Fusion on the Bay - Jazz Adventure in Barbados 2014

ALTERNATIVE QUARTET was formed in 2005 as the brainchild of founding member Andre Donawa, Alternative Quartet is a revolutionary string ensemble that offers a distinctively unique musical experience to the Caribbean region and beyond. Having played the stages of Trinidad & Tobago to rapturous applause, this exquisitely talented, classically trained and pioneering group share a vision to not only be the premier string quartet in Trinidad & Tobago, but throughout the world, and to do so in a new and exciting way. Guided by the versatility and strength of electric instruments and the raw emotion that their charged strings provide, the members of Alternative Quartet harmoniously fuse the violin, viola and cello to give a rich and resounding performance. Having played to some of the Caribbean’s most prestigious audiences, including Machel Montano’s Alternative Concept, Tobago Jazz Experience, the 5th Summit of the Americas, Tourism Development Corporation’s Taste T&T, Caribbean Road Show in St Lucia and Barbados, the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) Awards and Heather Headley’s homecoming concert, Alternative Quartet is fast becoming a national and international musical treasure. Our most memorable experience was playing for the Queen of England and all Commonwealth Leaders at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which was hosted in Trinidad in November 2009. Alternative Quartet is comprised of four very special individuals. Andre Donawa is lead violinist, arrangement specialist and producer; Andre Comeau plays violin and is an ingenious graphic artist; Nariba Herbert who plays the viola is a talented songwriter; and our diligent cellist Wasia Ward, who has been involved in music for most of her life, is a pannist, singer, pianist, producer and composer. Each musician is outstanding in their own right, yet together we seamlessly blend to create a luminous and carefully crafted contemporary sound, drawing on the rich diversity of Caribbean influences including local soca and dancehall, in conjunction with more traditional string arrangements that can be tailored to a variety of musical and social occasions. Performance: Fusion on the Bay, Sunday 19th January, Sea Rocks Dome, Barbados Beach Club 2pm

ARTURO TAPPIN (BARBADOS) is definitely the smoothest, saxiest horn man the Caribbean has to offer. His dynamic and spirited live performances have won him fans the world over. He made headway with his debut recording “Strictly Roots Jazz” and then immediately followed up with a stellar performance on his second album entitled, “Java”, both licensed by Pioneer Records in Japan. For his cultural contributions to Jamaica and the Caribbean on the whole, Arturo recently received a nationally acclaimed Award of Excellence in the Arts from former Jamaican Prime Minister PJ Patterson. Tappin has dazzled audiences at the Soho Jazz Festival, the Bob Marley Birthday Bash and Reggae Sunsplash, as well as headlining Jazz Festivals throughout the Caribbean. He has performed with the legendary Roberta Flack, Hard Bop Trumpeter Red Rodney, Grammy Award winning drummer Roy Haynes, Reggae Super Star Maxi Priest, R & B chart topper Anita Baker, Jamaican Jazz pianist and Guitarist Monty Alexander and Ernest Ranglin, South African Jazz Legend Hugh Masekela, Smooth Jazz crooner Will Downing and R & B singer Freddie Jackson. Besides touring Arturo has served as the Musical Director for Eddy Grant as well as recorded with Grammy recipients Ralph MacDonald, and the late great Luther Vandross. Arturo has had the privilege of playing for two American Presidents; President Bill Clinton at the Governor General’s residence in Barbados and recently at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago for President Barack Obama. He has also performed for Cuba’s President Fidel Castro, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and quite recently at the 2011 Duke of Edinburgh Black Tie Dinner for Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn. It’s no wonder his latest CD “INSIDE OUT” conjures up feelings of pleasure and intrigue. The album features ten original compositions, all of which exquisitely display a superb blend of mesmerizing melodies and deliciously deep penetrating grooves, encouraging the listener to hold on with anticipation. “Mia Amor”, “Smell your Own Finger” and “Life” are just a few of the originals included on the album that demonstrate his natural musical dexterity. “INSIDE OUT” also includes brilliantly crafted covers of “Unfaithful” and “Tempted to Touch” originally recorded by fellow Barbadians Rihanna and Rupee, testimony of Arturo’s reverence to his homeland. When asked what his future plans are in music he simply responded “Listen, practice, play, record.” Performance: Fusion on the Bay, Sunday 19th January, Sea Rocks Dome, Barbados Beach Club 2pm

