7 7 7 - Day Seven

Final day of the 7/7/7 music challenge. This one actually comes from Sabrina Nichols. The James Bond Theme, arranged by John Barry. Arguably on the most recognizable tunes aside from Jingle Bells. Enjoy.
My final nominee is...Paul Jones - seven songs, seven days, seven nominees. Looking forward to some good ones Paul! Everyone else can now take a deep breath and know that you are off the hook.

7 7 7 - Day Six

Day six of the 7/7/7 music challenge. Tom Waits. His voice is too rough, he sings sad songs, he's scary - all good reasons to avoid listening to this guy. I'm offering up a gem from one of his early releases, Small Change. Give it a chance and at least you'll be able to say you've heard a Tom Waits song all the way through, you might want to pour yourself a drink first.
Next nominee, my good friend Martin Wesemann, give it a go Marty, I know you've got some good ones!

7 7 7 - Day Five

Day five of the 7/7/7 music challenge - the band Morphine. Original and unique, their sound was a mixture of blues, rock, jazz, and some other secret ingredient - not sure what it was. With two string electric bass, baritone sax, and minimalist drumming, here is Buena, from their 1992 album Cure for Pain (also on my desert island list).
Next nominee, Shawn Vetter, seven songs in seven days plus seven nominees, are you ready?

7 7 7 - Day Four

Day four of the 7/7/7 music challenge. This one is fun - after he blinded us with science in 1982, Thomas Dolby managed to record eight albums, produce numerous other artists, start a silicon valley tech company, and was musical director for TED talks. He now records in a converted 30's era lifeboat moored on land in Suffolk, England. Oh, and I just happened to be in the audience for the video below.
The next nominee is....Dave Beving give us your best!

7 7 7 - Day three

Day three of the 7/7/7 music challenge. I'm going to please jazz fans with this one. Pat Matheny, the supremely talented guitarist with his debut 1976 recording Bright Size Life - the title song never gets old. He's with the amazing drummer Bob Moses and the late great Jaco Pastorius - enough said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiKt8DxBpeg
Next nominee, Jay Sellers. Jay, I KNOW you're up for it!

7 7 7 - Day Two

Day two of the 7/7/7 music challenge. In the early 80's the punk scene was still thriving, new wave and synth pop was taking hold, hip hop was also emerging. Then there was college rock - exemplified by non other than R.E.M. Radio Free Europe, I can still remember the day when I first heard it.
Next nominee, Gregory Smith

7 7 7 - Day One

Ok, I've been nominated for the musical 7/7/7 challenge by my friend Terry McIntyre, sailor and troubadour extraordinaire. Seven songs in seven days and seven nominations. Here goes - Psycho Killer by Talking Heads, from their debut album titled Talking Heads: 77 in 1977. This song took me away from mainstream radio and I've never looked back. An original and influential act to be sure. And my first nomination is....Eric Douglas

The 7/7/7 Challenge

Recently I was tagged on Facebook by a fellow cruiser from the UK, Terry McIntyre, who is a huge music fan and also very impressive on guitar and vocals.  In fact, we've had several jam sessions on his boat that have gone late into the night.  This tag was for the 7/7/7 Music Challenge.  I saw his early posts for the challenge when he was nominated, and quickly figured it out - pick seven songs over seven days and nominate a fellow music lover each time.  His chosen songs were meaningful in different ways, which he explained with a brief back story.  Simple enough, and a good way to spread the word on new and old music alike.  I was nominated on Terry's seventh pick and gladly accepted the challenge.  Before my first posting though, I researched the 7/7/7 Challenge and learned that it originated with writers, and goes something like this:  Go to page 7 of your current work in progress, go to the seventh line, and share the next seven lines of your manuscript, then nominate another fellow writer for the challenge.  The music challenge seems to have morphed into something a bit different.  I've yet to find the "official" rules, but who cares - it's fun and a great way to spread the word on music others might enjoy.  My picks were based on music that made me stop and take note, which lead me down other musical paths I might not otherwise have taken.  I hope these picks inspire you to explore other music artists, as well.  It would be fun to do the challenge again, since I've only just scratched the surface.

