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Etienne Charles
Trinidad born Etienne Charles is a performer, composer and storyteller, who is continuously searching for untold stories and sounds with which to tell them.
His lush trumpet sound, varied compositional textures and pulsating percussive grooves enable him to invoke trance, soothing and exciting listeners while referencing touchy and sometimes controversial subjects in his music.
A 2015 Guggenheim Fellow and 2022 Creative Capital Awardee, he researches his compositions by travelling to the regions on which he is focused, meeting with musicians and cultural leaders then observing and participating in rituals to be fully immersed into the cultures that he is studying.
As an Afro-descendant, his work is actively connecting the diaspora and drawing lines to regions at the roots of migrations. Highlighting marginalized communities and engaging with them has been his mission, evident with projects such as Carnival: The Sound of a People Vol. 1, San Jose Suite, Creole Soul, and Folklore.
A firm believer in music and performance as a tool for provoking thought and dialogue, Charles’ themes speak to the status quo while drawing parallels to history. With his latest commissioned project, San Juan Hill, he goes a step further by exploring the storied New York neighborhood to bring the culture of San Juan Hill to the mainstage.
His concerts engage, enlighten, educate and enrich audiences with energized multidisciplinary performance utilizing original composition, thematic improvisation, dance, short films and spoken word to create a holistic experience.
In June 2012, he was written into the US Congressional Record for his musical contributions to Trinidad & Tobago and the World. In 2013, his album Creole Soul reached #1 for three weeks on the Jazzweek chart and was eventually named #3 Jazz Album of the year by Jazzweek. Also in 2013 he received the Caribbean Heritage Trailblazer award from the Institute of Caribbean Studies (Washington, DC). In 2016 he was the recipient of the Michigan State University Teacher Scholar Award, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Millennial Swing award and was a featured panelist and performer at the White House for a Caribbean Heritage Month Briefing. He made his debut as producer and songwriter on the album Petite Afrique by Somi (Sony/Okeh 2017) which won Outstanding Jazz Album at the 2018 NAACP Image Awards.
He has been featured as a bandleader at the Newport Jazz Festival (RI), Monterey Jazz Festival (CA), Atlanta Jazz Festival (GA), Pittsburgh JazzLive international Festival (PA), San Jose Jazz Festival (CA), Java Jazz Festival (Indonesia), Ottawa Jazz Festival (Canada), St. Lucia Jazz Festival, Barbados Jazz Festival, Library of Congress (DC), Carnegie Hall (NY) and Koerner Hall (Canada).
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Diego Rivera: Indigenous
by Kyle Simpler
The old saying, a picture is worth a thousand words" might be a cliché, but it also contains an element of truth. Some of the most powerful messages come across without relying on words. And when it comes to music, lyrics are not always needed to convey a message. Such is the case with Diego Rivera's Indigenous. Named after the famous Mexican artist, Diego Rivera has established himself as a major figure in jazz music. Since 2000, he ...
read moreAlicia Olatuja: Intuition: Songs From The Minds Of Women
by Angelo Leonardi
È un tributo alla creatività delle donne in generale e delle cantautrici in particolare, questo di Alicia Olatuja, che interpreta composizioni di Tracy Chapman, Joni Mitchell, Violeta Parra, Sade Adu, Kate Bush e altre. Alicia ne aggiunge di proprie e partecipa come arrangiatrice in un progetto fortemente sentito e condiviso col produttore Kamau Kenyatta, noto per il suo ruolo nel successo di Gregory Porter, e con Ulysses Owens Jr. Alicia Olatuja è una versatile mezzosoprano, maturata ...
read moreEtienne Charles, Newk & More
by Marc Cohn
Etienne Charles plays Baton Rouge and, to mark the occasion, we track several selections from his forthcoming release, Carnival: The Sound of a People, Vol. 1. We also continue with our Sonny Rollins chronological celebration with tracks from his collaboration with the Modern Jazz Quartet. Pois não! There's more--classics & 21st century music. Enjoy the show! Playlist Andy Adamson First Light" from First Light (Andros Music) 00:00 Etienne Charles Dame Lorraine" from Carnival: The Sound of a People, ...
read moreEtienne Charles: San José Suite
by Angelo Leonardi
Il trombettista di Trinidad conferma d'essere solista e autore raffinato, capace di trovare nuovi motivi d'ispirazione nell'incontro tra il jazz moderno e il folklore dei caraibi. La suite che presenta in questo ultimo disco è un tributo ad alcune popolazioni tradizionali di Trinidad (Nepuyo), Costa Rica (Boruca) e della California (Muwekma Ohlone) e alle loro musiche. L'indagine non ha il taglio etnografico o l'approfondimento evidenziato da autori recenti (pensiamo a Steve Coleman con le musiche di Cuba) ma ...
