Antigua and Martinique in the mood for Jazz

Originally Posted on December 01, 2009

Antigua and Barbuda

Martinique

Andy Narell and Relator have really been making the rounds in support of “University of Calypso.” This is the phenomenal CD of classic lyrical calypso compositions tailor-made for Jazz interpretations.  The album was designed as a tribute to Lord Kitchener, but Narell and Relator also paid homage to other storytellers, some of them of considerable popular standing, others like Spider from the Commonwealth of Dominica with cult status only.

Most recently, Narell and Relator brought the “University” to Pan Jazz UK on November 08, 2009 and the students of the Martinique Jazz Festival 2009 on Thursday, November 27.  They played the MJF on the heels of Guadeloupean saxophonist, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, whose night was Wednesday, November 26 and preceded Martinique pianist, Ronald Tulle, on Saturday, November 28.

But on Sunday, November 29, Narell and Relator stood alone at the top of the heap when they did a repeat performance of “University” in Antigua and Barbuda.  The occasion was the “Moods of Pan Festival” (MOP), an event organized by the Gemonites Steel Orchestra of A&B.  The festival was scaled down to a one night affair due to a drought in sponsorship funding this year

By the way, MOP was not just about steel pan music.  Storyteller, Paul Keens-Douglas was on hand to split the pan fans in stitches.

Meanwhile, Martinique lit up with the sound of Jazz music on November 26, 2009 when musicians from France, the United States, Benin, Trinidad and Tobago and the French West Indies were dispersed around the island for what has become the longest running Jazz Festival in the Caribbean, which is the Martinique Jazz Festival.

The center of the action is the CMAC (Centre Martiniquais d’Action Culturelle) in Fort-de-France.  However, there is an outfest at various locations across the country, in St. Anne, St. Marie, Lamentin, Riviere Salee, Sainte Luce and La Pagerie Museum in Trois Ilets.

MARTINIQUE JAZZ FESTIVAL 2009
du mercredi 25 novembre au dimanche 06 décembre

Martinique Jazz Festival 2009
Concerts à l’Atrium, 20h

Jeudi 26 novembre
Jacques Coursil (Martinique)
Jacques Schwarz-Bart (Guadeloupe / Etats-Unis)

Vendredi 27 Novembre
Jacky Terrasson Trio (France / Etats-Unis)
Andy Narell and Relator (Etats-Unis / Trinidad)

Samedi 28 Novembre
Ronald Tulle (Martinique)
Rhoda Scott Ladies Quartet (Etats-Unis / France)

Décentralisation
Samedi 28 Novembre – 20h

Rest Le Petitbonum, Carbet

César Swing (Jaa manouche)

Dimanche 29 Novembre – 16h
Sainte-Anne – Bourg
Insuler (Martinique)
Kriyolio (Guadeloupe)

Sainte-Marie – 16h30

Centre culturel de Fonds Saint-Jacques

Eric Ildefonse (Martinique)
César Swing (France) – Jazz manouche

Mercredi 2 décembre – 19h
Lamentin – Centre culturel de Basse-Gondeau
Barbara Cadet (Sainte-Lucie)

Jeudi 3 décembre
Lionel Loueke (Bénin – Etats-Unis)
Malia (Malawi – Europe)

Jeudi 3 décembre – 19h
Rivière Salée – Centre culturel du bourg
Barbara Cadet (Sainte-Lucie)

Prêcheur – Espace Samboura – 19h30
Meddy Gerville (Réunion)

Vendredi 4 décembre
Aléliwon (Martinique)
Elisabeth Kontomanou Quintet (Guinée – Europe)

Vendredi 4 décembre – 20h

Sainte-Luce – Bourg

Barbara Cadet (Sainte-Lucie)

Samedi 5 Décembre
Meddy Gerville (Réunion)
Kenny Baron Trio (Etats-Unis)

Dimanche 6 Décembre – Pagerie des Trois-Ilets – 16h
Caraib To Jazz (Martinique / Guadeloupe)
Terri Lyne Carrington (Etats-Unis)
Eddie Palmieri (Puerto Rico / Etats-Unis)

Master-class
Jacques Coursil
Jacky Terrasson
Luther François
Jesus Fuentes
Terri-Lyne Carrington

More here

GAYAP 2009 is here! (updated with a V-pic, July 20)

Trinidad

GAYAP 2009, St. Joseph, Trinidad and Tobago is here!. Friends of St. Joseph’s Convent teamed up with Island Productions & Promotions to present this Jazz-centric event at The Nazarene, July 18, 2009.

This inaugural fundraiser for the namesake school packed the Bamboo Sanctuary in St. Joseph with a mix of local and regional Jazz artists.

Up on stage was guitarist Michael Boothman whose credits also include songwriter and producer; sitar playing Mungal Patasar, a Trinidadian of Indian heritage whose other life is dedicated to community upliftment; pianist Dave Marcellin, equally comfortable behind the keys as he is behind the boards as an audio engineer and music producer;

Vaughnette Bigford bends a note at GAYAP 2009

Caribbean Jazz star in the making, Vaughnette Bigford who is just five years removed from her debut but who has already benefited from studies under Trinidad’s Carlton Zanda, Theron Shaw, Raf Robertson and Ray Holman and international trailblazers, Dr. Barry Harris, Hank Jones and Sheila Jordan; electric guitarist Clifford Charles, well schooled in Musical Arts at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and at the Music College, Trinidad; pannist Mikhail Salcedo; and Relator, fresh from the release of the seminal ‘University of Calypso‘ collaboration with Andy Narell.

Right up under the Trinidadians were Guyanese flautist Ruth Osman and Barbadian sax lion, Arturo Tappin.

Osman, who has made Trinidad home, was expected to put on her poet’s hat in addition to her most obvious skill as a musician and writer.

Born into a musical family – her father is into Classical music, her mother a pianist – Osman started first on recorder then went on to flute and voice, gifts she would come to express in church. She continues to feed the writing aspect of her career with her spirituality, nurtured as it were by the music she played in the church as a youth.

“I see Jazz as a sort of conduit leading from my heart to my audience,” Osman explained to Patricia Grannum of the Woman of Colour blog.

Osman surprised Marielle Barrow, host of Trini Smooth (Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 at 03:00 pm) on wmjxfm.com with her depiction of her spiritual relationship, as expressed in her music, as “Jazz with God.”  Some of that will be enjoyed again at R to the Power of 3 at the new Daaga Auditorium, UWI (University of the West Indies) Trinidad, July 25 2009, the 3 R’s being Ruth, Russell (Leonce) and Rizon.

Then from across the fishing straights between Trinidad and Barbados came saxophonist Arturo Tappin to represent the collective spirit and goodwill of the rest of the Caribbean region for the noble effort to assist St. Joseph’s Convent.

With no time to spare, Tappin was on a flight out of Trinidad Sunday, after GAYAP, headed for Montserrat’s 4th Annual Calabash Festival, which would has been underway from July 11.

Tappin will be joining returning headlners from last year, trumpeter Paul Lunga and saxophonist Tony Chambers, for a gala evening on July 19 at the Montserrat Culutral Centre.

So that was GAYAP for you, a Smooth Jazz experience on July 18, 2009 at The Nazarene, a bamboo sanctuary next to Ortinola Estate, Acono Rd., Maracas Valley, St. Joseph, Trinidad.

I just have one question for anyone who can answer it: What on earth is a GAYAP?