CYNTHIA HOLIDAY is a real crowd pleaser and her renditions of straight-ahead jazz, blues and pop standards are full of swing, improvisation and soul. Clearly, singing live before an audience is where she feels most comfortable. Since the 2008 release of her debut album, All The Way, on the Miles High Records Label, Cynthia Holiday has made new fans and friends in the US and internationally. Most recently she served as a judge in the 2013 Asian Dreams Jazz Vocal Competition followed by a performance with the TS Monk Septet in Osaka, Japan. Cynthia’s gifted vocals and natural inclination for jazz is attributed to her upbringing in Newark, New Jersey where music filled her home on any given day. Her stepfather, trumpeter Calvin Hughes was a band leader and performed with such jazz greats as Count Basie, Frank Foster, Clark Terry, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, and Big Maybelle. Early on Cynthia was a dancer, But singing was her true love and she began studying classical voice with Jacklyn Snyder in New York City. Eventually Cynthia switched to the jazz vocal program at the Newark School For the Arts with Inez McClendon, followed by private lessons with Duke Anderson, Myrna Lake, Ulysses Slaughter, Jim Carson and the late Rita DaCosta Turrentine. She considers the late bassist Earl May to be an important mentor as she began sitting-in at jam sessions. Released in 2008, Cynthia’s debut CD “All The Way” was produced by John Snyder and Eulis Cathey with guest artists pianist Cedar Walton, bassist David Williams and drummer Joe Farnsworth for Miles High Records. “All The Way” spotlights Cynthia giving her own personal touch to standards, blues and introducing some originals. In fact, she co-wrote two of the tunes with Radam Schwartz, “I Like What I See” and “You’ve Got A Job To Do.” When asked to pick out a few favorite selections for the CD, Cynthia says, “My Little Rainbow” is a lovely tune recorded with the Cedar Walton trio and “Samba de Amore” is a light samba. “Cynthia seeks to continue the tradition of jazz women who sing the blues, a style that has become a lost art among vocalists. I hear the humor of Helen Humes, the soul of Ernestine Anderson, the warm timber of Nancy Wilson and the storytelling of Marlena Shaw, but make no mistake, what you hear is pure Cynthia Holiday.” WBGO Jazz88 FM host Sheila Anderson. Performance: Fusion on the Bay, Sunday 19th January, Sea Rocks Dome, Barbados Beach Club 2pm

TIA FULLER is a professional saxophonist, Composer and Educator. Jazz musicians are blessed with the desire and ability to play a genre that has a history as rich as its sound. All the greats, past and present know that it’s not enough to simply play the notes, one has to live the music and feel it with every breath. When Mack Avenue recording artist, Tia Fuller picks up her sax to play, the two become one and something amazing happens as the notes and reverberations of her musical elixir fill the room. Suddenly, everything in the universe feels right and it’s easy to see and hear why this artist and teacher, who has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, (Magna Cum Laude) and Master’s degree in Jazz Pedagogy and Performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder (Summa Cum Laude), was selected to be a member of the all-female band touring with R&B star, Beyoncé. As part of the I AM..Sasha Fierce and Beyoncé Experience World Tour promoting the superstar’s CD’s, Tia has played in various venues throughout the US, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. She is a featured soloist on the Beyoncé Experience DVD (Me, Myself and I) and also appeared on number of major television shows, such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Today Show, Good Morning America, BET Awards, American Music Awards and Total Request Live. An accomplished performer in her own right, Tia has recorded three CDs with her quartet. The first, Pillar of Strength (2005/Wambui), received praise as being “an exhilarating work that introduced her as a leader who strives for perfection” (Terrell Holmes, All About Jazz Magazine). Her sophomore release, Healing Space (2007/Mack Avenue), is an offering of “melodic medicine” that the wide-eyed optimist sincerely hopes will serve as a healing agent for those who indulge in it. Her third CD “Decisive Steps”, Jan. 2010, is her second offering under the Mack Avenue label. Her quartet was recently featured at Oris Watches/ Time Tourneau building for WBGO’s jazz festival. Tia can also be seen performing regularly with a number of bands, including the Ralph Peterson Septet, the T.S. Monk Septet, the Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra, the Rufus Reid Septet, the Sean Jones Quintet, the Nancy Wilson Jazz Orchestra, and Wycliff Gordan Septet. The dynamic saxophonist has been featured in Jazz Improv Magazine, Rocky Mountain News, The Philadelphia Tribune, The Star Ledger, Downbeat Magazine and many other print and online publications. Tia believes her passion for teaching and inspiring students is in her genes because her parents were educators/administrators in the Denver Public School District. As a devoted educator, she presents lectures and teaches ensembles and masterclasses at some of the most respected institutions in the country, including Stanford University’s “Jazz Workshop,” and the University of Idaho’s Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. The Colorado native, who now resides in Essex County, New Jersey, says playing music makes her feel as if she is a vessel for the Spirit to flow through. While listening to her songs, she wants people to be uplifted and experience a sense of restoration, compelling them to move forward not in fear, but in love and faith. Performance: Fusion on the Bay, Sunday 19th January, Sea Rocks Dome, Barbados Beach Club 2pm