussionist Charly Chomereau-Lamotte.  Sardaby’s long list of credits in his fifty-year career includes a 1984 recording with Monty Alexander.

Chomereau-Lamotte came out swinging with an outfit reminiscent of the Caribbean Workshop spearheaded by St. Lucian saxophonist Luther François.  He amassed a band of Caribbean Jazz kingpins for Gwadloup Festival namely François himself, Guadeloupean bassist, Raymond d’Huy, and Trinidadian drum impresario, Sean Thomas. Chomereau-Lamotte continues to collaborate handsomely as he has always done, his most prominent outings having been with the Jocelyn Menard “Gwanada” Big Band project, the d’Huy Brothers and Antiguan born, Guadeloupe based trumpeter, Happy Lewis.

Caraïb to Jazz is four young Guadeloupean Jazz musicians who are positioning themselves as heirs to the rich French Caribbean Jazz heritage.  Likened to Sakésho of Mario Canonge and Andy Narell, with Jonathan Jurion on piano and Laurent Lalsingué on pans, this band turns out the Calypso-Jazz too (follow the link and check out “Medites”), something that has impressed no other than Jacques Schwarz-Bart who predicts that “…these musicians from Guadeloupe (and Martinique) will give us many reasons to delight us for many years!”

Barbara Cadet of St. Lucia (second from left above) has had a unique experience of her own.  She was key to the creation of a steelpan orchestra, “Allegro Pan Grove” and vocal group, “Sisterhood”, all the while establishing herself as a solo artist, armed with her reeds and voice.

Jean-Claude Montredon

Most notably, Biguine-Jazz will be presented by pianist Jean-Max Mirval who, one year ago, had the opportunity to present this music alongside Mario Canonge at Centre des Arts.  One of the names Mirval will have on his team on this occasion is drummer Jean-Claude Montredon.

Then there was La Scène Musiques Actuelles that brought together Soca superstar Alison Hinds, Buju Banton and G’Ny on Friday, November 27, 2009.

With such a diverse programming, the Gwadloup Festival is a rewarding link between generations.  The artists are from different backgrounds (zouk, salsa, beguine, Jazz, reggae, urban, gwo ka, dance, merengue…) as a common platform with the popular music played in the Caribbean.

Guadeloupe Festival is for everyone, for all ages, all over Guadeloupe.

Enjoy!

Le programme est le suivant :

Samedi 21 – Conseil Régional (Basse-Terre) 18 h – Soirée d’ouverture

Dimanche 22 – Pays de la canne à Beauport 12 h – Scène acoustique café créole blues
Jean-Michel Rotin, Willy Salzedo trio (feat: Leedyah Barlagne, Victor Ô, Patrice Hulman, Erik, Olivier Jean-Alphonse, Jean-Luc Divialle), K’koustik, Fabso Concept (Sonny Troupé et Fabrice Troupé), Jean-Max Mirval, Artefact, Kareen Guiock

Mardi 24 – Artchipel scène nationale (Basse-Terre) 19 h – Scène jazz
Michel Sardaby, Caraïb to Jazz, Barbara Cadet, Charly Chomereau-Lamotte, Josean Jacobo y Tumbao

Mercredi 25 – centre culturel Sonis (Abymes) 18 h – Scène excellence
Festival des écoles de musique (invité : Sonny Troupé)

Jeudi 26 – place de la liberté (Moule) 19 h – Scène tradisyon voyage au pays des biguines
Big band biguine, comédie musicale de Arthur Apatout « Manuela »

Vendredi 27 – plage de Viard (petit-bourg) 19 h – Scène musiques actuelles
Alison Hinds, G’ny, Saël, Ti Wony, Buju Banton

Source: le Bananier bleu (this link is your starting point; make sure to follow the related links back and forth for all the sub-sources)

1st Guadeloupe Piano Summit, June 8-18, 2009

L’association Gwadloup Groove, on the initiative of its current President, Steve Nuissier, organised and presented the 1st Piano Summit (1ère rencontre autour du piano)  from June 8 to 18, 2009.  The objective was to enable local Guadeloupean pianists the opportunity to present their varied repertoires, Beguine, Jazz and Classical music to the public at several events in different settings.

The idea was also to allow the pianists to give workshops in schools of music such as Ecole de musique du Lamentin, salle Robert Loyson du Moule, Artchipel à Basse terre and Centre Culturel des Abymes.

Besides the workshops and the concerts, the event was also a tribute to the pianist Jean-Louis Mérault who disappeared in tragic circumstances just one year.  “Before his death, I wanted, in my own way, to help Jean-Louis to spread his music because I felt like a good pianist with technical qualities, a sense of composition and virtuosity deserves full recognition.  Unfortunately, I have not had the time, but the desire has not left.  […]The creation of this event is totally inspired by JEM.  It is in my view…the best way to keep alive his vision as an artist while showing him my friendship each year, ” confided Steve Nuissier.

All concerts were filmed with a view to broadcasting them on television and for the production of a documentary on the piano in Guadeloupe.

Five pianists were invited to perform at this tribute, Griffault Clement, Paul Lay, David Fackeure and Gilles Rosine and Mario Canonge.  However, Fackeure had to pull out after suffering a bad fall and was unable to move.  His foot was placed in a cast.  He was replaced by Mario Canonge for the Sonis concert on June 8. (See program below)

They were supported by les guadeloupéens, Lesdel Jean-Michel, Michel Mado and Jocelyn Marboeuf .

