The editors of Caribbean Beat recently announced that this is part of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the magazine. This issue’s cover displays the multi-talented Trinidadian musician and composer Etienne Charles. In “Etienne Charles: a head for jazz and a creole soul,” Nigel Campbell traces the musician’s professional trajectory—a fascinating read. I highly recommend it; see excerpts below, and read the full article at Caribbean Beat:
From his jaunty fedora to his bespoke suits, Trinidadian Etienne Charles looks like a jazzman — and he has the musical chops to back it up. A phenomenal talent with the trumpet, he’s also earned a reputation as a composer with a gift for merging traditional Caribbean genres with jazz [. . .].
[. . .].Currently, Charles serves as associate professor of jazz trumpet at highly ranked Michigan State University (MSU), where he just completed his eighth year, and where he was awarded tenure in 2016. “I’ve definitely taken to academia,” he says, “and teaching is one of the most crucial professions in our society, with respect to inspiring as well as leading students through their exploration of idioms, styles, and techniques. It’s also something I find great joy in doing.” Charles is obviously well respected at MSU — he was awarded the 2016 Teacher-Student Award, which recognises some of the best teachers at the university. In the words of James Forger, dean of the College of Music, Charles is “one of the brightest minds in jazz performance and artistic creativity today.”
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