ISLAND PRIDE JUNE/JULY 2014
COLLECTOR’S EDITION
Caribbean Spirit Alive
k a e n S ek Pe ue Iss DULÉ TALKS
LIFE AFTER PSYCH AND SOCIAL GAMING
Caribbean
Culture Guide
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A CHIC CUBAN SUMMER SPREAD
MAXINE WILLIAMS ON TAKING RISKS
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Ways to Make Your Home Happier DJ TRACI STEELE’S PRETTY POWER
THE IMPACT
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OUR INAUGURAL LIST OF TOP CARIBBEAN-AMERICAN INFLUENCERS
The BesT oF ALL WorLds.
BMW i
Launch from 0–60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds. Accelerate with a combined maximum torque of 420 lb-ft. And reap the benefits of a 94-mpg, fuel-efficient vehicle.* With the plug-in hybrid BMW i8, you’ll experience the power of a TwinPower Turbo engine and the efficiency of an all-electric motor for an exhilarating driving experience that’s every bit BMW. This is no ordinary sports car. This is the first-ever BMW i8.
bmwusa.com/bmwi8
*Figures based on BMW AG test results. ©2014 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.
Contents Sneak Peek Issue
Features 26
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DULÉ SEIZES THE DAY The actor and dancer talks life after Psych, Nomino, and a rich Caribbean heritage PRETTY EMPOWERING DJ Traci Steele hustles hard and minds her businesses NO LIMITS LIVING Facebook exec Maxine Williams on authenticity and taking risks THE IMPACT 20 Steve Stoute, Eric Holder, Susan Taylor and others lead off our inaugural influence listing
Departments Island Scene 05
OUR GUIDE TO CARIBBEAN CULTURE! Lobbying for Parisian pastries in DC…Caribbean events galore… actor Winston Duke on laughing out loud, rituals and why he believes there’s always a way… celebrating Cicely Tyson …and more
Caribbean Flair
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THE CHOSEN ONE A Bahamian fashion design prodigy on destiny FEISTY FACE On the beat with a celebrity face fixer
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CUBAN GOURMET Bren Herrera delights with an over-the-top life story and a chic summer spread TASTING SPOON A metro-Atlanta hotspot tempts with a Trini twist on fast food
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18 In Every Issue Artistic 21
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LIVING MEMORY An urbanist finds purpose walking into a family treasure SHOWCASING IDENTITY Curating Caribbean culture through film and art
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NOW‌
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CONTRIBUTORS
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BOOKISH 5 titles to pick up now
Casa Beautiful
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STEP BOLDLY A carpet designer stuns in Brooklyn 5 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR HOME HAPPIER! Happy Home, Happy You!
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A MAN OF MUSIC Etienne Charles is the perfect melody
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BEATS Noteworthy new releases from Ziggy Marley and Estelle
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Now...
ISLAND PRIDE
A Common Pride
Caribbean Spirit Alive
W
e Caribbean people are proud people. We’re proud of our culture, accomplishments, and, most of all, each other. Each issue of Island Pride magazine will showcase and celebrate this island pride, through quality lifestyle content that is informative, invigorating and insightful. As Caribbean Americans, our experiences are as varied as our native dialects. Some of us are the ‘waymakers’—forging a new existence for our families, while others are the inheritors of that effort made—in many instances, decades ago, to create a better life. Regardless of the standpoint, a common thread of resilience connects us all. Look no further than the individuals featured in this issue—actor Dulé Hill, Facebook executive Maxine Williams, celebrity DJ Traci Steele—and you see the common story of ordinary transformed to extraordinary. That’s our history as a people. It’s what makes us dynamic, vibrant and beautiful. Join us as we profile the people, places, pursuits and passions of the CaribbeanAmerican landscape. Whether internationally acclaimed, or actively contributing to the local scene, we will share the stories of Caribbean people nationally and beyond.
FOUNDER + EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Caryn I. Anderson
Creative Director Simone Tieber
Island Pride aspires to play a special role—to be the primary indispensable link and magazine media brand among people of Caribbean heritage and lovers of Caribbean culture throughout the U.S. and the world; represented in a wellspring of writing and imagery that nurtures community and solidifies important Caribbean values. I’m delighted to welcome you to our preview issue. Here’s a sneak peek of what is to come. Caryn I. Anderson Founder + Editorial Director @cira246
Graphic Designers Ruth Gomez Betsy Alvarez Production Manager Jason Lowsy
Contributors Karroo Robinson Maxine Williams
Advertising: advertising@islandpridemag.com
Contributors MAXINE WILLIAMS is Facebook’s Global Head of
Diversity. The attorney and versatile island woman captured a spot in the 2013 roster of Ebony magazine’s elite Power 100—a listing of the 100 most powerful African Americans.
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Comments: info@islandpridemag.com
© Renson Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction, in whole or in part, of any text, photography or illustration without written consent from the publisher is strictly prohibited.
Lively Season Sun is shining, the weather is sweet. Move your feet! Get inspired. Live vibrantly.
Island Scene OUR GUIDE TO CARIBBEAN CULTURE
BUZZ | ALMANAC | ICON | CHAT BOUT | SINGULAR | MAKING ME | DE MARKET PRIDE LISTED | TIMELINE | VIBES
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IN FOCUS
Making-news snippets on new titles, beautiful faces and well-deserved nods. Pretty Woman Big Winner Steve McQueen's 2013 film, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, earned the top nod at the 2014 Oscar’s—winning the Academy Award for best picture. It is the first film directed by a black filmmaker to win Best Picture. The parents of the British-born director and screenwriter hail from Grenada and Trinidad.
Stamp of Approval
Zoe Saldana is the new international spokesperson of L’Oréal Paris. “ ‘We’re worth it,’ means so much to me,” Saldana says. “I want to share that value with women so they can embrace it and execute life with confidence.” Saldana’s campaign will include print and television ads.
THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE recently honored the legacy of the late Shirley Chisholm with a stamp as part of its Black Heritage Series. Chisholm, the daughter of Caribbean immigrants, is famous for her long list of firsts, including the first black woman elected to Congress, where she served seven terms, and the first black person to run for president, with her 1972 campaign.
At the Helm Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick has been named interim president of Howard University —the nation’s oldest historically black university, located in Washington D.C. The Trinidad-born surgeon entered Howard at 16; subsequently earning a bachelor’s in zoology, a doctor of medicine and a master’s in business administration. 6
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Style Gyal ON JUNE 2, Rihanna will be honored with the Fashion Icon Award at the 2014 Council of Fashion Designers of America Fashion Awards. The award is given to an individual whose style has made a significant impact on popular culture on an international stage. Past winners include Lady Gaga, Iman and Sarah Jessica Parker.
