Good Vibes!

Jon Faddis

• Directing the Caribbean Music Orchestra with Special Guest René Marie
• Opening Act: Steel Pan Ensemble under the direction of Victor Provost

Pre-eminent trumpeter Jon Faddis, joined by vocal icon René Marie and the Caribbean Music Orchestra wrap up the third installation of the Caribbean Music Festival. This dynamic big band, followed by the Steel Pan Ensemble under the direction of Victor Provost, creates an unsurpassed evening of pleasure.

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Caribbean Music Festival

The U.S. Virgin Islands Dept. of Tourism is proud to announce the launch of the USVI Caribbean Music Festival on the island of St. Croix with outstanding programming curated by United Jazz Foundation in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center. The festival is free to the public and will take place over several weekends with a line-up of headliners that reads like the Who's Who of Jazz.

This event:

Saturday, May 27: Jon Faddis

Other Events:

Friday, February 17: Dianne Reeves

Saturday, March 25: Chucho Valdes

We're excited about this series of USVI Caribbean Music Festival events and can't wait to see you there.

Learn more: https://www.caribbeanmusicheritage.org/

Our gratitude to the V.I. Lottery for stepping in as a premier sponsor!

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About Tonight's Artists   

Jon Faddis is a GRAMMY© Award–nominated jazz trumpet player, and complete and consummate musician – conductor, composer, and educator -- marked by both intense integrity and humor. He began playing trumpet at age eight, inspired by an appearance of Louis Armstrong on the Ed Sullivan Show. Three years later, his trumpet teacher Bill Catalano, an alumnus of the Stan Kenton band, turned the jazz-struck youngster on to Dizzy Gillespie. By his mid-teens, he had not only met John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie, but he had even sat in with his hero’s combo at the famed Jazz Workshop in San Francisco. Faddis earned accolades from Gillespie, who declared of Faddis, “He’s the best ever, including me!” As a trumpeter, Faddis possesses a virtually unparalleled range and full command of his instrument, making the practically impossible seem effortless.

René Marie is a modern vocal icon and very rare artist whose unique artistry has been recognized with multiple domestic and international awards including two GRAMMY© Award nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album. A lyricist, composer, arranger, playwright, actress, educator, speaker, and social justice activist, René is an Americana roots artist with jazz improvisational chops. Influenced by her southern upbringing, she incorporates folk, R&B, country, and classical elements into her music and approach, lending her an innovative sound and style that have captivated audiences worldwide. Over a span of two decades, eleven recordings, and countless festival and concert stage performances, René inspires people with her artistry, her life story and her ability to affirm the power of the human spirit.

Steel Pan Ensemble, under the direction of Victor Provost, brings together some of the USVI’s finest pan players. As an award-winning steel pannist, composer, and bandleader, and one of the world’s leading voices on the unique, and often misunderstood, steel pan, Provost continues to help change perceptions about steel drums, using them in jazz and pop music. Through appearances at concert halls, clubs, and stages throughout the world, he has been meticulously developing a reputation as a dazzling soloist, crafting an impressive improvisational voice and style. With a strong foundation in Bebop, a contemporary sensibility, and deep roots in Caribbean music, he seamlessly melds and mixes genres. Some of the featured members in the ensemble include Le’Roi Simmonds, Eljhaie Brathwaite, and Ronald Lee.