The Anguilla Tranquility Jazz festival, an annual event, is gaining fame in the world of music. The line-up for this year’s event was quite impressive but not as impressive as their performances throughout the four-day event. With the slogan, “Straight, No Chaser,” this is the 5th year the festival has taken place on our humble island and every year continues to get better. Not only was there international superstars of jazz, but much of our local talent was showcased as well.

The Young Lions playing with Mike Phillips at Sandy Ground

The jazz festival, produced by BET, is one of the premier events on Anguilla’s calendar and is directly in line with the beginning of the 2007-2008 tourist season. Headlining this year’s event were musicians the likes of Diane Schurr, the new first lady of jazz, who is a two-time Grammy award winner as best jazz vocalist of the year. As she took the stage at Cuisinart Resort and Spa on Thursday, November 8, she promised the crowd heaven, and during the performance she dazzled the record crowd with her three and a half octave range.

The kick off concert at CuisinArt Resort and Spa began with an amazing four course dinner at Santorini, the fine dining restaurant at the world class resort. Concert goers who indulged in the dinner enjoyed an Anguillian lobster bisque as a starter, followed by a pan roasted mahi mahi as the first main course. The second main course was a plump Hereford filet of beef with a cheese cake to complete the meal. CuisinArt’s Executive Chef, Denise Carr, was quite happy to see a mix of both local and international guests. She said, “this is a big event for us so everybody is at their best but preparation wise we are always ready for everything. The idea behind this meal was to keep it simple yet elegant at the same time, and I believe we pulled it off.”

Section of crowd enjoying music

Stephane Zaharia, General Manager, was quite excited to host the first concert of the series and be one of the main sponsors yet again for the jazz festival. “This is the third year we are hosting the exciting Anguilla Tanquility Jazz Festival and we are extremely happy to be the opening venue. Our commitment to this festival will always be there as it embodies the essence of CuisinArt. With this concert, we have provided a fantastic dinner as well as fantastic jazz which is the perfect combination between ‘cuisine’ and ‘art’, said Mr. Zaharia.

The kick off event was very well attended by many local Anguillians as well as visitors to Anguilla. Before Diane Schurr took the stage, the crowd was mesmerized by the superb performance of local protégé Shermel Richardson, a product of the Morlens Music Studio, who is quickly becoming one of Anguilla’s premier musicians. According to the event catalogue, “Shermel plays with an aplomb of a seasoned instrumentalist and while she enjoys all types of music, she maintains an undisputable jazz inclination. She hopes that here dedication to music and commitment to excellence in performance brings glory to God. Her desire is to have a positive influence on young musicians and all those whom she will reach through her talent.”

Dianne Schurr mesmerizes the crowd

Friday night’s headliners were Monty Alexander, Onaje Allan Gumbs and Liv Warfield and they took the stage at the Temenos Golf Club, a new venue for the festival. Taking place on the newly constructed golf range, attendees truly enjoyed a fantastic night of music. Monty Alexander, the night’s premier musician and superb pianist, has quite an impressive resume that boasts of recording over 60 CDs and playing music over the past forty years with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and Natalie Cole. Onaje has been in the music business for thirty years and has won various awards for his innovative music such as the “Min-on Art Award” in recognition of his great contribution to the promotion and development of a new musical movement for people with the aim of the creation of peace. Liv Warfield, an amazing vocalist from Peoria, Illinois, has enjoyed recent success with her debut album, ‘Embrace Me.’ Both Friday and Saturday night’s sessions were opened by the Anguilla Jazz Ensemble comprised of local musicians Lennox Vanterpool, Corinne ‘Sproka’ Richardson and Michael ‘Dumpa’ Martin on the Steel Pan . They were accompanied by Washington DC Trio Will Smith, Nathan Jolley and Eric Wheeler.

Saturday’s headliners at the Temenos Golf Club were Cassandra Wilson, Mike Phillips and Reuben Rogers. This final night, combining local and international superstars, brought a great crowd out to enjoy a fantastic night of music. Cassandra Wilson is yet another Grammy award winning vocalist and is well known around the world. Reuben Rogers, a bassist from the Virgin Islands, has recorded on over 60 CDs as well and continues to have an extremely promising career. NAACP Image Award Nominated saxophonist Mike Phillips who stole the show with a scintillating performance also performed during the Saturday night session as well as making a cameo appearance on Sunday in Sandy Ground.

Local band and jazz lovers

The Anguilla Tranquility Jazz festival concluded on Sunday with the WES group headlining the event held near Johnnos in Sandy Ground. Hordes of people sat in the beach restaurant and packed the beach to not only enjoy the WES group but to hear the Young Lions play as well. The event was made possible by the hard work of both James Connor and Fitzroy Tomlinson. Mr. Connor explained that preparation for the festival began last February and there was much involved to make the event the best ever. He said, “we think it was a big success and the problem now is to make it better for the next year.”

- Jason Allen

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