Piedmont Piano Company is pleased to present
Etienne Charles'
Creole Christmas
Etienne Charles adds a new twist to the holidays with music from his dynamic Creole Christmas set. Featuring classic selections from the Caribbean, South American, North American, and European holiday songbooks, Charles and his ensemble celebrate the Christmas season with unique interpretations of pieces from Charles’ diverse musical roots. Featuring Godwin Louis - alto saxophone, Sullivan Fortner - piano, Jorge Glem - cuatro and mandolin, Or Bareket - bass, and Savannah Harris, drums.
$30 General Admission
Hailed by The New York Times as "an auteur" (Ben Ratliff) and by Jazz Times as a, "daring improviser who delivers with heart wrenching lyricism" (Bill Milkowski), Trinidad-born Etienne Charles has received critical acclaim for his exciting performances, thrilling compositions and knack for connecting with audiences worldwide. Perhaps more than any other musician of his generation or Eastern Caribbean origin, Charles brings a careful study of myriad rhythms from the French, Spanish, English and Dutch speaking Caribbean to his compositions. Crucially, as a soloist, he fully grasps the New Orleans trumpet tradition; which is readily discernible in his trademark instrumental swagger, and what famed Crescent City Pianist, Jelly Roll Morton so succinctly captured in the now immortal phrase, 'The Spanish Tinge'.
Charles’ new album, Carnival: The Sound of a People Vol. 1, is an excursion into the varied acoustic sounds, grooves, chants and rituals of his native Trinidad & Tobago Carnival. His 2016 album San Jose Suite was a musical discourse on the effects of colonialism through the scope of the experiences of First Nation peoples and African descendants in three San Jose locations, Costa Rica, California and Trinidad. 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 2015, Charles was named as a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow in the Creative Arts. 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). As a sideman he has performed with Roberta Flack, Marcus Roberts, Marcus Miller, Count Basie Orchestra, Frank Foster’s Loud Minority Big Band, Monty Alexander and many others. He has been commissioned as a composer and arranger by the Savannah Music Festival (2017), Chamber Music America (2015), the Charleston Jazz Orchestra (2012) and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble (2011). As an educator and conductor he has done residencies at the Juilliard School (NY), Stanford University (CA), Columbia College Chicago (IL), Oakland University (MI), Walnut Hills High School (OH), Cultural Academy for Excellence (DC) and the US Military Academy. His dedication to the preservation of artistic traditions in his homeland inspired him to form and lead the carnival bands, “We the People” (2017) and “Street Party” (2018), which featured a full live brass band on a truck going through the streets of Woodbrook and Port of Spain playing vintage calypso and soca. He understands his role as Artist citizen and sees live music as a way to uplift all peoples and is dedicated to bringing it to those who aren’t able to attend concerts. Specifically, in his homeland of Trinidad and Tobago, he has done performances and workshops at Princess Elizabeth Center, St. Dominic’s children’s home, St. Mary’s children’s home, St. Jude’s school for girls, St. Michael’s school for boys, St. Margaret’s school for boys, Youth Training Center and Maximum Security Prison.
He currently serves as Associate Professor of Jazz Trumpet at Michigan State University in East Lansing. etiennecharles.com
Godwin Louis, alto saxophonist, was born in Harlem, New York and began playing saxophone at age nine. Godwin grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut and Port au Prince, Haiti. Godwin was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Saxophone Competition. He has performed around the globe including: Mali, Senegal, Togo, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Venezuela, Colombia, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and Australia. Godwin is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute for Jazz Performance. Godwin has studied and performed with Herbie Hancock, Clark Terry, Roger Dickerson, Ron Carter, Al Foster, Jack Dejohnette, Jimmy Heath, Billy Preston, Patti Labelle, Toni Braxton, Babyface, Madonna, Gloria Estefan, Barry Harris, Howard Shore, David Baker, Mulatu Astakte, Mahmoud Ahmed, Wynton Marsalis, and Terence Blanchard just to name a few.