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Cicely the Great DAUGHTER OF WILLIAM AND THEODOSIA TYSON, two devoutly religious immigrants from Nevis, Cicely Tyson was born on December 19, 1933, in Harlem, New York. Official records document her father’s arrival and processing at Ellis Island on August 4, 1919. As an 18-year-old secretary, Tyson famously declared to a roomful of coworkers that God did not put her on earth to bang at a typewriter for the rest of her life. At the time, acting was hardly an obvious alternative since she had never been to a play or a movie. Her rigidly religious mother forbade it when she was growing up. Entertainment for her was singing in church. Tyson’s “next” came in the form of modeling hairstyles. Discovered by a photographer for Ebony magazine, she quickly caught on in that business, hitting the covers of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Though still not sure what acting was, Tyson was bitten by the acting bug when a modeling job led to her being signed for an independent movie. An appearance in 1956’s Carib Gold is Tyson’s first credited film role. In 1961, she was part of the original cast of French playwright Jean Genet’s The Blacks. In 1972, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the critically acclaimed Sounder. And, in 1974, she won two Emmy awards for The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Other acclaimed television roles include Roots, King, and Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, for which she received her third Emmy award. Following recent film roles in The Help and Alex Cross, Tyson, 80, returned to Broadway last spring for the first time in 30 years to star in a revival of Horton Foote’s 1953 drama, The Trip to Bountiful. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Carrie Watts, an elderly woman who dreams of returning to her hometown of Bountiful, Texas, before she dies. Tyson also stars in a made-for-television movie version of the play on Lifetime Television. With an unrelenting stance to only portray strong, positive images of black women, Tyson is one of the most awe-inspiring actresses to have ever graced the stage and screen. IP
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Almanac Your jam-packed agenda of things to know, see, do and taste.
May
PLAY DE MAS It’s Carnival time ! Atlanta | May, 24 L.A. | June, 21 Houston | July, 2–6 St. Vincent | July, 7 D.C. | July, 12-13
CALABASH INTERNATIONAL LITERARY FESTIVAL: GLOBALISHUS
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Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica Celebrating language with a distinctly Caribbean twist. This year’s participating authors include Jamaica Kincaid, Salman Rushdie and Ann-Margaret Lin. calabashfestival.org
June
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SUMMER JAM
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INVEST CARIBBEAN NOW
New York City, NY investcaribbeannow.com
08 Since 2005, June has been designated National Caribbean American Heritage Month to recognize the significance of Caribbean people and their descendants in the history and culture of the United States. Above, Institute of Caribbean Studies members at the Caribbean Pavilion at the Annual Legislative Conference of the Congressional Black Caucus, circa 1995. Go to caribbeanamericanmonth.org for a schedule of events. 8
July
Rutherford, NJ Catch Bunji Garlin, Nicki Minaj, 50 Cent and many other music makers at this year’s HOT 97 FM Summer Jam.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGE LAMMING!
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June is Black Music Month. Celebrate live music this month and all summer long at festivals in the U.S. and throughout the region, featuring top acts like reggae crooner, Taurus Riley.
The novelist, essayist and poet, is the most famous writer to emerge from Barbados, and one of the Caribbean’s literary treasures.
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CARIBBEAN FASHION WEEK
Kingston, Jamaica pulsecaribbean.com
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ST KITTS MUSIC FESTIVAL
Baseterre, St. Kitts stkittsmusicfestival.com
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BOSTON JERKFEST
Boston, MA Family-friendly foodie festival featuring Jamaican jerk meat, traditional juices and live entertainment. bostonjerkfest.com
REGGAE SUMFEST
Montego Bay, Jamaica From Sanchez to Jah Cure; Assassin to Wiz Khalifa, Sumfest will be a treat. reggaesumfest.com
Nice Time! Liven’ up your summer gatherings and celebrate 127 years of a Caribbean classic
island scene Singular
Visionary Outlook A FUTURIST OF MANY FIRSTS LOOKS AHEAD AS A YOUNG WOMAN studying industrial engineering in the U.S. in the late 1970s, Claire A.
Nelson, Ph.D. planned to return home to enter politics—first, as the minister of industry, then Jamaica’s first female prime minister. Nelson went on to become the first Jamaican woman to earn a doctorate in an engineering discipline (George Washington University), and for the three decades that followed, blazed her own path as the first female engineer of African descent hired by the Inter-American Development Bank—producing its first study on blacks in Latin America and spearheading development initiatives around economic inclusion.
Today, Nelson is a professional futurist and Ideation Leader of the Futures Forum, a thought leadership think tank she founded to provide strategic foresight advisory. Her role is to help organizations think about and create the future they want. The 2012 White House Champion of Change, and founder of the Institute of Caribbean Studies, —the non-profit advocacy group instrumental in the National Caribbean American Heritage Month designation, is also an award-winning playwright. She is hopeful that her work will help influence a new Caribbean
harmony of purpose, toward a sustainable future for the region and for Caribbean people throughout the Diaspora—with the key issue of inclusive prosperity at the forefront. “Very few of us have the audacity to go out and start something that hasn’t been tried before,” Nelson says. “When I think of visionaries like Marcus Garvey who had the foresight to envision something that was so far removed from the reality he knew, and then step out to create it, I only wish to follow in his footsteps.” thefuturesforum.org IP
Chat Bout
Majah Talent Take note of this dude! We’re talking equal parts amusement and enlightenment. IF YOU HAVE NOT YET discovered the hilarity that is Majah Hype, you ain’t livin’ no life. His spot-on roundup of Caribbean dialect impersonations and quick multi-character one-man skits that play out on social media, depict his colorful comedic take on common life situations—turning Caribbean stereotypes on their heads. The musician—he plays seven instruments, including alto saxophone drums, and piano—says he was born with comedy. “Since childhood people would say I needed to be
on someone’s stage,” Hype says. “I was the funny guy everyone knew around the neighborhood; the class clown.” “When they added video on Instagram, I did one just playing around and it took off,” Hype says. “I saw the following building, so I continued.” That fan base has grown to more than 50,000 on Instagram alone, with followers across the globe clamoring for the next 15-second funny fix. The characters and situations are culled from his life experiences. “I grew up in my grandfather’s house—an
old-fashioned dude with lots of funny sayings,” Hype says of his grandfather, Sydney “Syd Joe” Joseph—a musician and one of the founders of New York’s Labor Day parade. Unbound by the constraints of a singular national heritage, Hype, a deejay with New York’s Hot 97 FM Massive B Sound System, wants people to be enlightened by the dominant message entwined in his sketches: that there’s not much different about Caribbean people. “Out of many; we’re really one people, so we should be uplifting each other, recognizing that there is power in numbers,” Hype says. imsomajah.net IP Preview Issue IS L ANDP RI DEMAG.C OM 9
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u Editor’s pick of treats for elegant taste buds and the well-appointed home. THE SWEET LOBBY 404 8th Street SE Washington, D.C. 202.544.2404 sweetlobby.com
Based on Capitol Hill’s Barracks Row, The Sweet Lobby, is DC’s upscale, award-winning boutique bakery destination known for its classic and globally inspired flavor incarnations. Gluten-free French macarons in flavors ranging from mango to matcha, madeleines, éclairs, shortbread, meringue cookies, canelés and more! Owner, Dr. Winnette McIntosh Ambrose, is an engineer and winner of the Food Network’s, Cupcake Wars. National shipping available.
