Island Rhythms

By Kris King

The first collaboration between the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival and Jazz at Lincoln Center brought the premier Caribbean festival back to its original roots by presenting top international and Caribbean jazz artists together in a new setting.

Jazz at Lincoln Center added new components to the festival week by presenting master classes and free daily workshops with Grammy winners, nominees and local artists.

Also new was the location of this year’s festival. Previously held at Pigeon Island Park, the festival moved to the Rodney Bay Area where performances were held in large, elegant tents, just steps from the hip and happening ‘strip’ where numerous nightclubs and restaurants have patrons club-hopping between venues.

I happened to be at the second Saint Lucia Jazz Festival in 1993 when it was held in a variety of resorts on the island; the house band at my resort featured some of the best jazz artists of the time, known as the ‘young lions’.

Pianist Mulgrew Miller was the headliner, his band consisted of Christian McBride, Joshua Redman, Donald Harrison, Steve Turre and Jeff ‘Tain” Watts. Nancy Wilson, Herbie Hancock and other jazz luminaries were also in the line-up that year.

Over the years, the festival became the premier Caribbean festival. When I returned in 2008, it had grown up and become more diverse in its programming, featuring Dionne Warwick, Anita Baker, Angie Stone, Wyclef Jean and a host of smooth jazz artists like Najee, who is a Caribbean festival stalwart. By then, the festival had moved to historical heritage site Pigeon Island Park.

Fast forward to 2019; the collaboration between Saint Lucia Jazz and Jazz at Lincoln Center brought positive changes besides programming to this year’s festival. The free daily workshops and master classes were a smashing success, bringing in crowds of young people and adults who were eager to learn from the masters.

One night featured local saxophonist Augustin ‘Jab’ Duplessis, who turned in a stellar performance opening for jazz vocalist and two-time Grammy winner Gregory Porter, who also featured Ledisi in a late-night set.

Another evening, I was happily surprised to see my good friend Arturo Tappin performing with Boo and Friends in the opening set. I’ve known Boo and Arturo for many years from covering the Barbados Jazz Festival; both artists are well-known performers on the Caribbean jazz circuit and received a rousing ovation from the audience.

The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra featured 12-time Grammy nominee Ledisi in a tribute to Nina Simone, ‘Nina and Me’, starting off with the classic ‘Feeling Good’, an iconic song that Simone turned into an industry standard.

Ledisi stepped away from ‘Nina and Me’ briefly to perform Marvin Gaye’s ‘Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)’ then on to a well-known Frank Sinatra song ‘Our Love is Here to Stay’ before moving back to ‘Nina and Me’. Ledisi is beyond compare, her vocal talents are unique. As with Dianne Reeves, who also has a unique style of singing, Ledisi’s vocals shine no matter what genre she takes on.

I first saw her at the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival in 2008 where she blew the roof off the house in a dynamic performance with Najee’s band and Angie Stone. After this show, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra lead a parade down the strip to the jam session where the musicians played until 3 a.m.

Saturday night, the festival once again welcomed five-time Grammy Award winner Dianne Reeves, one of the best jazz vocalists in the world today. Local pianist Emerson Nurse and his trio opened the evening program with a variety of top jazz compositions.

The highlight of the evening was Reeves, who took the stage limping after a bad fall in a restaurant earlier that day. Unfortunately, it was a bittersweet day as it was also the anniversary of her mother’s death. When she dedicated ‘I Remember’ to her mom, she wasn’t the only one with tears in her eyes. Reeves’ stunning version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Suzanne’ was followed by Bob Marley’s ‘Waiting in Vain’. Despite being in pain from falling, her vocals were strong and clear as ever.

Beyond the stellar line-up, when people ask: “What makes the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival so special?” The answer is easy: location, location, location – Saint Lucia is paradise. I get to experience paradise one morning when my group sails to the southwest shore to see the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Pitons, with two volcanic plugs that rise like spires from the sea.

From there, I hike the Tet Paul Nature Trail to the lookout where on a clear day you can see both Martinique and St. Vincent. Nearby, the ‘World’s Only Drive-In Volcano’ and Sulphur Springs, is a chance to take a dip in a volcanic mud bath followed by a short drive to Toraille Waterfall for a rigorous massage under a 50-foot waterfall.

I also visit historical Pigeon Island and the ruins of the British base from the late 18th century give insight into the lives of both soldiers and slaves. On another day, I take a trip to the Castries market, Derek Walcott Square and the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, one of the largest churches in the Caribbean.

I had an opportunity to speak with Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Director of Programming and Touring Jason Olaine about the collaboration.

Here’s what he said: “This year we ha(d) workshops and master classes from Wednesday though Saturday free to the public, hosted by our artists in residence, who range from Christian McBride to Russell Hall, Patrick Bartley and Etienne Charles talking about how they got into jazz, the business of jazz, jazz and Caribbean music, the birth of jazz and how to listen to jazz – all sorts of different ways these artists in residence have been bringing jazz to the public, to small kids, the general public, adults, etc.

Even though this festival has been around for 27 years, we want this festival to grow. They kind of shifted away from jazz so if they want to come back to jazz, we are more than happy and willing to help them get on their feet and move forward. We hope this is the first year of many years of collaboration.”