Acclaimed Trinidad-born trumpeter Etienne Charles comes home next month for two special concerts at the Little Carib Theatre in Woodbrook on November 30 and December 1.
Called Creole Soul, after his latest and fourth full-length album release, this will be Charles’ first full length performance in Trinidad since 2011, and will feature all new music from the Jazz-loving musician, bandleader, composer and educator.
The Creole Soul album was released in July and enjoyed a prestigious premiere at The New York Times’ Press Play site (www.nytimes.com/pressplay), before arriving at No1 on the JazzWeek Radio Chart and garnering much fanfare and critical acclaim.
The New York Times reported: “Creole Soul doesn’t feel too academic or too grasping, over-scripted or shallow. Charles has got it about as right as he can.” And added: “Mr Charles, an irrepressible trumpeter and percussionist, explores the affinities between jazz, the music of his calling, and calypso, the music of his culture…on his excellent new album.”
The Wall Street Journal said: “Trinidadian trumpeter Etienne Charles… brings the fusion of West Indian music and modern jazz up to date with his latest album, Creole Soul.”
Jazz Times wrote: “Creole Soul is personal, cerebral, spiritual and joyful in its creative exploration of the roots of music and of a man.”
A musician and professor at Michigan State University, Charles studied under piano virtuoso Marcus Roberts at Florida State University and Mark Gould, former principal trumpeter of the Metropolitan Opera, at Juilliard. He was also mentored by Jamaican reggae and jazz luminary Monty Alexander and the late multiple Grammy Award-winning Trinidadian-American percussionist/songwriter Ralph MacDonald.
Charles comes from a long line of musicians dating back four generations. He also plays the steelpan and cuatro. He learned the latter instrument from his grandfather Ralph Charles, a highly-regarded stylist on the instrument who can be heard on many Growling Tiger recordings. Charles’ first professional work was in his father Francis’ progressive steel orchestra Phase II Pan Groove.
At an early age, Charles also found his way to the trumpet and embraced it in earnest as a young teen. He began winning awards at Fatima College, and was the first three-time winner of the Provincial Cup, as well as the youngest student ever to win it. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida State University where he studied with jazz pianist Marcus Roberts, and was named Brautlecht Scholar of the College of Music.
In 2008, Charles received his Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School of Music, and was awarded the William Schuman Prize. He also attended the Henry Mancini Institute in Los Angeles and accumulated much experience by appearing on stages with a host of notable musicians, including Wynton Marsalis, Monty Alexander, Gerald Wilson, Roberta Flack, Frank Foster, the Count Basie Orchestra, Maria Schneider, Johnny Mandel and Benny Golson.
In 2006, Charles won the National Trumpet Competition, Jazz Division in the USA, and later released his debut album Culture Shock to positive reviews. By the time his next project, Folklore, was released in 2009, Charles had formed his own touring and recording band, and in 2011 he began teaching at Michigan State University’s College of Music as an assistant professor. He released his third album Kaiso that year, and came home to share the music with a rapidly growing contingent of Jazz lovers.
Charles released his fourth album Creole Soul in July and describes it as “an exploration of my musical roots featuring sounds from the French, Spanish and English-speaking Caribbean, as well as North America. Creole Soul highlights myriad inspirations from Haitian creole chants and blues to bebop and R&B, while drawing on an array of rhythms including Rocksteady, Reggae, Bel Air, Kongo and Calypso.”
The gala opening of Etienne Charles Live at The Little Carib Theatre—Creole Soul is on Saturday, November 30, with a special family show taking place on Sunday, December 1, starting at 1 pm.