NEATNOOKS FURNITURE 404.668.8310 neatnooksfurniture.com
NeatNooks is an Atlanta-based boutique woodworking studio that produces high-quality custom furniture that lasts a lifetime. All pieces are handmade by craftsman Paul Nooks, with sustainable American hardwoods and eco-friendly stains and lacquers. 10
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Making Me
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Winston Duke The actor, who recently made his primetime TV debut on NBC’s Law & Order: SVU, grew up in Argyle, Tobago, until migrating to the U.S. with his mother and sister at age of 10. He is Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the prestigious Yale School of Drama, and an all-round wise soul. Here he fills in the blanks on laughter, obsessions and living. GROWING UP IN TOBAGO, TAUGHT ME…community. Appreciation. Hard work. As a kid, I remember how enterprising everyone around me was. Even if they didn’t have much education, they always found a way to make ends meet. It taught me that there’s always a way.
IF I WEREN’T AN ACTOR, I’D BE… doing something in the arts—something creative, that fell on my back. I started off doing pre-law in undergrad. I even did the LSAT! I don’t think I would have been a lawyer. I would have done something where I’d be my instrument.
THE LAST TIME I LAUGHED REALLY HARD WAS…The other night I was watching Martin—the episode where Martin challenges Tommy “The Hitman” Hearns to a fight. Just his physical comedy and timing, and all that slapstick was just on point.
MY MOTHER ALWAYS TOLD ME…that my time would come—the race is not for the swift but for those who can endure to the end. That has been the biggest thing for me— in academia, in this business. Understanding that you don’t have to be #1 right now, but just get there. Know the goal and work towards it.
I FIND PEACE…through meditation. I also find peace in the shower. I take long showers and just think.
BEFORE A PERFORMANCE I ALWAYS… pray. Every single time; every single performance. I thank God for the opportunity. I’VE BECOME OBSESSED WITH…healthy food. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and research about eating healthy and where food comes from. I’m making sure that I put the right nutrients in my body; cooking better, having more juiced meals and having more micronutrients in my meals. I’VE CONQUERED MY FEAR OF… being afraid BY… realizing that fear is good, and getting up and doing. Most of what I want to do scares the hell out of me. The reality is you have to be afraid, but that’s also part of what fuels you. I’m afraid, but that doesn’t stop me. Transform the fear into something that works for you.
I LIVE OUT LOUD… everydayWHEN I…do almost everything. I’m constantly learning different shades of doing so. I AM MOST HUMBLED BY… how generous and welcoming the people of Trinidad and Tobago have been with my recent success, and with me. I didn’t expect so many people to reach out and be appreciative of my story. It gives me a sense of place. It’s humbling to know I’m an accepted part of an entire community and culture. MY BIGGEST ACTING INFLUENCE…my mother. Watching her and her friends tell stories taught me a lot about storytelling. Listening to her life. Watching her maneuver the world. Also, as a layman to my industry she is able to give me amazing insight—she is the best barometer of the opinions of the audience. LIFE SO FAR IS…very humbling. I’ve come so far. I’m learning so much. I’m appreciated so much. And, I’m inspired by so many people. It puts everything into perspective. IP
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Island Scene’s who-was-where montage of notable happenings captures carnival, crooners and culture.
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4. 1.– 2. Revelers in Trinidad and Haiti 3. Tara Yates-Reeves, Jobari Parker, David Little and Ayanna Hardy in Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds, the musical for kids at the New Victory Theatre in NYC; 4. Jimmy Jean-Louis and celebrated visual artist, Philippe Dodard, at the Caribbean Cinematic Festival’s opening night; 5. Tessanne Chin belts out classic Donna Summer at Women of Soul: In Performance at the White House. 12
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island scene Timeline
Pride Listed
America Calling: Caribbean Migration to the U.S.
Marley Coffee The international gourmet coffee brand founded by Rohan Marley, son of reggae legend Bob Marley, offers inviting flavors. Purchase on amazon.com, at Whole Foods markets and other select organic grocers; prices vary. www.marleycoffee.com
THE IMPACT OF THE EARLY PERIODS of Caribbean migration on American society has been profound. Today, people of Caribbean heritage in the U.S. number more than 12 million. The journey of Afro-Caribbean peoples to the United States started a long time ago—when slaves from Barbados were taken by their British owners to South Carolina during the seventeenth century. Indeed, most of the earliest Africans to arrive in what would become the United States were seasoned slaves—men, women, and children—from the Caribbean. As the years passed many waves of voluntary migration occurred with immigrants from the French-, British-,
Dutch- and Spanish-speaking Caribbean heading to the states for opportunity. From 1820 to 2002, more than 68 million people emigrated from the region to the U.S. In 2000, more than 5.4 million U.S. residents traced their national origins to Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. There are now a million more Puerto Ricans living in the mainland U.S. than on the island. IP
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SCHOMBURG CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN BLACK CULTURE, PHOTOGRAPHS AND PRINTS DIVISION.
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Dixie Bits A gorgeous line of eco-friendly bath and body products developed by self-described beauty junkie, Dixie Lincoln-Nichols. Products and accessories range in price from $9.99 to $55. www.dixiebits.com
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1. The first migration; 2. Bahamians in Florida; 3. Women from Guadeloupe; 4. Early Cubans in Florida working in a cigar factory; 5. Members of the Tobago Benevolent Association; 6. The Puerto Rican League in Brooklyn, 1934; 7. Carnival in Harlem in the late 1940s. Preview Issue IS L ANDP RI DEMAG.C OM 13
Caribbean Flair
‘ello London Designed for the jet-setting fashion aficionado, this euro-chic Theodore Elyett pre-fall collection pays homage to the city of the designer’s dreams.
STATELY SPLENDOR Sophisticated yet functional designs curated to come alive on London’s streets. Photographer: Scharad Lightbourne; Makeup: Nestaea Sealy; Hair: Erin Brown; Accessories: Lavonne Ferguson of Cute Confections; Models: Morgan and Shanae.
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Iconic British influences are effortlessly weaved into the collection including polka dots and mod shift dresses inspired by English model, actress and singer, Twiggy.
The neutral color palette of black, white and camel gets a shot of adrenaline with pops of emerald green. Oscar de la Renta gold antique buttons lend an old world charm to youthful, modern designs.
The Chosen One Most people choose their professions, but Theodore Elyett (Sealy), Bahamian designer of eponymous label, Theodore Elyett, was handpicked by fashion. The prodigy traces his journey growing up in a garment factory to London Fashion Week.
