Prologue: The call had gone out for pure jazz lovers to gather on Tuesday, May 7, at the Pavilion on Rodney Bay to experience the “jazz” in the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival. This was supposed to be a night rich in the traditions of blues, African rituals and spirituals, ragtime, marches and creole. The indoor, cabaret-style setting of the venue welcomed many who answered the call.
Act 1: Scene 1:
Mannaseth Edward presents Pan Jazz. This scene could have easily been described as a tribute to the greats. Appearing somewhat coy at first on stage, there was nothing shy, however, about the dexterity of this homegrown pan player. His precision across the notes on the pan was quite remarkable.
Whether it was Dizzy Gillespie’s Night in Tunisia, Grover Washington Jr’s Winelight or a bit of Coltrane – Edward’s interpretations were all delightful. A piece by Saint Lucia’s own Jazz great Emerson Nurse was also thrown into the mix as well as one of Edward’s original compositions.
Among the featured musicians were Rhea Drakes of Barbados on keyboards and Rupert Lay on bass.
The set ended with the band marrying nuances of calypso into jazz with the song Damn Proud Lucian.
Mannaseth Edward who told the night’s host that he has been into music-jazz in particular for 30 years now, cherished his debut on the Jazz mainstage.
So much so that he went over his allotted time for his opening scene, cutting into the time for Scene 2.
Act 1: Scene 2
Turn off ambience music, dim the lights and, Etienne Charles, a familiar face with jazz lovers appears on stage with yellow jacket, black pants with yellow stripes and blue jeweled hat – an ensemble as intensely hued as the Creole jazz he is about to unleash.
Jazz Times once described this Trinbagonian as a “daring improviser” and on the night Etienne Charles lived up to this but also proclaimed his proud Caribbean roots. Delivering a full dose of Creole jazz, Charles was accompanied by musicians from Cuba, New York and Haiti. Among his deliverables were Creole which he said he composed after his first trip to Haiti and a composition by Henri Salvadore of French Guiana as he traversed the shores of the Caribbean with some refreshing music scores.
During this scene, Charles would move between his signature instrument the trumpet but also added poignant notes on percussion.
During a medley of old road march songs, he encouraged the audience to get up and dance if they wanted to, breathing a sense of New Orleans meets West Indies Jazz into his performance. That set was completed with the very apt inclusion of Merchant’s Caribbean Connection.
To close off, Charles surprised fans with his take on the most successful Dennery segment song today, Split in the Middle, proving once again why he is one of the most innovative and creative jazz musicians of our time. Scene 2 ended on such a high that some felt it was the finale.
Act 1 Scene 3
For the third scene Matteo Mancuso came all the way from Sicily, Italy. Now while one would make the connection between Creole jazz and maybe Acireale Carnival of Sicily, Mancuso stuck to his script, bringing riotous sound colours to the stage.
This scene was not for the faint hearted; the purists stayed glued to their seats and some disciples of Mancuso were riveted.
Mancuso’s stage delivery was edgy, sticking to his blend of rock and jazz with hints of flamenco. The band was very tight throughout. Mancuso’s electric guitar rang out through the room with improvisations that stuck to his signature pick-free delivery. Fans were in awe and by the end a few converts were born.
Epilogue: There have been growing calls to expand the straight-ahead jazz offerings at the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival – and the organisers are listening. After dedicating just one night to pure jazz in 2023, the festival will now feature two nights in 2025, signalling a return to its core. Act 1 was nothing short of spectacular, and if Act 2’s performers deliver as expected, jazz purists will have their cravings thoroughly satisfied. Stay tuned for what promises to be another unforgettable showcase.
