Showing posts with label live music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label live music. Show all posts

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Live Music: Get Festive! Choosing the region's best music festivals

Take your pick from jazz and blues to techno, reggae and soul and you’ll find a music festival in the Caribbean that will keep your toes tapping and your hips swaying.  Check out our musical calendar and snag a front row seat at the Caribbean’s longest running jazz festival in St. Lucia, get groovy to soul sounds on the beach in Aruba, blues on the beach in Nevis and rock all night to a reggae beat in Jamaica.

 What started as a single show to celebrate the January 15 birthday of reggae homegrown hero Patrick ‘Tony Rebel’ Barrett has morphed into a mainstay on the Jamaican music calendar. For two days — January 15 and 16 — Rebel Salute honors roots and reggae at the Plantation Cove in St. Ann. With a nod to the Rastafarian lifestyle, the no meat and no alcohol policy makes the festival family-friendly with food vendors dishing up vegetarian options to music fans of all ages. On the bill this year are old-school reggae singer Johnny Clarke and boy band Inner Circle. Sponsored by the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association, fans honor Bob Marley’s February 6 birthday with a month-long series of celebrations and concerts at Reggae Village at Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre on Hope Road in Kingston: the heart and soul of reggae and the city where Marley was born.

 Brand new on the music scene, SXMusic is the island's first electronic music festival from March 9 – 13. Named for the three-letter airport code (SXM) of the Princess Juliana International Airport, performances take place at a host of venues on both sides of the island like Kontiki Beach, Loterie Farm, Port De Plaisance Country Club and Le Dreams Beach Bar. The five-day fest impresses with an international lineup like Welsh DJ Jamie Jones and Cuban-born electronic spinner Maceo Plex to Dubfire, Iranian-American Grammy winning techno disc jockey and record producer. To be seen, the hip and happening head to after-parties on the beach, in lavish villas and on super yachts that keep the vibe all night long.

  big festival on the small island with miles of pink sandy beaches, 'Eleuthera…All that Jazz' is music for a good cause with profits from ticket sales donated  to the Haynes Library. From March 30 — April 3, the festival is a beacon for global artists like jazz singer Gabrielle Stravelli adored for her unique take on American greats like Duke Ellington and Dolly Parton, American pianist and composer Art Hirahara whose latest recording Libations & Meditations is taking the jazz world by storm and New York’s King Solomon Hicks packing his jazzy guitar sounds to the good time festival. Venues include the Rainbow Inn in Governor’s Harbour, St Patrick’s Church and on the final evening, musical jam session at the Fish Fry in Anchor Bay is a free show from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

 With St Kitts in view across the channel, The Nevis Blues Festival is center stage on the coconut-lined beach at Oualie Bay from April 14 — 16.  The best soul, funk and yes, the blues heat up the festival that was so popular last year, it’s making a comeback in 2016. Gates open at 7 p.m. with no more than 1200 music fans let in each night. On the bill, British bluesman Ian Siegel, American guitarist Kirk Fletcher acclaimed for his cool riffs, Belfast-born singer Simon McBride and the bluesy Rhythm Chiefs from the Netherlands. With roots in Nevis, Denise Gordon has performed her brand of gospel for the Queen and making music with long hollow pipes; Sugar Hill String Band is fun for the whole family. Single tickets are priced at USD$45 while a VIP ticket at USD$150 ups the ante with reserved seating for dining and plenty of fine wine sipping.

 hat started more than a quarter century ago as an intimate jam session on the beach is now the longest running independent music festival in the Eastern Caribbean and the hottest ticket on the island. From April 21 — 24, Moonsplash is beach reggae greatness at the Dune Preserve Beach Bar that is cobbled together from battered coconut trees and old shipwrecks. On the sand at Rendezvous Bay, the beach blowout at the beach bar is hosted by reggae hero Bankie Banx and is a showcase for international reggae artists, a proving ground for new talent and a musical reunion of many of reggae’s finest. Tickets sell out early as the 2016 lineup is announced closer to show time.

 This year marks the 25th anniversary of the longest running jazz festival in the Caribbean. Spanning nine days from April 29 — May 8, St. Lucia Jazz attracts thousands to shows performed by more than 50 acoustic, fusion and new age jazz artists from the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and the U.S. With the dramatic Piton peaks in view from virtually everywhere on the island, stages are set up at 15 venues from picturesque Pigeon Island, Derek Walcott Square (named for the island's Nobel Prize winning poet), Fond D’Or Heritage Park and even the down-home fishing village called Gros Islet. Be sure to check out side shows like Sulphur Springs Jazz at the world’s only drive-in-volcano and Jazz Rhythms at Rodney Bay Mall.

 A host of festivals keeps Curacao rocking all year long, with the International Blue Seas Festivalleading the pack from May 6 — 7.  With stages in the laid-back neighborhood near Willemstadcalled the Pietermaai District with its centuries-old mansions and funky bars and restaurants, performers taking the stage include Rock and Roll Hall of Fame great Leon Russell and California-based Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real and their infectious cowboy hippie surf sounds. Book your tickets early for the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival September 1 — 3 at the World Trade Center near Piscadera Bay in Willemstad. This year marks the seventh year for this popular festival, with crowd-pleasing performers like the Dominican ‘King of Merengue’ Juan Luis Guerraand the Zouk band Kassav from Guadeloupe belting out their get-up-on-your-feet brand of carnival music.
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Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Live music: "Hallelujah" Prince, "Prayer" and more at Gem's show







The great Leonard Cohen (still going strong at 81) might well be bemused - or even amused - at the way his classic of cynicism, sexual posturing and resignation, "Hallelujah" has been transformed into a mighty spiritual anthem, especially by Jamaicans weaned on its exposure through the movie "Shrek" (and many other Hollywood presentations) and also through countless performances by "American Idol" and "The Voice ' hopefuls.