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Bearskin hats worn by the British Foot Guards inspired a modern interpretation of a fringe skirt mirroring the clean lines from the flapper era. The old cobblestone streets that still remain in some of London’s historic districts lend themselves to an everyday print that surfaces throughout the collection. Drawing inspiration from the mod structure of the sixties and the relaxed hippie aesthetic of the seventies, the collection harmoniously combines tailored pieces with free-flowing silhouettes.
he season 3 winner of Mission Catwalk, the reality TV fashion designer showdown produced out of Jamaica, recalls visiting his maternal grandmother at her home in Florida. “From as young as 7 or 8, my sister and I would visit my grandmother during the summer—she was well versed in the fashion industry,” Elyett says. “At the end of our stay we would put on a little fashion show for her with our creations that were made from all the scraps that we found around the house. Redesigning and essentially upcycling her old garments and designs.” The nurturing of his creative talents continued yearlong at home with both of his parents—his mom owned a garment factory on Shirley Street in Nassau that manufactured uniforms for government agencies and school uniforms. “I was able to experience the business side and technical side of fashion from my
Caribbean Flair mom—lessons on manufacturing and mass production,” Elyett says. He spent most afternoons on the cutting table watching his mom cut layers and layers of fabric, or in the printing room watching screens being burnt, or upstairs with the employees learning to sew. Elyett’s dad was an artist in his spare time—sketching portraits and landscapes. He helped the young designer hone the artistic side of design, teaching him things like body proportions in drawing and sketching, and about putting concepts and designs on paper. One of his first creations was a t-shirt shift dress for his sister. “It was too small—I did not have my measurements quite right yet,” Elyett says. He remembers tacking it up his wall. He understood early on that he was getting into a field that required stickability— one that was not immediately financially lucrative, but one that had essentially chosen him. Elyett’s first major design debut came when he was 13—he designed a national costume for his best friend who had entered a modeling competition. A year later, at the Miss Bahamas pageant in 1998, two of his national costume designs won 3rd and 4th place, respectively, among some of the biggest designers in the Bahamas—catapulting Elyett into the spotlight.
MOST FULFILLING Getting to retail has been the most fulfilling. For any serious fashion designer, retail is the end goal. Seeing the pieces reproduced and on racks was emotional. UP NEXT Fall 2014 collection, Unorchidnized Noise, (expanded) showing at Jamaica’s Collection Moda. BEST TEACHER The late Kay Davitian who served as a mentor on Mission Catwalk was a great teacher. Her mandate 16
of quality was big. Just looking at the progression of my sewing skills I can see the impact she had on me.
In the following decade Elyett worked in journalism, began fashion design studies at Ryerson University in Canada, and started a teen development program. During this time, he continued designing, not allowing his love of fashion to die. He decided to enter a few contests to get funds to complete his degree—an important goal that is always front-of-mind for him. First came the Runway to Fashion Week Designer Competition in the Bahamas in 2010. He won a summer scholarship for intense training at PARSONS New School of Design in New York City. “I learned the ropes about creative direction for a fashion brand,” Elyett says. “Shortly after this, Theodore Elyett, the fashion label was born.” Then, in 2013, he was the first designer on Mission Runway to be retailed at Lee’s Fifth Avenue locations in Jamaica with his line, Theodore Elyettt Basic. Winning the show included showcasing his collection at an emerging designer show at London Fashion Week, and an upcoming summer of study at London College of Fashion. By September, look for Theodore Elyett in upscale specialty stores, including the KERRY manwomanhome Boutique in Kingston, and Tanya Saunders Boutique in Nassau. IP
WISE WORDS I’ve heard the designer Tom Ford say that in this day and age you have to be more than a creative person to be taken seriously in the global playing field of fashion design. You need knowledge of the fashion business.
• Jason Wu • Prabal Gurung • Valentino • Oscar de la Renta I am impressed by their design styles, as well as by the way they handle their businesses. Oscar de la Renta being from a small island nation is a testament that you can come from somewhere small and still make it big as a global player in fashion.
DESIGN INFLUENCES • Tom Ford • Diane Von Furstenburg
THE BRAND I’m very intentional in branding the label and being consistent with what
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is done by big design houses—produce the collections, release lookbooks, etc. When Theodore Elyett gets to the point of competing on the international level, people will be able to look back and see the level of brand consistency. THE LOOK Signature pieces—collection after collection; year after year. People can expect a unique statement look where they instantly know it’s a Theodore Elyett woman.
Feisty Face Professional makeup artist Karen Dupiche blends beauty and living on plan. On any given weekday, Karen Dupiche can be found primping some of the most famous faces on daytime television. Professional makeup artist on ABC talk show, The View, and to Elizabeth Hasselbeck, co-host of FOX and Friends on the FOX News Channel, the soughtafter entertainment-industry beauty maven is a spark of life on skates! Born in East Orange, N.J., to Haitian immigrants, Dupiche planned to follow her mother into a career in nursing. A fascination with beauty and makeup led her down a different path, and over the years has allowed her to work with celebrity A-listers, and have her art featured in every medium. Dupiche’s work and devotion to her craft has earned her four Emmy Awards, induction into the Haitian Roundtable 1804 List of Haitian-American Changemakers, and countless other industry accolades. Her vibrant personality and love of community has earned her the collective pride of many.
Who were your earliest beauty influences? My grandmother—she was a beauty back in Haiti; my aunts and my mom. They were always poised and polished and conducted themselves like beautiful ladies. What are some of the beauty routines and products that you were raised with in a Haitian-American household? Vaseline—on the face, eyelids and lips! My mother always taught me to wash my face in an upward motion. Keep that skin up! How long have you been a professional makeup artist and how did you get your start in the industry? I’ve been a makeup artist for 17 years.
I started at Prescriptives at Macy ’s Herald Square then freelanced for different stores and companies before working with Giorgio Armani Beauty, which allowed me get into fashion, editorial and TV. Who was the first celebrity client you worked with? Denzel Washington! It was at the GQ Men of the Year Awards. I was nervous, but I played it cool. As soon as he left I called my sister screaming. Have you done a beauty look that you now regret? When I was working at Neiman Marcus, a lady came to the Bobbi Brown Cosmetics section. Now this was before I was trained as an artist, so I threw on all the colors that were inappropriate. If I could find this lady right now, I owe her a makeover! What’s the best thing about being a 4X Emmy Award-winning makeup artist? The fact that people recognize me as an artist; that I’m able to do what I love. It also allows me to represent my heritage and help shift perceptions. To work with young people in my community to show them that it’s all possible—with hard work and a plan. That’s what I did—I made a plan and executed it! What brings you the most joy? My family. They are so supportive and proud. They always have my back. IP
Tips:
Hydrate | Exfoliate Moisturize | Blend
Faves
Mac Studio Fix Powder | $27. MAC Cosmetics. Black Opal Concealer | $8. Walmart NARS Illuminator | $30. Sephora. Giorgio Armani (Everything!) http://www.giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com
Projects
The hilarious YouTube series, Rollin’ With Whoppi, starring Whoppi Goldberg, hairstylist Yancey Edwards, and Dupiche.
