16th Edition Terre de Blues 2015 - Marie Galante

Terre de Blues 2015 (link for more info if you are interested)

This is going to be good

Last year we had learned the island of Marie-Galante has a music festival, Terra de Blues, that rivals the other big festivals on St Lucia and Bequia.  That’s all the information we needed when planning our itinerary for 2015.  We had other good things about Marie-Galante, such as how fun it is to rent scooters and explore the island.  Located just south and east of Guadeloupe, Marie-Galante is not easy to visit on a sailboat.  It lies east of the more visited islands, requiring a heading into the prevailing easterly winds.  We knew this, so part of the plan was to make it easier by working our way north, also to windward, by visiting Pointe a Pitre in Guadeloupe for a few days.  That way our sail to Marie Galante would be a bit easier.  It was, sort of.  

Jimmy Cliff - Jamaica

We arrived several days before the festival was to begin and anchored in the inner harbor next to the ferry boat dock.  It was tight anchorage but surprisingly not many boats had arrived yet.  We chose a spot that was less than 100 yards from the secondary stage, offering good views and plenty of sound for sure.  This stage was for the opening acts on Friday and the closing acts on Monday, both days having free admission.  Along with this stage there were artists selling local crafts, plus plenty of food vendors with all kinds of local favorites, including crepes.

Vasti Jackson - USA

Shows for Saturday and Sunday were held on a large main stage located on the grounds of an old sugar plantation called Murat Habitat.  It was just over a mile walk, some of which was along the beach.  The day before the show, the ferries were unloading more and more people, and several more boats arrived to tuck into the anchorage.  We soon learned that most of the ferry arrivals were camping on the beach.  Tents and campfires were everywhere along the long stretch of beach leading to the main stage.  

Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 - Nigeria

The show started on a Friday afternoon, with performances by local school music groups – singing choirs and jazz bands.  The show was free and open to the public.  Later in the day, sound checks began for the main act of the evening.  Yes, it was going to be loud.  Friday’s main act was Anzala, a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Guadeloupe.  His specialty was Gwoka music, a percussion heavy style of traditional folk music that he appears to be the master of.  He was quite good.  

Sister Sledge - USA

Saturday’s show began in the evening, so we had plenty of time to wander around in town and buy tickets.  The ticket price for each day was $40 Euro or about $45 US.  Not a bad price in comparison with concerts and festivals in the states.  Oh, and NO junk service fees.  Seating was open on the grass that sloped gently down to the huge stage.  I don’t think there was a bad spot anywhere.  Getting a late start, we missed the first act, Alain Jean-Marie, a pianist from Guadeloupe.  As we found a prime spot on the lawn, the second act began, Mayra Andrade, from Cape Verde.  A soulful singer who blended jazz with Latin and reggae style rhythms.  She sang mostly in Portuguese, but it really didn’t matter if you know what I mean.  Jimmy Cliff was the headliner of the evening.  At nearly 70 years old, his powerful voice and energy level remain impressive. Known to most as a reggae artist, he really has developed his own version of Caribbean popular music.  His version of Cat Stevens’ Wild World is a stunner.  He was one of the reasons we made the effort to sail to Marie-Galante.  Two things I didn’t know about Jimmy Cliff:  He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, and he’s not a Rasta.  

Guy Vadeleux and O'Tantik - Martinique

Sunday we made it to the show quite a bit earlier.  We found a spot near the front center and planted ourselves.  First up was Vasti Jackson, a blues artist from the states that I’d not heard before.  I’m not the biggest blues aficionado, but I do have some favorites.  Jackson is clearly a veteran and is a disciple of BB King.  He even dedicated his performance to the late blues legend.  His energy, showmanship and stellar backup band didn’t have the effect on the crowd as I thought it would – at first.  After pronouncing a few phrases in French, and playing a few numbers with jazz and reggae beats, the crowd started to go wild.  I’ve learned that American style blues isn’t embraced in the islands, but he certainly broke through that barrier with his lively and sincere performance.  Jackson will now be on my blues radar for a long time.  

Marlow Rosado - Puerto Rico

Next up was the Nigerian group Egypt 80, fronted by Seun Kuti, the son of a legendary African musician and political activist.  This group consisted of keyboards, horns, drums of all kinds, plus two singers/dancers that were hard to ignore.  One player that stood out was a man who played a very large Shekere, or a gourd covered in beaded netting.  This guy was tall and mostly expressionless, but he moved about the stage in perfect rhythm with the music and added a unique sound with his instrument of choice.  The music of Egypt 80 was fast and loaded with texture.  The vocals were political at times, but based on his background, Seun Kuti had every right to express himself.  If your reference for Afrobeat music is Paul Simon’s Graceland, you haven’t heard anything yet – this group was amazing.  

Misie Sadik and friends - Guadeloupe

Sister Sledge was the headliner for the night, a group we all know from the ‘70’s right?  Well, the mostly French speaking audience in Marie-Galante knew the group as well.  While my musical tastes were being formed in the mid to late seventies, disco never registered with me.  However, one song that still rattles around in my head is We Are Family.  Perhaps that song is seared into your brain as well.  The two remaining sisters took the stage with another singer that certainly looked like a sister.  One thing that strikes me about aging music performers is that they seem to be as good or better than when they were in their prime.  Sister Sledge is no exception.  They were in tune, had smiles on their faces, and could still move and dance like they did 35 years ago.  Oh, and these aging girl groups seem to attract the best musical backup talent out there.  Of course my favorite standout was the drummer, Ira King.  He takes the stage wearing a giant Egyptian pharaoh hat.  It looked kind of goofy and I thought he might ditch it after a song or two.  Nope, he wore it through the last encore, it stay on throughout his several solo sessions.  A powerful drummer with amazing speed, Ira seemed to be a favorite of the sisters and the crowd as well.  

Harmonic and handmade shaker

Lunch time drumming session

The music fest concluded with four acts on the stage behind the anchorage. In the lineup were two groups from Guadeloupe, one group from Martinique, and my favorite of the night, Marlow Rosado, from Puerto Rico.  Marlow is a pianist, composer, and producer with 11 Grammy nominations under his belt, and Grammy win in 2012 for the Best Tropical Latin Album called Retro.  His high energy band consisted of horns, a singer, plus of course congas, timbales, and an entertaining bongocero from Cuba.  He didn’t speak much French, so he called up a local girl to the stage for translation between numbers.  It was easy to see why he was continually distracted by her dancing off to the side of the stage.  

We’re glad we made the effort to sail to Marie-Galante and will likely do it again next year.  It also gave us a chance to connect with other cruiser friends aboard sailing vessels Pamela, Libertine, and Saltwhistle – all music lovers who came to the island for the same reason.