St Lucia Jazz Fest 2014

Main Stage Sunday night

We’ve made long road trips and even have flown in to major cities to see a music show, but the St Lucia Jazz Fest takes the cake.  We have known about the festival for quite some time, and realized it might fit in our plans as we sailed south, so we made firm plans to arrive in St Lucia on or before May 1^st.  This was the only “firm” plan we made, since keeping a schedule on a boat is asking for trouble.  We arrived in Rodney Bay, St Lucia on May 3^rd – not too bad in boat scheduling terms.  

Skip Monday performance in the mall venue

The festival ran from April 30^th through May 11^th.  With 50 artists and over 20 venues, there was plenty of music over 12 days.  While many venues were in the Rodney Bay area, other venues were spread out in the southern portion of the island such as Marigot Bay, Castries, and Soufriere.  

Drum jam at the Fire Grill

Our first glance at the website to review performers revealed some names we hadn’t heard before and some that were vaguely familiar.  In existence for over 20 years, the festival has drawn acts like Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Ziggy Marley, Jean Luc Ponty, Buddy Guy, Maynard Ferguson, Bobby Watson (from Kansas City), Rihanna (2006), Earl Klugh, Tito Puente, Jeff Lorber, and the list goes on.  Several veteran cruisers mentioned the “Amy Winehouse” year.  This was in 2009 when she walked offstage halfway into her headlining comeback show, not because she was drunk, but because of technical problems caused by continual heavy rain, so I’ve read.

Main Stage Sunday afternoon

The festival has evolved over the years to include contemporary pop artists in addition to traditional jazz, but some of these artists cross over into their own version of the genre which really broadens the term and makes for some very interesting listening.  Reggae, Soca (a blend of soul, calypso, and funk), and what I term Island Hip Hop is also well represented, but I still think it’s OK to call this a Jazz Festival.  Musical talent from the Caribbean islands is amazing and truly world class.  I suppose isolation and logistics prevents many from reaching the US, but it’s amazing how many find their way to Europe and Japan to perform.  Sometimes I think that Americans have lost track of our greatest export and jazz is more appreciated abroad. 

Barbara and her band

One of our discoveries this year was a saxophonist and pianist named Barbara Cadet, who was born in the UK but raised in St Lucia.  She played several times throughout the festival, mostly in small venues, although in past years she has shared the main stage on the final night.  She was brought to our attention by fellow cruiser who just so happens to be from St Lucia.  His name is Archie and he had just returned by sailboat from the States after 40 years of living and working in Minnesota of all places.  We both participated in the Salty Dawg Rally that sailed from the east coast to the British Virgin Islands.  Archie is a longtime jazz lover and had been following her career for years and just knew that we would love her music.  We were privileged to stand just a few feet away and witnessed an amazing performance from a band made up of young musicians, all from St Lucia.  Barbara is a take charge band leader but made it point to showcase her young talent.  The horns and percussion were as good anything I’ve seen in quite a while – simply amazing.  

Talented Barbara Cadet

Another discovery was Monty Alexander, a native Jamaican who moved to the US in the early ‘60’s to play with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Sonny Rollins, and even Frank Sinatra.  Monty was smooth and had the stage presence of the old master that he is.  His set was on the final day and started with slow standards, then built up to a medley of jazzed up reggae that had the entire crowd on their feet and cheering.  

Monty Alexander

The headliner that evening was Maxwell, a Brooklyn native who seems to be known throughout the Caribbean and the rest of the world, but somehow escaped my notice until now.  He’s best described as a black Justin Timberlake with a stellar backup band.  While not necessarily my cup of tea, his performance was definitely worthy of a final headlining act.  

Commodores - getting after it

That said, the act before Maxwell was probably the most fun, based on my reaction and the crowd’s – the Commodores.  These guys showed up to play and put on a show that was loud, fast, fun, and almost carnival-like.  Sure they’re old and that Lionel guy was a no show, but the energy was infectious.  Again, not my go to music, but they seem to define professional showmanship that is lost with many young pop acts.

 

Commodores - still shaking it after all these years

The main stage setting for the final three days was at Pigeon Island, a national park consisting of beaches and numerous ruins from a British fort complex.  The temporary stage was set up with a beach as a backdrop, and seating was on the grass.  Most people brought their own chairs or blankets.  We were shocked to learn that we could bring in our own food and drink, the only restriction being no wine bottles with corks – screw tops were OK.   It really wasn’t necessary because there were dozens of food vendors selling local favorites alongside beer, wine, and any kind of liquor you could think of, all at reasonable prices.  Quite a contrast to outdoor music shows in the States where you are met with a full frisk down at the gate then forced to buy grossly overpriced food and drink.  

Several days after the show, I returned to Pigeon Island for a hike to the top of the hill to check out the ruins of the fort and found no sign of what took place only days earlier.  The stage and all vendor booths had been dismantled and the place was spotless.  The St Lucians truly take pride in their island.

View from Pigeon Island of Jazz Fest grounds - spotless

Pigeon Island fort

View of Rodney Bay from the fort

One of MANY cannons

The Jazz Festival was a fun stop and we’re glad it fit in our cruising schedule, if we have such a thing.  It was a long way to travel to see some music, but then we’re just like that.