In addition, Godwin has performed as a sideman, guest soloist and has conducted clinics and master classes worldwide. As a composer, Godwin has received the Jerome Foundation Emerging Artist Grant, and the Jazz Gallery's "New Works Commission". As an educator, humanitarian and ambassador, Godwin has traveled from Senegal to China to help promote cross-cultural understanding and introduce thousands to America’s indigenous art form, through public concerts, master classes, and jam sessions. Godwin is the founder of Experience Ayiti, a nonprofit educational, multidisciplinary arts organization. Godwin’s debut album as a leader, entitled Global, was released on February 22, 2019.
Lauded as one of the top jazz pianists of his generation, Sullivan Fortner is recognized for his virtuosic technique and captivating performances. The winner of three prestigious awards – a Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship, the 2015 Cole Porter Fellowship from the American Pianists Association, and the 2016 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists – Sullivan’s music embodies the essence of the blues and jazz as he connects music of all eras and genres through his improvisation.
As a leader, The Sullivan Fortner Trio has performed on many of the world’s most prestigious stages including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Newport Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Discover Jazz Festival, Tri-C Jazz Festival, Jazz Standard, and the Gillmore Keyboard Festival. Fortner has been heard with other leading musicians around the world including Dianne Reeves, Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, John Scofield, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Fred Hersch, Sean Jones, DeeDee Bridgewater, Roberta Gambarini, Peter Bernstein, Stefon Harris, Nicholas Peyton, Billy Hart, Dave Liebman, Gary Bartz, Etienne Charles and Christian Scott.
Award-winning cuatro player, mandolinist and musical producer, Jorge Glem is without a doubt one of Venezuela’s musical treasures. Born in Cumaná, Venezuela, Glem, who currently resides in New York City, has set out with a clear and driven purpose of presenting the Venezuelan cuatro as a universal instrument. His amazing talent and purpose have allowed him to share the stage with renown worldwide figures such as Paquito D’Rivera, Jordan Rudess, Rubén Blades, Carlos Vives, Calle 13, Natalia Lafoucarde, Guaco, Desorden Público, Ensamble Gurrufío, Gualberto Ibarreto, Etienne Charles and many other important music personalities, accomplishing the fuse of this traditional instrument in genres such as jazz, salsa, bluegrass, rock, and pop. In 2017 Glem, in that continuous effort to introduce the cuatro to the world, initiated a movement called #4CuatroMusic through social media that reached more than 1k posts in only 3 weeks. Without a doubt, the cuatro is more than an instrument to this musical prodigy. It is a part of him and through playing it, he is able to attain a global voice. Also, a member of Latin Grammy winner, three times Latin Grammy nominee and most recently 2018 Grammy nominated, acclaimed ensemble C4Trio, Glem has participated in over 200 productions and has traveled extensively throughout the world.
Born in Jerusalem and raised in Buenos-Aires and Tel-Aviv, Or Bareket is currently one of the most in-demand and versatile bassists on the NYC jazz scene
Winner of the 1st prize at the International Society of Bassists' jazz competition in 2011, Or’s diverse heritage is clearly present in his playing. His approach to improvisation is informed by Mediterranean, Latin- American, and North African folklores, all interpreted through his life-long study and appreciation of the American Jazz tradition. Or's debut recording as a leader, OB1, was released on Fresh Sound New Talent records in the Fall of 2017, and his sophomore album, 33, was released on Enja records in the spring of 2019.
Or is an alum of the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, a multiple-time recipient of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship for outstanding performers as well as the Eubie Blake Fellowship. He has participated in Betty Carter’s “Jazz Ahead” at the Kennedy center, The Steans Institute Ravinia Workshop, and the Banff Workshop for Jazz and Creative Music.
Savannah Harris is a New York City-based drummer, writer and producer. She has performed alongside Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz Jason Moran, Kenny Barron, Aaron Parks, Terence Blanchard, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Geri Allen. She currently tours with Etienne Charles’ Creole Soul, José James, Peter Evans' Being + Becoming, the María Grand Trio, Or Bareket, and avant-garde art collective Standing on the Corner. Savannah is an annual participant in the Vail Dance Festival, directed by Damian Woetzel, and acts as a frequent collaborator through his "DEMO" series at the Kennedy Center. As a bandleader, Savannah has taken her trio to Wine and Bowties' Feels V festival as well as the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. She holds her master's degree from Manhattan School of Music, under program director Stefon Harris, and is a teaching artist for Jazz at Lincoln Center's Jazz For Young People programs.