Products
Dupiche is co-inventor of heat resistant ear protectors, KD Kuffs, currently used in upscale hair salons across the nation. www.kdkuffs.com
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Cuban
She sings, wears stilettos and volunteers. Here Cuban-American Chef Bren Herrera shares her other passion: introducing people to new experiences through food, and gives inspiration for a fabulous spread.
Gourmet B
Cuban food is very unique, in that it’s not unique. Cuban food is not indigenous—it is a great mixture of African, Spanish and French food. It’s not very beautiful food, but it’s absolutely delicious, because you’re pulling from those three styles. It’s very fresh, very innovative, and filling. —BREN HERRERA
ALL DRESSED UP Watermelon Gazpacho served with a dash of fancy is perfect for any daytime soiree. Photos courtesy Bren Herrera and Victoria Tourism 18
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ren Herrera has her dad’s picky palette to thank for the amazing food she ate growing up. Her mom cooked fresh six days a week because her father was not a fan of leftovers or canned food. The Cuban-born professional chef and owner of the award-winning blog, Flanboyant Eats, recalls her mom cooking all the traditional dishes: “Every bean; plantains in every variety, oxtails, cow tongues,” Herrera says. “I was always curious about food, and spent a lot of time in the kitchen learning how to make her dishes.” She grew up right outside Washington, D.C. in a home that was always bursting at the seams with good times, good food and lots of guests. “When my dad’s home-cooked lunches became a hit with his co-workers, mom started taking orders through her at-home cantina.” A few years later, her parents started a Cuban food cart that sold mom’s staple dishes right outside the immigration services office in D.C. By that time Herrera was working in the legal field, but had fallen in love with cooking and entertaining. She cooked for friends regularly and word spread about her scrumptious Cuban and Latin fusion
dishes—soon she was cooking for high-end clients, mainly politicians and lawyers. In November 2007, Herrera cooked a meal that changed everything—boiled yucca (cassava), tostones (twice fried plantains), pollo en fricasseé (Cuban-style chicken in tomato and red wine sauce). She was living in Atlanta focusing on a music career, when she prepared a meal for a local publicist. Her food was so impressive that a few weeks later she got a call to cook on a segment of Fox 5 Atlanta’s Good Day Atlanta, to showcase the traditional ways people from the Caribbean and Latin America celebrate New Year’s. “At that time, I did not have the blog; nothing,” Herrera says. “I came up with Flanboyant Eats—a play on the definition of flamboyant, and the traditional Latin dessert, flan; developed the site, and it had 400 subscriptions in the first day.” Many great things have followed for Herrera: radio and television gigs, celebrity clients, cooking with Emeril Lagasse on his show, articles in the Washington Post and Latina magazine, and tons of accolades for Flanboyant Eats. Now, she writes on food and travel for Parade magazine exclusively, and serves as ambassador for Sargento, Gallo Wines and Tabasco—developing recipes and blogging about their products. She has a cookbook in the works, and stars in Dine Out—a web series on online network, Chic Rebellion. And, she travels around the world covering food events and learning about food in different cultures. “A really good chef is always exploring other people’s food,” Herrera says. “Inspiration comes from travel and curiosity about food especially the local trends and ingredients.” Herrera is a volunteer chef with Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters, a D.C.based initiative to obliterate childhood hunger, and also works with Meridian International Center, an organization that preserves and curates global art. “When people need things you give what you can. I give my talents to things I believe in,” Herrera says. Her most fulfilling moment so far has
A Chic Spread Daytime formals call for fabulous brunch fare. Bren Herrera helps design your next gathering. •
Watermelon Gazpacho
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Cold Quinoa Salad (with parsley, butternut squash, shitake mushrooms, prunes and green peas)
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Pulled Oxtail Sliders on Brioche topped with Gruyere and espresso glaze
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Mojito Flan
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Lemon Sorbet
Go to the blog: flanbouyanteats.com for recipes.
Memories from recent food jaunts, from left: Australia; Richmond, Va.; St. Croix, USVI.
Herrera and “Chef of the Century” Joël Robuchon discuss porcini.
been the opportunity to interview and cook privately with Joël Robuchon, the world’s most decorated chef, at his now closed l’atelier in New York City. “It was just
such an honor to spend that time cooking his food. I made him a flan and he loved it,” Herrera says. “That experience was a big victory.” IP 19
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Tasting Spoon A suburban Georgia restaurant offers fast lessons in Trini eating.
incrementally introduce a wider audience to what Trinidadian food is about always at the forefront. “Trinidadian food is distinct and distinctive,” Cassanova says. “To be able to give Asian flavors; African flavors, shows a wider view of Caribbean cuisine that many may not be aware of.” A self-taught chef in many ways, Cassanova dropped out of college to attend restaurant school in New York City. Within the first week however, she knew that she could not be taught to cook. “I cook from the gut—eyeballing ingredients and making my own way,” Cassanova says. “It has been a fluid road here, with many professions, but I’ve kept cooking. It’s something that brings me a lot of satisfaction.” Living in the very austere existence of
the Middle East for the last decade made her appreciate the commonalities of human existence through food. “There is so much similarity in what we eat; there are common threads throughout every culture,” she says. Looking ahead, she intends to expand the menu as the tastes of Creole’s clientele expands, to include single-serve desserts, specialty drinks like ginger beer, sorrel, soursop juice and mauby, and more Trinidadian street food. Another location is also planned; most likely in downtown Atlanta, and with an alcohol license. “Nothing goes together better than beer and chicken,” Cassanova says. In true Creole style, a cold beer with geera chicken, to be exact. www.creoleatlanta.com IP
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Left: calypso chicken. Above: Cajun sausage and peppers; beef stack; daily specials run the Creole spectrum—red beans and rice, stewed chicken, gumbo with accras (saltfish fritters), oxtails, shrimp and grits, all make an appearance; Proprietor/Main Chef, Ayanna Cassanova
PHOTOS BY KARROO ROBINSON
o those unfamiliar with Trinidad and Tobago cuisine, Creole, a new food hot spot in Lithonia, GA, will prove to be a tasty teacher; providing an eye-opening adventure of the way diverse ethnic flavors—contributed by the mixing of the many cultural influences that call T&T home—come together to bless the palate. Like true Caribbean cuisine, the food at Creole is flexible, authentic, filling; not too fancy, and so good. Menu offerings include familiar take-out fare—chicken wings, fish, shrimp, stacked sandwiches—reinterpreted. With sauces like the popular Mango Ginger, and weekly specials like calypso chicken—bone-in chicken marinated with five spices, deep fried and glazed, Creole is a fast food restaurant committed to Trinidadian flavors. Nothing leaves the kitchen that hasn’t been marinated for at least 48 hours with classic Caribbean seasonings like French thyme, ginger and garlic. Proprietor and main chef, Ayanna Cassanova, sees to this herself, with the mission to
Artistic
UNDISCOVERED CHARM One of the Saint Lucian dwellings juxtaposed of blight and decay; dignity and grace.
