Bequia Music Fest

January 27th, 2015

What is it about a Caribbean music festival that is so attractive to us?  Could it simply be the setting on an island with sunshine and warm breezes, the promise of hearing some great live music, the chance to be a part of the local scene and “get in on the action”?, or maybe it’s just the fact that we can get there in our own boat.  Whatever the attraction is, we’re hooked.  The 15^th annual Bequia Music Fest ended last week and we’re still talking about it.  We read about it last year when we were in the northern Caribbean and thought it might be something to pencil in on the calendar.  After checking the dates again when we were back in Trinidad, a stop in Bequia around festival time was definitely possible as we plan to sail north through the islands this year.  Bequia ranks pretty high with other cruisers we’ve met so we wanted to spend some time on the island at some point – why not during Music Fest?  We arrived three days before the festival started and found plenty of room in the anchorage.  It quickly filled up over the next several days as more cruisers and charter boats filtered in. 

Trail up to De Reef

Trail down from De Reef

The opening night kicked off with the Elite Steel Orchestra at the waterside restaurant Frangipani.  This first event was free and the venue was packed equally with cruisers and locals.  The music was lively and the crowd fully engaged.  When the music stopped at Frangipani, a quick stroll down several streets revealed numerous local clubs playing all sorts of dance music at full volume.  We learned firsthand that these clubs stay open until the wee hours of the morning.  

The next night the action moved to the main venue, De Reef, which is a beach bar/restaurant at the end of Lower Bay.  Our boat was anchored about 300 yards away.  This was a Friday night so the place was packed, again with locals and cruisers.  The main act for the night was the London Blues Band, fronted by Dana Gillespie, a longtime British blues singer with quite a stage presence.  Aside from her main band, a number of guest players joined her all night long, most of which were still in the Grenadines after performing at the Mustique Blues Festival a few weeks earlier.  While De Reef is a pretty large venue for a beach establishment, two large projection screens were provided behind the state to accommodate the large crowd.  The music was amazing.

The music on Saturday kicked off with a free afternoon show at the Bequia Beach Hotel in Friendship Bay on the south side of the island.  It was a nice mile long hike from where we landed our dinghy.  There was a small stage near the beach with mostly local players who turned the afternoon into a long jam session.  The cruiser crowd was in full force and didn’t mind the more free-form music.  It was a good warmup for the evening which was back to De Reef venue.

NJ30+

NJ30+ - our favorites

The lineup that night included Edwin Yearwood, the Nicholas Brancker Project, both fronting high energy Socca bands.  A local Bequia blues man, Toby Armstrong performed next.  He was a crowd pleaser with chops that would hold up in any blues circuit in the States. His bad slowly gave way to the powerhouse group NJ30+, a six piece group from Barbados.  NJ30+ refers to New Jazz, three members and more.  With a blend of fusion jazz, socca, and quite a bit of funk these guys could play.  What’s remarkable about them is their youth.  The two sax players and trumpet man are in their mid 20’s, all of which have chops way beyond their years.  The local blues man Toby  Armstrong is evidently a friend of the group as he joined them for several numbers.

Beachside at De Reef

Sunday was the last day and the music kicked off at 12:30 at De Reef.  The Bequia Kids Steel Pan Orchestra, the Bequia Blues Band, and several local favorites preceded the headliner, Caribbean Socca legend, Winston Soso.  He’s been around for a while but he still knows how to work the crowd into frenzy.  At the close of Saturday’s show, we were informed that a special surprise guest would be appearing on Sunday.  Halfway through Winston Sosa’s last set, I saw the young horn players from NJ30+ huddled in a corner with their instruments, so I knew we hadn’t seen the last of them.  Yep, NJ30+ was the special guest to finish off the festival.  I didn’t think it was possible, but they brought more energy to the stage than the night before – these young guys are monsters. 

The Bequia Music Fest is definitely on our calendar for 2016.  What we liked about the festival were the small venues, all of which we could walk to.  Also, the level of organization was good which included a good website, numerous flyers and posters around the town, and big sense of anticipation from most of the locals.  We met quite a few tourists who fly in and stay for several weeks just to take in the festival and have been doing it for years.  Tickets were reasonable and there was no food and beverage price gouging.  Oh, and the music was world class. 

    

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.