Sunday September 6 BJS Jazz Hour @ 6pm special guest Mario Porchetta

Sunday September 6 tune in to VOB 92.9 FM @ 6pm when Mario Porchetta, percussionist and the leader of Jazz3, is the guest on the BJS Jazz Hour with host Barry Taylor.

Mario Porchetta – percussionist and the leader of Jazz3  a trio that combines modern and traditional jazz with Caribbean rhythms will be featured guest on BJS Radio Show.  Mario has performed in Europe, Africa, Asia and in the Caribbean including performing three times at  the Barbados Jazz Festival and at the St. Lucia Jazz festival.
Tune in to VOB 92.9FM the first Sunday of each month for the best in jazz music listening. Plumtree Club at Rockley sponsors the BJS Jazz Hour.

Sunday June 7 BJS Jazz Hour @ 6pm special guest Sue Walcott reminisces on the Waterfront Café

BJS_Jazz_HourSunday June 7 tune in to VOB 92.9 FM @ 6pm when Sue Walcott, proprietor of the Waterfront Café in Bridgetown, is the guest on the BJS Jazz Hour with host Jerome Jones.

The legendary Waterfront Café recently closed its doors after over 30 years at its location along the wharf in Bridgetown where it was the place to be for live Jazz in Barbados.

Sunday June 7, between 6pm and 7 pm, Sue reminisces with host Jerome Jones about her career as Café owner and manager, and the musicians, both local and international, who played jazz music on the stage. Listeners are in for a special treat with tracks of great music from some of those musicians.

Tune in to VOB 92.9FM the first Sunday of each month for the best in jazz music listening. Plumtree Club at Rockley sponsors the BJS Jazz Hour.

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Sunday March 1 on the BJS Jazz Hour Barbadian Tenor Saxophonist Mylon Clarke discusses all things jazz

Young Barbadian Saxophonist Mylon Clarke shares his experiences with BJS Jazz Hour host Jerome Jones following his win of the prestigious Berklee College of Music Summer Scholarship 2014. Mylon is a graduate of the Barbados Community College Music Program.

Sagicor Christmas Jazz is an annual event in Barbados. The Sagicor Christmas Jazz Summer Scholarship is a 5-week award that includes full tuition at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and all expenses. Barbadian trumpeter Kweku Jalani, winner of the 2015 Sagicor Christmas Jazz scholarship, will be heading off to Boston this summer.

(R) The Mylon Clark Trio plays for BJS members July 2012The Mylon Clark Trio plays for BJS members

Mylon Clarke entertains at a BJS member's mingle. Along with Mylon is Darrin Massiah on guitar & Lorin Jackson on bass. July 2012
Mylon Clarke entertains at a BJS member’s mingle. Along with Mylon is Darrin Massiah on guitar & Lorin Jackson on bass.

Check out Mylon’s gigs around Barbados. For listing on this site go to Live Jazz Barbados.

Sunday July 6 – BJS Jazz Hour guest is jazz pianist Ebe Gilkes

EBE_MG_2302Ebe Gilkes is the icon of jazz in Barbados where he has entertained audiences for over 57 years with his exceptional virtuosity on the piano. His trio and quartet have featured at premier hotels in Barbados, and at jazz clubs, Ebe Gilkes is the pianist of choice frequently accompanying well-known American and European jazz artists. The Ebe Gilkes Quartet has performed at international jazz festivals in Barbados, Trinidad, and Capetown South Africa.

Ebe is among the last of Barbados’ jazz masters. His remberances of the Barbados jazz scene have been documented by CBC Radio (2008) and the Barbados Museum & Historical Society for the I Got Rhythm: the Story of Jazz in Barbados exhibition (2009). The Ebe Gilkes Trio opened the exhibition at an evening concert in the Museum Courtyard.

In 2010 he was awarded the Barbados Service Star for his outstanding contribution to the jazz genre. His other awards include the 1997 Barbados Music & Entertainment Award, the 1998 Barbados International Jazz Festival award, and the Barbados Tourism Authority 2003 award.

The same year, The Ebe Gilkes Trio launched their first CD with guest artist saxophonist Andre Woodvine. The launch concert was held January 14 at Frank Collymore Hall. ‘A lovely way to spend an evening’ is how Barbadian journalist Carl Moore describes  describes the event. Gilkes at FCHall (2)_by Carl Moore

Ebe continues his weekly performance schedule in Barbados at The Sandpiper Hotel and the Coral Reef Hotel, and for private affairs. seb: april 2013

December 1, 2013 Barbados Jazz Society takes to the air waves . . . with the Jazz Hour

Barbados Jazz Society was on air at VOB Radio 92.9FM, Sunday December 1  with our first segment of the BJS Jazz Hour.
Listeners who tuned in to the program heard BJS V.P. Jerome Jones in conversation with Barbadian master guitarist Mike Sealy.
IMG_6735 (2)IMG_6732December 5, 2013 Studio photos by our V.P. Barry Taylor.        
This program is the first in the BJS Jazz Hour radio series broadcast the first Sunday of each month at 6pm on VOB Radio 92.9FM .
January 5, 2014 tune in to the BJS Jazz Hour when jazz saxophonist Arturo Tappin will be our guest.
*prepared by Susan E. Bain

Logo (Full colour) -01 Keeping Jazz Alive

August 30, 2013 BJS rebrands with a new logo

The Barbados Jazz Society has a new logo and website banner designed by Phillip Kellman, a student in Graphic Arts at Barbados Community College. BJS is grateful to Phillip for his creative energies and new awareness of jazz music that is reflected in our new design.

