Fashion, families and musical fun lined up for JAOTG 24

Nigel R Telesford

Families are welcome and fashion will be in focus this weekend as the fine and funky fashion designs of three local creatives go on display after being discounted especially for patrons of the nineteenth annual Jazz Artists on The Greens (JAOTG) festival event.

Scheduled for Saturday, March 16 at "The Greens" (otherwise known as WASA Sports Club Grounds) located on Farm Road, St Joseph, JAOTG has been a mainstay on the event calendar and a key component of the unofficial jazz season happening annually here in Trinidad and Tobago after Carnival for almost two decades. Prindela Fashions, Diane Carlton and Lisa Faye have all been highlighted on the JAOTG social media pages in recent weeks after agreeing to discount items to JAOTG ticket holders, who have been securing their entry credentials since the first batch of early bird tickets went on sale at Christmas time.

"We made a concerted effort to start promoting the event earlier this time around," explained Production One Director, Rolf Doyle, "and we have a dynamic, dedicated and diligent marketing team that has been fully engaged in all the aspects of the promotion since October last year. Coming out of the pandemic time, with so many businesses and events unstable and unsure, we really wanted to re-establish the brand and remind folks about the experience, while informing those who may not have had the pleasure of attending previously that its only growing bigger and better in 2024."

Doyle and his Production One Ltd team will stage the latest edition of JAOTG, on March 16 with non-stop action from the time gates open at 3.30 pm, to the first act appearing onstage at 5 pm and until the final musical note echoes into the night air closer to midnight.

Live on the three stages assembled for this year's edition will be the return of Canadian contemporary jazz sextet, Kalabash, along with their founding member T&T pannist Darren Sheppard. Kalabash will appear and perform alongside acclaimed St Lucian guitarist, Boo Hinkson paired with his countryman, vocalist Irvin “Ace” Loctar and St Lucian brothers Anton and Zane Charles of The Charles Project, featuring singer Renee Lawrence.

Trinidadian bassist, Rodney Alexander and his Bay-C Experience, featuring singer NISA (Genisa St Hillaire) and Tobago powerhouse vocalists, Kay Alleyne and Stephanie Joseph with the EFX (The Emilie Fortune Xperiment) band are also set to thrill the gathering expected to fill "The Greens" from mid-afternoon. 

Patrons from previous installments have also been highlighted as part of the lead in to JAOTG 23 - these patrons having shared their testimonials and experiences on camera last year and thrilled to see and hear themselves featured on the event pages.

This year JAOTG will feature three separate stages, spread out across the venue with a third platform added just for the national instrument. Apart from the main festival stage, the event will once again feature a Songbirds stage for new vocal talent and a third platform stage for pan. These innovations are all in keeping with the festival’s overarching goals to create platforms for jazz, world fusion, Caribbean jazz and pan jazz acts across the region, Doyle explained:

“When we first started JAOTG, it was to give the local jazz practitioners a stage to showcase their work. The first act we ever had was (the late) Ken “Professor” Philmore. I remember it well; he came straight off a flight from Baltimore and came straight to the stage.

“Over the years we continued and expanded to people from the Caribbean and those with Caribbean roots like (US-born pannist) Andy Narell. In fact, once you were doing Caribbean jazz, we were interested in featuring you,” Doyle revealed.