Bajan/Caribbean talent front and centre at 2009 Jazz Fest

By John Stephenson
eJazzNews

The recently-concluded Barbados Jazz Festival, featuring non-jazz headliners - notably British pop icon James Blunt, and Neo-Soul diva Angie Stone, represents a curious and interesting departure from previous editions of the festival.

By way of a ‘trojan-horse’ styled marketing initiative that front-ended non-Caribbean acts, the festival actually boasted a high quotient of Bajan and Caribbean talent.

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, the history of jazz festivals is littered with successful box-office non-jazz acts. If the world-renowned Montreux Jazz Festival (organised by the astute Swissman Claude Nobs) can headline pop and rock acts such as Chaka Khan and Carlos Santana, who is to argue with GMR International (organisers of the Barbados Jazz Festival) for giving James Blunt top billing?

Offbeat Notes: Here in Jamaica where radio stations shun that music created in New Orlean by Black musicians, where jazz is generally deemed tasteless and unpalletable, who can argue with Walter Elmore for billing predominantly non-jazz acts on Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival 2009?

Duke E Jazz Fest Provides Jazz Band for Obama

Duke Ellington Jazz Festival provided Jazz Band for Private Event for
President-Elect Barack Obama During Inauguration

Members of Duke Ellington Jazz Festival Artistic Advisor Paquito
D'Rivera's Quintet performed at an early dinner buffet for
President-Elect Barack Obama and his friends and family on Sunday
evening, January 18, at the Blair House. The Obamas lived at Blair
House prior to moving into the White House on Inauguration Day, January
20.

5th Duke Ellington Jazz Festival: June 5 - 15, 2009

Kathy Brown in her full element

Published: Monday January 12, 2009

Media: Jamaican Gleaner

Writer: Fabian O'Hara

A streak of sweat ran down her face, pausing on her chin. She was in her full element.

Kathy Brown, pianist, composer and singer, showed her mettle as she backed for internationally acclaimed vocalist A.J. Brown. This in mid-November at a noontime concert in downtown Kingston.
The pianist has also shared stage with the likes of.....

Full story:

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090112/ent/ent1.html

Kathy Brown in her full elementhttp://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090112/ent/ent1.html

Kingston's E-Park big band for Jazz & Blues Fest

E-Park Band, formed in 2005 with a glitter of Jamaica's music greats
like Dean Fraser, Glen Browne, Peter Ashbourne, Dwight Pickney, Michael Fletcher gets its moniker from its original bandstand at Kingston popular leisure spot Emancipation Park.

The band filled a vacancy created by the absence of a regular performing big Band Band in Jamaica.

Under the musical directorship of legendary pop, jazz pianist and conductor Peter Ashbourne, the rotating 11-piece band that attracts an all-star cast, is contingent on five rhythm section players and six wind instrumentalists , the smallest number of musicians that can successfully simulate the big band sound.

Cabaret star Karen Smith and crooner Michael Sean Harris make up the vocal contingent to enhance E-Park's repertoire that include jazz, Show, cabaret and popular music, both instrumental and vocal.

Turnkey Productions, organisers of the annual event, has sought to uprooted E-Park from the New Kingston Park to seed the Big Band at the fertile Aqueduct grounds in Montego Bay for a Saturday (January 24) showing at Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival.

E-Park Big Band

Hopeton Williams and Vivian Scott: trumpets
Romeo Gray/Calvin Cameron: trombone
Ian Hird: alto sax, flute
Nicholas Laraque/Everton Gayle: tenor sax, flute
Dean Fraser: baritone, alto sax
Desi Jones: drums
Glen Browne/Michael Fletcher: bass
Dwight Pickney: guitar
Othneil Lewis: keyboards
Peter Ashbourne: piano, conductor

Dermot Hussey to resume'The Traveler'

The Traveler, Kenny Barron's latest work received master treatment by real music presenter Dermot Hussey on "the Riff" aired on Jamaica's News Talk 93 FM, weekdays at 8:35 pm. But, the journey was incomplete and Hussey promised listeners a Part 2 TBA.

The Traveler parades some excellent sounds abetted by a new rhythm section (Japanese bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and Cuban drummer Francisco Mela) and some very special guests.

Over 50 years of performance, Barron, who recently tutored our own Dr. Kathy Brown in New York, shows he still possess the touch, panache, grace, fire and empathy.

Riffin is heard live, Monday - Friday, 8:35pm @ http://www.newstalk.com.jm/

Sonny Bradshaw, Myrna Hague open Miramar centre

Jamaican trumpeter Sonny Bradshaw and wife Myrna Hague opened the new 800-seat Miramar Cultural Center at 2400 Civic Center Place, Florida recently.

The opening of the centre coincides with the staging of the Caribfest Community Showcase, the free multi-cultural festival staged annually by Caribefest Inc. and the City of Miramar.

This years focus turned to the Caribbean Jazz of veteran Jamaican musician and founder of the Ocho Rios Jazz Festival Sonny Bradshaw (trumpet) and his wife Myrna Hague (vocals) who graced the stage of the new US$20 million Arts Center with Jamaican saxophonist Dean Fraser, fresh from a stint at Anguilla’s Tranquility Jazz Festival and Grammy nominated Haitian-born Reginald Policard on keyboards as well as trumpeter Jean Caze.

CHICAGO comes to Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival

CHICAGO , not Barack Obama home state, but the rock band formed in 1967 in the Illonois capital, will arrive in Montego Bay for date at the upcoming Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival.

A steady stream of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Chicago, once boost Peter Cetera as lead singer, is one of the longest running and most successful U.S. pop/rock and roll groups.

They will bring to Montego Bay a package that includes #1 selling hits like "If You Leave Me Now, "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", "Look Away" and their 2008 CD release Stone of Sisyphus.

For more of the BIG names already booked for Jan 22-24 festival visit http://jamaicajazzandblues.com/final/