Living Memory In the book Ti Kay Nou, Elma Julia Felix captures the essence of Saint Lucia’s modest historic houses and presents the extraordinary treasures for all to see and love. Preview Issue IS L AN DP RI DEMAG.C OM 21
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TI KAY NOU: an uplifting journey through our tiny St. Lucian houses. www.tikaynou.com
LIVING ARTIFACTS A man and his 98-year-old mother inhabit this house in Castries. They agreed to allow the inside of their home to be photographed, on one condition: they had to be included in the shot. The woman said, “My child, make sure you include us in this photograph because we ARE the artifacts!,” Felix says.
to, did not get a lot of formal recognition. “There are on average 800 Ti Kays, but there is no documentation of them; no history.” Felix took a sabbatical from her job to go back to St. Lucia to take pictures and conduct research. In total, the book took about four years from concept to completion. Ti Kay Nou opens with an excerpt from Derek Walcott’s Nobel Laureate speech ‘The Antilles: Fragments of Epic Memory’ that actually references the Ti Kays, and is divided into 11 segments—each one being dedicated to one of the quarters, known as quartiers, of St. Lucia. A watercolor painting—an aerial shot of the quartier in focus by artist Christopher Podstawskiof—teases each segment. And, Felix’s lavish photography brings the structures to life. Yet, the visual feast would be incomplete without inclusion of the poignant oral histories provided by the personal narratives of the individuals most familiar with the history of the homes present in each section of the book. These narratives showcase a deep conversation between the Ti Kays and their
inhabitants, and underscore the importance of the Ti Kays in St. Lucian culture. One woman, Estephanie, whose family home is located in Babonneau quarter, east of Castries, recalls walking for miles to the market in town to sell farine to help contribute to building the house. “She purchased the original galvanize at 20 cents a sheet,” Felix says. “The home was built by her father in 1923 and nothing has been altered since its construction.” The Ti Kays have withstood every major hurricane to hit the island. “They were built at a time when people did not depend on architects, but common sense,” Felix says. For example, the houses were elevated to prevent insects from coming in and to guard against storm surge. “Now there’s more of a disconnect in design, where we’re not designing for place or climate. More resiliency in design will put us in a much better place.” The book’s publication has stirred lots of pride and dialogue. “Most people are beginning to realize how important the preservation of Ti Kay is to St. Lucian identity,”
PHOTOS BY ELMA FELIX
here is something about connection of place that is both unavoidable and unexplainable. For Elma Felix, an architect and urbanist, based in Sarasota, Fla., her connection with her beloved St. Lucia was sealed on a weekend trip with her dad to her grandmother’s house at the old family estate in Soufriere—a town on the west coast, and the original capital of the island. Large estates, run by French plantation owners until the early nineteenth century, dominate the area. She remembers the old wooden house. Tiny, vernacular, plantation-style; about 80 years old; fairly decayed, but in good shape. Her father, using an old skeleton key, unlocking the door; opening the louvres. The specks of dust dancing in the light shining through the windows. She walks across the creaking wooden floor into a memory, and all-at-once, a passion for architecture and dwellings that sets her on a path to helping to preserve St. Lucia’s built heritage. On that day, Felix fell in love with the old house. It is still intact today. As a teenager, she started fanatically taking pictures of old houses everywhere she saw them. It is clear that this obsession was the impetus to her gorgeous book, Ti Kay Nou, which beautifully showcases the island’s early traditional houses in all their splendor and variety. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., to St. Lucian parents, Felix moved to St. Lucia when she was 10 years old. She studied technical drawing and building technology at Castries Comprehensive School, where her excitement about building design was nurtured by her young teachers. She headed back to the United States after being accepted into the University of Miami’s prestigious School of Architecture, to focus on traditional building elements. However, amidst her intense training, the connection of place remained. “The idea to do the book first came while still in college and noticing that every time I returned to St. Lucia, the houses were vanishing,” Felix says. The Ti Kays, meaning little house, as they are commonly referred
Estephanie’s family home in Babonneau Quartier
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says Felix. “ My intent with the book was to initiate a conversation about historic preservation in St. Lucia in a way that had not been done before—make images speak for themselves, and getting people excited about the dwellings by reminding them of what they were, and are.” IP
1. LITTLE SHOPS Ti Kays are also used as one-stop shops for household needs, usually located centrally within the villages. 5. HOME TIES The childhood home of Governor-General of Saint Lucia, Dame Pearlette Louisy.
2.+4. PROTECTIVE ELEMENTS Oral history reveals that descendants of the Yoruba tribe in St. Lucia and Trinidad, included the steeple, or spiked finial, in construction as a mark of protection from bad spirits and evildoers. The designs became more decorative as the years passed, but this element connecting the two islands and the beliefs of the people who inhabited them, remained. Two references of spiked finials in Belmont, Trinidad, near the East Dry River; and Soufriere. 3. BEST DRESSED The best maintained house is located in Vieux Fort, and is owned by Margarite Alexander. In the last couple of years, she has replaced rotting decorative fretwork with those made in the neighboring island of Dominica. Preview Issue IS L ANDP RI DEMAG.C OM 23
Artistic
Showcasing
Identity
[
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shelley [shel-ee], n. 1 visionary. 2 techie. 3 creative—especially with food, interiors and gardening. 4 eccentric. 5 bearer of high standards.
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Shelley Vidia Worrell is a digital media executive with extensive experience in multi-platform distribution. She has worked for top media and technology brands including Google, The History Channel, and Time Warner, and has led the successful launch of over 100 digital and cable VOD channels. Through the non-profit CaribBEING, whose mission is to build community through the lens of Caribbean cinema, culture and art, she curates an annual film, culture and art series. She is also founder of Worrell Media Group (WMG), which provides content distribution and marketing of Caribbean cinema, arts and entertainment.