read moreEtienne Charles: San José Suite
by Nigel Campbell
Whenever Trinidadian jazz trumpeter and composer Etienne Charles releases an album, it is an event. In this case, it is his latest opus, the ten-part San José Suite--soon to be performed live in Trinidad and Tobago for the first time on November 20. [The album was released in the US in June 2016 and debuted live at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest in August 2016.] This suite dares to magnify the idea of the wider Americas as a crucible ...
read moreAll Star Tribute to Ralph MacDonald at Holy Cross College
by Nigel Campbell
Etienne Charles with his All Star Band Jazz on D Hill Holy Cross College Arima, Trinidad May 11, 2014 On a picturesque plateau above the town of Arima overlooking the distant Caroni plains on the island of Trinidad, the Holy Cross College Alumni produced a jazz event for the ages--Jazz on D Hill-- featuring an All Star Tribute to Ralph MacDonald on Mother's Day, May 11. The music of the late ...
read moreEtienne Charles at The Little Carib Theatre, Port of Spain, Trinidad
by Nigel Campbell
Etienne Charles Little Carib Theatre Creole Soul Port of Spain, Trinidad November 30, 2013 Fresh from an exciting TEDx Port of Spain talk in the morning, the always dapper Etienne Charles and his band delivered a superb set of jazz at the gala opening of his Creole Soul tour stop in Trinidad on the evening of November 30 at the Little Carib Theatre in Port of Spain. A homecoming of sortsthis is the second ...
read moreEtienne Charles Debuts As A Big Band Leader With 'Creole Orchestra,' Arriving June 14 On Culture Shock Records
Source:
Terri Hinte Publicity
Etienne Charles presents himself to the jazz world as an accomplished large-ensemble arranger with Creole Orchestra, set for a June 14 release on his own Culture Shock imprint. The album is the premiere of the titular band, 22 musicians strong and specializing in executing the Trinbagonian trumpeter’s elaborate charts. Long hailed for his work as a trumpeter, composer, and improviser, as well as for his deep knowledge of rhythms from his native Trinidad & Tobago and around the Eastern Caribbean, ...
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Jazz this week: TAUK, Jeff Hamilton, Etienne Charles, Big Sam's Funky Nation, and more
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St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
This week's jazz and creative music calendar in St. Louis is all about the one-nighters, with an eclectic handful of headlining acts in town for single-serve appearances. Let's go to the highlights... Wednesday, March 8 NYC-based funk/fusion band TAUK plays at the Old Rock House, and pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True with saxophonist Larry Johnson will perform at Evangeline's. Also on Thursday, Jazz St. Louis in cooperation with COCA presents a Rent Party Concert" at Jazz at the ...
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StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: The Creole Soul of Etienne Charles
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St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
This week, let's get acquainted via video with trumpeter Etienne Charles, who will make his St. Louis debut as a bandleader with a performance next Saturday, March 11 at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Born in Trinidad, the 33-year-old Juilliard graduate has made a name for himself by blending jazz with Caribbean popular music styles including calypso, reggae, and rock-steady into what he calls “Creole Soul.” Charles discusses the concept a bit in the first video up above, an electronic press ...
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Music Education Monday: A jazz trumpet clinic with Etienne Charles
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St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
Today for Music Education Monday, let's look in via video on a jazz trumpet clinic presented by Etienne Charles. Born in 1983 on the island of Trinidad, Charles has a master's degree from Juilliard and a bachelor's from Florida State University, and currently serves as assistant professor of jazz studies at Michigan State University. As a sideman, he has performed and or recorded with Monty Alexander, Roberta Flack, Frank Foster, Ralph MacDonald, Johnny Mandel, Wynton Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, Maria Schneider, ...
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Etienne Charles’ "Creole Soul" To Be Released July 23 On Culture Shock Music
Source:
Sacks and Co.
WORLD TOUR BEGINS APRIL 27 “Mr. Charles knows how to make an album more than just a calling card for a small band, and how to sequence it too; he’s an auteur.” —The New York Times Trinidad-born trumpeter Etienne Charles' fourth full-length release, Creole Soul, is due July 23 on Culture Shock Music. An exploration of Charles’ musical roots featuring sounds from the French, Spanish and English speaking Caribbean as well as North America, Creole Soul highlights myriad inspirations from ...
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"...had strength and a clear, almost classical sense of thematic organization." —New York Times "A daring improviser, Charles also delivers with heart- wrenching lyricism" —Jazz Times "Etienne aims at the blues feelings, as well as ballads full of dynamism and sharp, precious inflections." —All About Jazz Italia "He rather prefers working on vibrations, like a whispered, aired sound according to Ben Webster’s style." —All About Jazz Italia "The music was not simply reworked….Charles seemed to dissect the music studying every note and then proceeded to weave elements of Dixieland, Francesca, modal, bebop and modern styles into his arrangements, all while maintaining the integrity of the original compositions." —Trinidad Express