Music

A capacity congregation was at Bethel Methodist Church at South Hill on Sunday evening, December 14, where Carbon’s Music Studio showcased the developing talents of its student body, featuring in particular 15-year-old Conlloyd O’Connor Gumbs, in one of the most enjoyable local piano recitals in Anguilla in recent times.

Conlloyd Gumbs, one of Anguilla’s upcoming musicians, is to give a piano recital at Bethel Methodist Church on December 14, commencing at 5.00 p.m. He is a music student of that church’s pianist, Lois Hazell-Carbon, who is helping to develop and showcase his talent.

The Anguilla Tourist Board and BET Event Productions have announced the special performers for the Sixth Annual Tranquility Jazz Festival set to take place in the island paradise of November 6-9, 2008. The “Straight. No Chaser. Tranquility Jazz Festival” has earned a reputation as one of the Caribbean’s only true all jazz events and this year’s lineup is guaranteed to keep the tradition going.

On Saturday, June 28, ten children gathered at the Art Café in Island Harbour to showcase their musical talents. If readers recall, the Art Café recently acquired an immaculate grand piano and since then there have been many concerts.

Anguillian diva Jaine Rogers was Special Guest among a constellation of stars that thrilled patrons at the world famous Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday May 4th 2008.

On Sunday 4th May 2008, the Little Patriots drum band was blessed on the Island Harbour field by Elder Cupid of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The Third Annual Development Calypso Workshop aimed at raising the standards of the music art form was held in Anguilla late last week when the facilitator was Dorbrene O’Marde, a national of Antigua.

Three music students from Anguilla, who study piano under Mrs Irina Kaufman-Brookes, participated in an annual Le Diapason d’Or music competition held at The Grand Case Cultural Center, in French St. Martin on Sunday April 13, 2008. The three students ages 7-11 who competed in categories Debutant 2 and Preparatorie 1 were all the proud winners of trophies of Gold, Silver and Bronze in their respective categories.

The Bethel Methodist Church at South Hill was the venue for an enjoyable evening of classical music arranged in support of the Anguilla Community Foundation.

The 18th year of Moonsplash was all it promised to be with big crowds, great music, great food and drink, and most importantly, amazing vibes. Although the festival kicked off on Thursday afternoon with a beach bash, Friday night’s performance by Tarrus Riley was absolutely splendid and concert goers were able to be entertained in a very special way. Many things were different about this year’s Moonsplash and it seems as if the people enjoyed it immensely.

Daphne Richardson and Lennox Vanterpool were delighted to receive two child size violins to add to the instruments available for the classical concert band.

Ray Luck from Guyana enchanted the audience with his superb skills at the piano recital on Saturday January 19. The excellent performance included works by Haydn, Dukas, Granados and Chopin.

Distinguished Guyanese Concert Pianist Ray Luck will perform a Piano Recital in Anguilla on Saturday, January 19, at 7.00pm in the Campus B Auditorium. This unique concert appearance in Anguilla is part of a Caribbean tour that began late December 2007 with a concert to mark the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Saint Lucia School of Music.

Anguillian national, Alfred W. Gumbs, who began his musical career in the 1960s with a then primitive but popular band comprising keg drums, a bath pan for bass, maracas, a guitar and a microphone, is today a leading reggae song-writer, singer and musician with a positive message. In the early days he ventured into calypso as one of his art forms and was known as the “Mighty Condor”. His other associations included his religious singing group called “Alfred and the Alfredos.”

Following the individual concerts from students of Morlens Music Studio during the past year, on Sunday November 25, the students came together for The Finale at the St Augustine Anglican Church. Solo performances on the piano, flute, saxophone, clarinet and trumpet were followed by duets, trios and then the entire group playing Amazing Grace and If We Hold On Together which received a well deserved standing ovation from the packed audience.

Anguillians and others of all ages had a thrilling experience when they flocked to the Parkway at the National Bank of Anguilla for jazz music there on Friday, November 9, as the three-day Annual Tranquillity Jazz Festival got underway at several locations on the island.

It was probably the first time that a definition for jazz was given as a captive audience listened to the performances of the musicians.

The Anguilla Tranquility Jazz festival, an annual event, is gaining fame in the world of music. The line-up for this year’s event was quite impressive but not as impressive as their performances throughout the four-day event. With the slogan, “Straight, No Chaser,” this is the 5th year the festival has taken place on our humble island and every year continues to get better. Not only was there international superstars of jazz, but much of our local talent was showcased as well.

This year the Concert Band of the Music Department of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School is a special feature in the Anguilla Tranquillity Jazz Festival which runs from Thursday November 8 to Sunday November 11.

Anguillian jazz vocalist, Jaine Rogers, will now be having her first album on the market and the seeds are being sown for one or more young great drummers to emerge from the school system into the community and the musical world.