cultural development—she first conceptualized CaribBEING as a platform to recognize that our stories have meaning, significance and context. The idea lay dormant for several years until 2010 when a friend in search of programming for a Caribbean literary and cultural center she was managing approached Worrell offering up a space to do something. That was the start of the Flatbush Film Festival. “We did three screenings,” Worrell says. “It was really hard. Literally, only a handful of people showed up. I thought it just was not going to work and I was ready to close the book and get back to my life.” Then, in 2011, a friend of Worrell made a film about Haiti and the aftermath of the earthquake. “The film was about the aid efforts from Caribbean nations—something that we in the Diaspora were not hearing about,” Worrell says. “We decided that the film had to be shown in New York.” Worrell engaged politicians, student groups, local universities, etc. and the response was fantastic. In the years that followed, art exhibitions and other cultural programming has been included alongside film—highlighting different islands. The programs are very well attended and move around to different areas of the City— Tribeca; Harlem. “We advocate at a high level—strategically with organizations for partnerships, offering a curatorial eye,” Worrell says. “We were asked by Tribeca (Film Festival) to serve on a panel that included Sundance, Lincoln Center and Camden International. We were at the table with some of the big
PHOTOS BY RAY A. LLANOS AND T. WOODS
t last check, Shelley Worrell has visited over 25 Caribbean islands. She started early—first journeying to the region when she was just six months old. The child of immigrants from Trinidad and Tobago, Worrell considers herself a regionalist—embracing the myriad West Indian influences that simmer in Brooklyn, N.Y., where she was born. She recalls going to panyards in Brooklyn with her father, a lover of steelpan, and of listening to the traditional band arrangements. “Our family moved to South Jersey, down by the shore, when I was in the sixth grade,” Worrell says. All of a sudden being West Indian had no context; no meaning. It was the complex position of being black and different, from a cultural perspective. “I went to a multicultural school, but would often be the only black child in a class or activity. People were just not as familiar with Caribbean culture as they are now—it had not infiltrated. This was before Rihanna and social media.” Worrell realized early on that she would have to create her own space to express her identity. Back in New York City for college— majoring in anthropology and Caribbean studies while avidly interested in media and
IDENTIFY Attendees at the organization’s 2013 Benefit Cocktail Party bring CaribBEING to life.
BOOKISH 5 New Titles to Pick Up Now 1. SEE NOW THEN
By Jamaica Kincaid In the brilliant and evocative new novel from Jamaica Kincaid—her first in ten years—a marriage is revealed in all its joys and agonies.
2. DAVID AND GOLIATH
By Malcolm Gladwell The #1 bestselling author of The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, and What the Dog Saw, challenges how we think about obstacles and disadvantages.
3. I’M DEAD, NOW WHAT?
By Wayne Hall Embark on an intriguing journey with Wayne Hall as he navigates the ups and downs of burying a loved one in Jamaica.
4. CLAIRE OF THE SEA LIGHT
By Edwidge Danticat A stunning work of fiction that brings us deep into the intertwined lives of a small seaside town. The title is on the American Library Association’s shortlist for the prestigious Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.
CARIBBEAN GEMS The festival has played homage to Caribbean classics like Pressure and The Harder They Come. names, but they liked our community model.” For CaribBEING, relevance is important. “The conversations that surround a film allow for advocacy and providing services around key issues. That’s the full circle,” Worrell says, referencing 2012’s “Home Again” directed by Sudz Sutherland, which focuses on deportation. Festival screenings have included Pressure by Horace Ove, West Indies by Med Hondo, Trafik d’Info + Nou Yorkers by Janluk Stanislas, Santana, The Movie by Lexo TV, Ring di’ Alarm by New Caribbean Cinema, Doubles Slight Pepper by Ian Harnarine, and No Soca No Life by Glenford “Kevin” Adams.
5. HANDBOOK FOR AN UNPREDICTABLE LIFE
By Rosie Perez Oscar-nominated actress Rosie Perez’s never-before-told story of surviving a harrowing childhood, and of how she found success—both in and out of the Hollywood limelight.
“There is an increasing pipeline of this type of content, ” Worrell says. “Caribbean film is becoming more visible with more stakeholders in the region. There are lots of stories to tell and a proven audience that want to see these stories.” For the CaribBEING of the future, Worrell wants local presence and global reach. “Where we can start having partners in other markets to collaborate with to present premium Caribbean content,” Worrell says. With the organization at a juncture of repositioning, Worrell is working on a TV distribution platform through WMG. IP
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Pride Profile
Dulé Seizes
the Day
If ingrained well enough, childhood teachings are hard to shake off. As a boy, Dulé Hill was taught to make the most of opportunities and not take anything for granted. To this day, he gives his all to his craft, to those around him, and to the things that he believes in. He couldn’t live any other way.
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PHOTOS COURTESY RIKER BROTHERS, AFTER MIDNIGHT AND USA NETWORK
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very time Dulé Hill is back on Broadway, it’s like being at home base; coming full circle. He checks in; takes stock of his journey and how God has blessed him to come this far: The Tap Dance Kid; Black and Blue; Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk; Stick Fly, and several television and film roles mixed in. These days Hill is back at home base. This time around in After Midnight, a musical that celebrates the glory days of the Harlem Renaissance, including Duke Ellington’s years at the famous Cotton Club nightclub, augmented by the prose of legendary poet
Langston Hughes. The fact that there’s non-stop dancing and top-notch singing— à la Fantasia and Vanessa Williams, with legends of song Patti LaBelle, Gladys Night and Natalie Cole carded for stints on the show through the summer—makes it a perfect fit for Hill, a tap dancer who started out at the age of three. “This type of music and material—jazz and tap—it’s part of my foundation.” Hill says. “I am loving being part of this cast. I think pound for pound, it’s the most talented cast I have ever worked with—from the musicians to the singers to the dancers; it’s a joy everyday.” Born Karim Dulé Hill in New Jersey to Jamaican parents, Hill grew up in a strict yet supportive and loving household amidst a large extend family. “I was raised in a Christian home with the principle of honoring and appreciating your roots, being there for family, doing all that you can for those around you, and maximizing every opportunity given to you,” Hill says. “It is the fabric of who I am.” His mom taught dance at the Marie Wildey School of Dance in East Orange. Family lore says he came out of the womb dancing. “My mom did ballet up to a month before I was born, and returned
to dance just a month after,” Hill says. He started dancing because his brother and cousins were students at the school and he wanted to be in on the action too. “Dance has been a part of my life since then, I’ve never departed from it.” When Hill was 10, he was cast as the understudy to Savion Glover in a Broadway production of The Tap Dance Kid, and danced the title role of the yearlong national tour. It was his first big break and his introduction to acting and singing. After that he got an agent and continued acting as a hobby, primarily picking up guest television roles. It wasn’t until he was in Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk that he decided to pursue a career in the arts. “It was a crossroads for me, because I had to decide which way I wanted to go,” Hill says. “I was at Seton Hall University in my junior year as a business finance major, but I dropped out and enrolled in acting class.” Despite his undeniable talent, his family was not thrilled with the move—especially his mom who has a doctorate in education and is a professor. “It was more about completion—I had started something and they wanted me to finish it,” Hill says. “I do want to at some point. I believe in education, and feel that everyone should be educated in whatever they want to do in life so that they have the tools to walk that path.” However, he has learned that with everything in life