And so it was that Jamaican "veteran" Lukie D (best known as one-fourth pf the vocal group LUST) added to the song's legend with a typically spirited - and taken as spirit-filled - reading of the song for a hugely appreciative audience at the Pegasus this past Sunday.

The singer's appearance was part of a cavalcade of (mostly) male singers called upon by Gem mYers as part of what is now a highly anticipated annual showcase. With them embers of Fab 5 surrounding her, and with Lymie Murray, Tony Rebel, Bagga Case, Roy Rayon and the aforementioned Lukie D on the roster, the impish Myers, who preceded each guest on stage, could well be forgiven for starting with the Weather Girls' 1982 disco smash, "Its Raining Men".

And Murray- admirably - took the "rain" purple with a slick yet robust cover of the late Prince's "The Most Beautiful Girl In the World" even leaping off the stage to pick a damsel out of the audience the he deemed worthy of the title line.

Family emergency kept us from enjoying the show i n entirety, but the capacity audience (which grew steadily) no doubt got their money's worth and had more than enough reason to shout "Hallelujah!"
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Thursday, December 17, 2015

A winning night ath the Alibi Image 1

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Monday, December 14, 2015

The Alibi Sessions, Vol 1, Number 1

Catch bassist Shurwayne Thompson, of Pon Fyah band, in a wicked solo during the band's latest live music excursion at the Alibi, in Kingson    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POViBBgUsts
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Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Live Music: Sisters Did It at Jazz in the Gardens






The penultimate engagement of the year for the series gave the mic (and in at least one case, the instrument) to the ladies, and they certainly did not disappoint. time did not permit us to take in all the acts, but gospel-jazz singer Diamara Neil, Judi Emmanuel, Althea Hewitt, newcomer Orisha Sound and opener Azurri all sparkled on the night.

http://www.amway.com/emxgroup
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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Live Music: On a Night of Stars, Virgo rose highest

over the course of its long run,
the efficacy of the Rising Stars show as a vehicle for creating, well..... stars, has at times come under question. For every Christopher Martin and Brown Shuga (well, jury's still out there), there are myriad cold trails and broken dreams.

Despite all this, Romain Virgo made a very powerful argument in favour of the competition on Saturday night last, as he headlined  the latest in the exemplary Keesing Live series produced and presented by Alternative Music at their self-named Keesing Avenue venue.

In truth Virgo and his ace band, The Unit, showed the fruits of an extensive European swing in a sparkling set that encompassed the bulk of his growing catalog along a few worthy covers. The sprightly singer also took time to invite a few friends to shine with him, notably DJ Busy Signal and Agent Sasco(Assassin), and also related to his audience with heart-felt statements of gratitude.

With show producer Sharon Schroeter and here crew in attendance, the Rising Stars theme was was in full effect and the first spark came from former finalist Sharona Jonas, who moved energetically through a welcome range of selections, doing almost everything but her now famous split move. In truth, it was hardly missed as Jonas held her own vocally (in a manner slightly reminiscent of the late Nell Carter) and served notice that she will be a force to reckon with on the live scene especially down the road. Another "rising" outfit, the Conscious Rebelz, backed Jonas through her set.

Also appearing, to great effect, was former Red Stripe Big Break winner, Prophecy who, along with his own crack band put on an engaging set of newer material (he has an EP currently making the rounds) and his standbys such as "Break Loose" as well as some choice reggae classics.

 The Rebelz would also be on the stand for for a more established star, singer George Nooks, not heard from on the local circuit for some time. Emcee Tommy Cowan brought the reggae veteran on stage to a crescendo of cheers and whistles and he worked the venue - by then almost packed to capacity - with consummate ease.

The competition may well be decided by the time of this reading, but on the night the three remaining finalists, all ladies, gave pleasing accounts of themselves, the moreso for the fact that each used their own personality and attitude to overcome a momentary glitch with the accompanying tracks (in at least one case, longer than momentary). Of the Jody-Kay made the best impression on this writer, particularly with her reading of Aretha Franklin's pop smash "Freeway of Love".

At the start of the evening, 2013 Rising Stars alum, Kenny Smith, made like a James Taylor for Gen-X, strumming his guitar and gently yet volubly delivering his lines about "getting the Range Rover". The protoge of TOK's Craigy T, young Smith provides a welcome antidote to the "volume-addicted" batch of male singers/singjays out there, well capable of sustaining passion without shouting.

All in all, it was another feather in the collective cap of producers Booby Stewart and Charmaine Limonious; a show that starts on time, and steers clear of the dominant entertainment motifs: loudness. lewdness, lassiez-faire execution. In short, a venue that deserves to be filled to bursting every time.
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Friday, September 18, 2015

Keesing Live tonight! (info's there, forgive us for the gobbledygook)









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