The opening was a triple header on Monday, June 08 at Centre culturel de Sonis.  For starters, the young Cyril Kunzelmann, a student of Lionel Benbanaste à l’école Men Art Music executed the compositions of three of his favourite pianists.

Kunzelmann was followed by the Jocelyn Marbeouf Trio. Marbeouf and his cohorts, Atrides Claudel (b) and Pascal Latour (dms), launched into a set of Beguine-Jazz from Guadeloupe.

Finally, Mario Canonge, walked right off his plane into a solo concert tracing the history of Piano-Jazz from the great masters of the past (Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus) to Caribbean compositions by Stellio and Canonge himself) – an exercise he enjoys more and more.  The next day, the first part of the concert was performed by Michel Mado accompanied by Philippe d’Huy (g) and Raymond d’Huy (b).

The concert program was as follows:

A Sonis (the Abymes)

• June 8: Mario Canonge and Jocelyn Marboeuf .
• June 9: Mario Canonge and Michel Mado
• On 10 June: Gilles Rosine and Jean-Michel Lesde
• June 17: Paul Lay + Jocelyn Ménard 4tet and Clement Griffault

Robert Loyson (Le Moule)

June 14: Paul Lay duet with Jocelyn Ménard, (Jazz), Clement Griffault (Classical)

Movie theater Lamentin

June 15: Jean-Michel Lesdel / Clément Griffault

Closing night at Lakasa

On 18 June: Michel Mado and Philippe d’Huy, Paul Lay, Clémen Griffault t, Jean-Michel Lesdel, Jocelyn Marboeuf

Workshops:

with Paul Lay (Piano Jazz)

June 14 at la salle Robert Loyson au Moule
June 15 at l’école Men Art Music aux Abymes
June 17 at l’institut Chopin à Pointe-à-Pitre
and finally at l’école de la Clé des Arts à Baie Mahault

with Clément Griffault (Classical piano)

June 13 at CEFRIM au Moule
June 17 at l’école de musique du Lamentin

Sources: Première rencontre autour du piano, Ouverture des rencontres de piano à Sonis, Plâtre et piano

Iguane XTet bring a fresh French sound to Caribbean Jazz

Guadeloupe

French Jazz band, Iguane Xtet, returned to the Lounge Bar at the Stand Up in Bas-du-Fort, Gosier in Guadeloupe on Saturday, May 09, 2009 to forward their brand of ‘Caribbean fusion’, music that the leader says is improvised music, charted in advance.

Saxophonist Alain Joséphine leads a band of musicians from diverse backgrounds, Caribbean and European, who are versed in Jazz, Caribbean styles (beguine, mazurka and modern Gwoka), rock and funk.  They are Joséphine, Fabrice Fanfant (bass), Joby Julienne (percussion), and Eric Danquin (drums).  Jonathan Jurion has one foot in, one foot out; and Marc Chillet is the first call guitarist.)

Iguane Xtet go into the studio soon to record a follow up to their 2005 release Maagix, now available on iTunes.

But on Sunday, 31 May, for the Pentecost, Iguane Xtet and Quintet (plus guitarist Chillet) were up for the Tenth Festival Terre de Blues de Marie-Galante at Grand-Bourg, GP.

Iguane XTet and the Quintet lined up to open for SMV (the bassists Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten) on Friday, June 5 at the stadium René-Serge-Nabajoth of Abymes, Guadeloupe.  Les Frères d’Huy including Raymond d’Huy whom we read about earlier in the month when he played St. Lucia Jazz with Luther François) were also at Stade des Abymes.

Other notables who were on the line up for the Marie-Galante Festival between May 27 and June 01 were Blues guitarist, Lucky Peterson and Cameroon Jazz bassist, Richard Bona.

Later on in June, on the 24th, Iguane Xtet (minus Chillet) take their Jazz Fusion Caribéen to Casino du Gosier at Pointe de la Verdure, Gosier, 97190 in tandem with the Jocelyn Ménard Gwanada Project (who can be sampled on the REVERBNATION Tunepak).

Here is the complete 10ans Festival de Marie-Galante Terre de Blues roster:

Vendredi 29 mai

• CCMG / 10h00 – Conférence de presse des artistes du jour
• Village du Festival / 11h00 – Harmony People
• Village du Festival / 19h00 – Kannifis

Samedi 30 mai

• CCMG / 10h00 – Conférence de presse des artistes du jour
• Village du Festival / 11h00 – Charles Polyphème
• Village du Festival / 16h00 – Nostalgia
• Chateau Murat / 19h00 – Ti Malo
• Chateau Murat / 19h30 – Valérie Louri
• Chateau Murat / 20h45 – Lucky Peterson
• Chateau Murat / 22h00 – Capleton

Dimanche 31 mai

• CCMG / 10h00 – Conférence de presse des artistes du jour
• Village du Festival / 11h00 – Iguane Xtet
• Village du Festival / 16h00 – Puissance 2000
• Chateau Murat / 19h00 – Ti Malo
• Chateau Murat / 19h30 – Yann Négrit
• Chateau Murat / 20h45 – Orquesta Broadway
• Chateau Murat / 22h00 – Richard Bona

Lundi 1er juin

• CCMG / 10h00 – Conférence de presse des artistes du jour
• Village du Festival / 16h00 – Ti Malo show
• Village du Festival / 16h30 – Kimbol
• Village du Festival / 18h00 – Gage