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Island festival-goers partied, rain or shine |
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Written by Robin James
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Saturday, 29 January 2005 |
Photos by Stephanie Brown
 BARBADOS, THE CARIBBEAN — The sun, sea, and a stunning international
line-up of acclaimed jazz artists and performers at the 12th Annual
Barbados Jazz Festival add up to one thing: island fever for music
lovers from around the globe!
The
world-renowned festival attracted local and international journalists
invited to report on a jazz festival that featured a remarkable variety
of notable American jazz artists. Kenny Garrett, Ellis Marsalis,
Yellowjackets, Gato Barbieri, Keiko Matsui, Pieces of a Dream, Jason
Moran, Horacio El Negro Hernandez and Giovanni Hidalgo, The Charles
Flores Quintet, Tito De Gracia, Adrian Clarke, and a number of local
musicians played day and night, plus late-night jam sessions held at
the popular jazz venue Time Out. Time Out was the musicians' and fans'
choice as unofficial after-party central.
Concerts were held
at Barbados' top venues, including Sunbury Plantation House, Farley
Hill National Park, the Rum Factory at Heritage Park, the Sherbourne
Conference Center, and the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium.
Barbados
native Janelle Headley helped open the fest and performed at Heritage
Park/The Rum Factory, but her performance at Time Out later in the week
gave festivalgoers even more reason to cheer. Lively covers of "Day and
Night," followed by a soulful version of Jill Scott's "He Loves Me" had
audience members shouting for more.
Wednesday night: The
double bill at the Sherbourne Conference Center with pianists Ellis
Marsalis and Jason Moran turned up the heat a thousand notches.
Complete
with dry ice and a light show that smacked of rock concerts, Moran and
his Bandwagon played music from their new CD featuring the cut "Jump"
from Same Mother (Blue Note, 2005).
Bassist Tarus Mateen
played well despite a little jet lag. Drummer Nasheet Waits and the
whole band played a tight set. "It's good to be away from New York,"
said Moran as he paused between songs. He added, "It's an honor to play
before my teacher, Ellis Marsalis. When I was 16 years old, my mother
took me to see Mr. Marsalis in New Orleans."
Jason and the Bandwagon swing our way in May.
Mr.
Marsalis and drummer/son Jason Marsalis, plus saxophonist Derek Douget
cooked. The crowd cheered Jason on, who was straight swinging during a
number of solos that revealed the drummer knows how to paint with
brushes. During "Softly as a Morning Sunrise," Herbie Hancock's
"Dolphin Dance" and "My Favorite Things," concertgoers went wild for
the divine interplay between father and son. But L.A.-based Douget
stood out by adding his own voice to the trio's swingin' sound. A
well-earned standing ovation followed.
On the way to the
Alicia Keys concert Friday night, journalists viewed a street named for
the former Prime Minister Errol Barrow [Nina Simone's lover]. At one of
Barbados' most highly anticipated concert performances all year, Alicia
Keys took center stage at Garfield Sobers Gymnasium for an hour-long
set.
A tussle broke out in the press box between a local
journalist and Carter Keys' bodyguard, after he was caught using his
camera to film the Grammy-award winner after the time allowed. "Woman's
Worth," "Diary," and the popular hit "Falling" featuring background
vocalist Jeremiah Germaine were crowd pleasers. Keys closed with "You
Don't Know My Name," which turned into a sing-along for enthusiastic
fans. The acoustics were as good as it gets in a gym. The local buzz
was that Keys' set was too short and she should've had a local opening
act.
On Friday nights, locals and tourists mingled at a popular
fish fry hangout known as Oistins. Bob Marley look-alikes partied it up
elbow-to-elbow with Brits while dancing to street music — on the
street.
Saturday afternoon: A gigantic crowd of all ages
ascended on Farley Hill National Park to listen to a diversified mix of
Cuban/Latin jazz with soulful R & B rhythms provided by Pieces of a
Dream, Timbales player Tito De Gracia, and bassist Charles Flores'
Quintet with Horacio El Negro Hernandez and Giovanni Hidalgo. Pieces
also had the park jumpin' with renditions of "Devotion" and "Do I Do."
Gerald Veasley's infectious bass lines helped make their set a festival
high point.
The party on the hill continued on Sunday as the
crowd danced in the rain to the majestic sounds of Kenny Garrett and
his group, consisting of young upstarts. Opening was Keiko Matsui, who
seemed a little mismatched among the weekend artist line-up. The
Yellowjackets closed. Garrett returns to the Dakota next month.
Farley
Hill was the fave gathering spot for locals and visitors, which hosted
a two-day weekend of performances. Local press referred to the setting
amongst acres of lush parkland as "jazz on the hill." With the shade of
over 3,000 trees, the combination of the view of Scotland district on
the North East Atlantic coastline, and the gentle ocean breeze, the
family-friendly park was the place to see and be seen.
Robin James and Stephanie Brown at Farley Hill in Barbados on Saturday, Jan 15. Photo by Scott
Galloway.
For more information on the next Barbados Jazz Festival, visit www.barbadosjazzfestival.com.
Robin James welcomes reader responses to
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 Friday, 21 November 2008
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