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.  

Event Staff

Sabrina here.  I am hijacking Tom's blog for a quick post.

Through the years with all the concerts, festivals, shows, musicals, theater productions, events and such we have attended, we have often threaten to get special T-Shirts made up.  These would be either neon yellow or fluorescent orange and simply say on the back in big, bold letters - STAFF or EVENT STAFF or SECURITY.  We thought these might come in handy while attending various events.  You know, get us into areas we wanted to be in.  Sometimes at these events we are expected to stay in the normal people areas.  Shocking, right?!   We have yet to get the t-shirts made up but we did run into a fellow cruiser at the Bequia Music Fest that was putting his to good use so now we have renewed interest in getting our own STAFF T-Shirts. 

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. 

    

Pan Yard Liming

High energy Massey group

11-2-14
Visit to the pan yard

Renegades pic

As many people know, Trinidad is where “steel drums” originated, using left over 55 gallon oil drums just after WWII.   Actually, these drums aren’t drums at all, since that would imply a stretched membrane of some sort.  The term “pan” is the more accurate term for these instruments (think frying pan), and the people of Trinidad and Tobago remain unrivaled in the art of building and tuning steel pans.  They are also the most accomplished in playing these instruments, with young children learning from the early grades in school.  There aren’t many symphonic bands, traditional marching bands, or jazz bands in schools in Trinidad.  If you see an orchestra in Trinidad, it’s made up of pans – sometimes more than one hundred.   When we got word from a fellow cruiser that Jesse James, the native tour guide, taxi driver, and uber cruiser resource, was setting up a Friday night “Lime and Pan Yard crawl”, we had to check it out.  You might ask, “what is Lime?”, or “what is a pan yard“.  Lime, or liming is kicking back and relaxing with friends over conversation and a few cold refreshments.  Trinidadians do a lot of liming - we call it “chilling”.  A pan yard is an open air space where orchestras build, tune, and practice steel pan.  There are pan yards all over Trinidad, especially in the capitol city of Port of Spain.

So many notes in each pan pic by Walter sv Flying Cloud

The big ones

Jesse picked up our group of nine cruisers around six o’clock and our first stop was for dinner at a local fast food buffet that really hit the spot.  We then drove to a major pan yard that was not revved up yet.  Jesse was told it might be another half hour before anything would be happening.  He took that cue to drive by the Renegade pan yard where a crowd was starting to form outside.  We learned that there was a special event with a total of four pan bands, with the Renegades as the “headliner”.  The entry fee was $100tt per couple or $16US.  When fellow cruiser Mark, who happens to be a Trinidad veteran and student of all things pan, said “this is a no-brainer”, we were all in.  Each band was set up under tents with about 40 or so players.  To the side there were bleachers plus a concession stand with $10tt cold refreshments (about $1.50US).  The first band started and we just stood in amazement.  We had no idea there were so many different sizes and configurations - from soprano pans with up to 30 different notes to bass pans with sometimes only three notes, with the player using up to six pans.  Each band had a drum set and other assorted percussion instruments such as congas and timbales.  The first band had a player with a brake hub which is actually an instrument used widely in Trinidad before the advent of steel pan.  I even got a quick brake lesson after the first set was over.  If you didn’t know you were listening to pan music, you might think you were hearing a pop music instrumental.  The tunes were mostly familiar and arranged to showcase each section in the band.  The sound was simply amazing and if you didn’t know better, you thought you were hearing strings, horns, and even guitars.  The big pan orchestras are starting to gear up for the Trinidad Carnival, which essentially takes up the whole month of February.  The big competition is called Panorama, and the orchestras will be in full force with their entire lineup of 100+ players.  I’m told there is nothing else like it in the world.    Tom

Learning to play the "iron" aka brake hub pic by Walter sv Flying Cloud

Playing four pans

Our favorite player - she plays 7 pans!

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.