Jamaica and reggae music will be highly represented at this year's St Lucia Jazz Festival by three musical stalwarts, each a generation apart as well as from different genres.
By Basil WaltersThe thirteen year-old event, which runs from April 29 to May 8, will have among its headliners dancehall sensation Beenie Man, jazz icon Monte Alexander, and saxophonist extraordinaire, Dean Fraser who will be featured among other frontline acts such as the British-based reggae group UB40, the Isley Brothers, Tracy Hamlin, New Edition and Pharoah Sanders.
The St Lucia Jazz Festival was founded in 1992 by former Air Jamaica senior executive, Alan Chastenet, who at the time was head of the St Lucia Tourist Board. It is important to note that it was Chastenet who also masterminded the now highly-regarded Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival for the first couple of years.
The St Lucia Jazz Festival has transformed the relatively peaceful island paradise to a bustling potpourri every year over the Mother's Day weekend. Then, music lovers from the four corners of the world converge on the idyllic island, which now boasts one of the finest music festivals in the region.
A ten-day event, the St Lucia Jazz Festival is staged at a series of venues across the country. These include Mindoo Phillip Park where dancehall kingpin Beenie Man is expected to give the festival an exciting start on opening night (Friday, April 29), Balenbouche Estate where Monty Alexander will display his diverse musical talent on the piano (Sunday, May 1), and the Derek Walcott Square, where Dean Fraser will share the spotlight with Sisterhood on Tuesday, May 3.
The scenic Pigeon Island National Park will be the pride of place on the last weekend of the festival with R&B group New Edition (Friday, May 6), the Isley Brothers featuring Ron Isley, Dave Koz, Rob 'Zi' Taylor and Fantasia (Saturday, May 7). British reggae band UB40, Chris Botti, Earl Klugh and Tracy Hamlin will bring the curtain down on Sunday, May 8.