We asked Phillip to tell us about his work . . .

“My name is Phillip Kellman and I am 21 years of age. I am highly involved in, art and music. On many occasions I find myself either sketching and developing some new product or listening to music. I have always been in love with the arts. From the visual arts to the performing arts. I am an entrepreneur and am in the process of developing my own graphic design company called “Live Studios”. I love to see people strive for greater and I am eager to teach and help wherever I can. I love to challenge myself and push for excellence. When ever I encounter a problem in life I refer to the words of a bible passage, taken from Philippians 4:13 which states, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

*prepared by Susan E. Bain

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Phillip Kellman and Live Studios @ http://livestudios.tumblr.com/

April 30, 2013 BJS joins world-wide celebrations for UNESCO International Jazz Day

April 30, 2013 was International Jazz Day. The Barbados Jazz Society joined 194 countries around the globe to celebrate this UNESCO inspired event http://jazzday.com/

BJS celebrated with the Steel Pan & Ivory concert at the Divi Southwinds Resort, and live streamed the event to link with the main stage celebration in Istanbul, Turkey and countries around the globe.Steel Pan & Ivory Concert

International Jazz Day 2013  

Steel Pan & Ivory featured Barbados’ premier pannist, Andre Forde with veteran pianist Ebe Gilkes accompanied by Richard Evans on acoustic bass and Errol Bradshaw on drums. A Jazz Night by Barbados Today

cool jazz
cool jazz with Andre Forde

BJS celebrated jazz with a Jazzy Church Service featuring sacred Jazz music and a panel discussion on The History of Jazz in Barbados panel discussion led by Barbados’ celebrated Jazz stalwarts. Jazzy restaurants around the island partnered with BJS to host live jazz evenings.

BJS members tuned in to the All Caribbean Jazz Radio Show, hosted by Wayne Harewood in NYC, for a lively discussion on the significance of International Jazz Day to the jazz art form.

UNESCO International Jazz Day is a global celebration that brings together communities, schools, artist, historians, academics and jazz enthusiast from all over the world to celebrate and learn about the jazz genre, its roots, its future and its impact.

Watch for us in 2014!  Let’s Keep Jazz Alive!Acoustic bass & IvoryUNESCO International Jazz Day 2013 in Barbados

Steel Pan & Ivory Concert (11)

EbeGilkes & Bill EvansPan at it's bestPlaying panSteel Pan & Ivory Concert (10)Steel Pan & Ivory Concert (3)

Photography by Mario Porchetta

March 2013 – BJS presents new bass amplifier to the Music Program at Barbados Community College

Members of the BJS, at their March mingle, presented a Roland Cube 120XL bass amplifier to the Music Program at the Barbados Community College.

Presentation to BCC march 3,13Roger Gittens, Head of Music Department writes . . .music programs are expensive to run, and the cost increases as you move from primary school where one piano may suffice, to tertiary where teachers need several pianos, more instruments and larger practice facilities.

The Associate Degree in Music program at BCC started with just 10 students, it now caters to 56. The 2-bass amplifiers purchased in the late 1990’s have done yeoman service and now function only with constant repair.

The staff and students are greatly appreciative of the gift of a Roland Cube 120XL bass amplifier to the music program. This amp will improve the sound of the several ensembles that use an electric bass. It also allows 3 basses to play at the same time and so more students can practice or more than one ensemble can rehearse in a given time slot.

The Music Department looks forward to the continuing relationship with the Barbados Jazz Society as we both seek to enhance the live music offerings in Barbados as well as develop the next generation of musicians.

Twenty-eight BJS members and guests enjoyed the open bar, delicious food, and live jazz music by Kwaku Jelani on trumpet, Ricardo Bryan on keyboard, and Jarad Greaves on electric bass – all BCC graduates. The trio entertained with their creative arrangements of old standards and original compositions; Kwaku Jelani’s ‘made-up on the spot’ tune was a favorite.

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Jarad Greaves on electric bassRicardo Bryan on keysMarch 5, 2013 179March 5, 2013 193March 5, 2013 180

July 2012 – Barbados Jazz Society raises funds for the Barbados Community College Music Department

One of the mandates of the Barbados Jazz Society is the support of up and coming young Jazz musicians through the music program at the Barbados Community College.

The first fundraiser was held in July at the Member’s Mingle at the home of President Anne Smith where a trio of BCC-trained musicians entertained over 40 members and guests. Saxophonist Mylon Clarke, guitarist Darren Massiah, and bassist Lorin Brathwaite offered an interesting mix of old standards like Ellington’s “Take the A Train”  and Coltrane’s “Impressions” along with Caribbean renditions of newer pieces such as “Blue Bossa” and “C-Jam Blues”. The  highlight was an original composition by the guitarist Mylon Clarke entitled “Polka Dot Panties”.

Members gave generously toward the instruments fund and the presentation to the BCC was made on the spot. The evening ended with a rousing Jazz Jeopardy Quiz put together by BJS Executive members Cheryl Bertrand and Barry Taylor, with two teams showing off their Jazz knowledge.

The BJS will be holding more such evenings to add to the student instruments fund.