you have to follow your own passion. “I take advice from those who come before me, but know I have to thread my own path,” Hill says. “If you go another route because other folks are telling you to, and then it doesn’t work out you’ll always be blaming everyone else. I never wanted to live my life that way. I wanted to own my choices and by the grace of God it worked out.” For a combined 15 seasons Hill worked on television, first playing Charlie Young on the TV drama, The West Wing, for which he earned an Emmy Award nomination, and as Burton “Gus” Guster on the comedy/ crime series Psych, which wrapped its final season earlier this year on the USA Network. Hill has a loyal fan base due to longrunning popular roles like Gus that remains engaged, and helps to keep the character alive even after the show has ended. “Characters never really go to bed, they’re always a part of you,” Hill says. “There’s still a part of Charlie with me; a part of Gus that’s always going to be with me—you dive in so much to build the character into a fully realized person, that a part of it has to stay with you.” Alongside After Midnight, Hill’s latest opportunity is the unscripted role of a social media entrepreneur. Nomino, an app he co-founded with friends Rochelle Thwaites and Talitha Watkins, marries photo sharing with riddles. Thwaites and
Watkins are also Jamaican, and part of the Caribbean support contingent Hill developed after moving to California. One day while driving through L.A.’s Malibu Canyon, Thwaites came across a view she wanted to share with friends. Rather than telling them where she was, she wondered who could guess where the photo was taken. That thought two years ago led to the development of the social game app that allows users to challenge their followers to solve riddles associated with a photo or video. Participants play for points and can redeem their points in a marketplace. “It’s photo sharing made into a game, which brings deeper engagement, so you’re not just looking at a photo that someone posts, but interacting with what you see,” Hill says. “It’s funny that there have been riddles about me that I don’t even know the answer to—like a Psych question or something. I’ve been stumped many times.” Overall, Hill is clearly enjoying where things stand. He’s looking forward to lots of jerk chicken this summer, and whiskey, of course, and to turning the page and seeing what comes next in his career. I’ve been through a lot of changes from the beginning of Psych to the end of the show, I know my next—whether television or film—is going to be something great because God told me it’s going to be, and he continues to do things that blow my mind,” Hills says. “Building and growing a tech startup is uncharted territory for me, but I am enjoying the educational process. I hope Nomino will continue to make its own space in the social media landscape.” IP Hill takes the stage in After Midnight, directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle with musical direction by Wynton Marsalis. The smash hit musical has received seven Tony Award nominations, including “Best Musical.” Preview Issue IS L AN DP RI DEMAG.C OM 27
Casa Beautiful Step Boldly World-wandering textiles designer Malene Barnett took a big chance with her bold modern designs; sidestepping the subdued simplicity typically expected from carpet. It’s paying off.
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ach of Malene Barnett’s handmade custom-designed carpets tells a story. Whether they end up in a sophisticated residence in Amsterdam, an upscale boutique hotel in Mauritius, or a stately Saks Fifth Avenue store, they carry with them a tale derived from diverse heritage and worldwide adventures—essentially a global experience that is boundless. According to Barnett, that is the best thing about textile design—it allows the artist to create a product that’s functional art that everybody can be a part of.
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PHOTOS BY LIONEL AURELIEN AND ALARIC CAMPBELL PHOTOGRAPHY
COLORFUL PEOPLE Wolof, inspired by the traditional fashions of the Wolof people of Senegal.
Behind the vivid turquoise doors of her home studio located in the BedfordStuyvesant section of Brooklyn, N.Y., Barnett crafts the Malene B brand of bold dynamic carpets for luxury residential and commercial spaces. Step closer to learn more about this daring designer and advocate of entrepreneurship, who has the textiles industry on its feet. ON WEST INDIAN ROOTS My mom is from Kingstown, St Vincent, and my dad is from Kingston, Jamaica. I grew up the second of three girls in Norwalk, Conn.—a small suburban town by the beach. My mom cooked all the traditional Caribbean dishes; she taught us how to make fudge! I didn’t realize that those things came from her upbringing or her culture, until I got older. Even the way she spoke—I didn’t know she had an accent until I went to school and my friends would ask me where she was from. We were always exposed to global music and art. My father played a lot of roots and reggae— “Buffalo Solider” was on heavy rotation, but it was not until much later that I understood the messages in those songs and appreciated the value of it all. My home is a huge reflection of my Caribbean heritage— my floors are teal! One of my designs, St. Vincent, honors my mother’s homeland. I dream of having a house on a hill in the Caribbean—not sure which island yet. ON EARLY INSPIRATION My grandmother was a fashion designer. She taught my mom to sew and my mom passed that skill on to me. My mom was always decorating; changing the style of the house to match the season. Making new drapery, reupholstering furniture—she loved color. I’m sure that my interest in design came from that early exposure. In the third grade I was selected for an artistically talented program to draw and paint on a weekly basis. I decided early that I wanted to focus on fine art—painting and drawing, but I also knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur.
ON BECOMING A CARPET DESIGNER My first year of college at SUNY Purchase I studied painting and photography. I was great at it, but I didn’t want to be a starving artist. I was all about selling my work. I admired Lois Mailou Jones—an artist of the Harlem Renaissance. Her background was in fine art, but she also did textile design— that’s when I first learned about textiles as an option. I transferred to FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) to pick up fashion illustration, but I wasn’t the best illustrator. I knew color and pattern, so I decided to do a B.A. in textile design. I learned about bedding, paper products, carpet and dinnerware—an array of surfaces to design for, and I appreciated each piece as a canvas. After college, I worked for over a decade designing for companies like Afritex, Nourison, and Bed, Bath and Beyond, and for the home lines of fashion labels like Nautica and Nicole Miller. I wanted to have more creative influence in my work, so I started Malene B in 2009. ON CREATIVE PROCESS When it’s time to design, I look through books and photographs from my travels and see what sparks. There is no set plan. A lot of my inspirations are pulled from experiences. I created my first design, Wolof, after witnessing the colorful traditional fashions worn by the Wolof people on a visit to Senegal, West Africa. Participating in the mehndi ceremony at my girlfriend’s wedding in India, brought forth Mehndi. At the moment I’m drawing inspiration from handmade textiles from Vietnam, Laos and Indonesia. ON COLLECTIONS My first pattern was Wolof, from the Signature collection. In total, I have nine collections; 50 designs. Signature will always be dear to me—those are the ones that got me started, and they still wow people now. Wolof, Papunya, Chiapas and St. Vincent are some of my favorites. Outside of my custom collections that are sold directly to interior designers and homeowners around
5
Ways
to Make Your Home Happier Whimsy, whites and bold statements help create a cheerier, more inviting home.
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Create a Statement Entry
Make a strong statement with your entry hall—bold color, vintage furniture, artwork; it should be immediately inspiring and a conversation starter.
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Use what you Love
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Work in Whites
Fill your space with the pieces that you love—things that reflect your interests that you’ll never tire of.
Including a little whimsy with unique decorative pieces and interesting collections creatively placed in unexpected spots, keep things from getting too serious.
Blend distinct cultures and periods when decorating for a homey feel and descriptive appearance.
Walls, furniture or drapery in white reflect light and give off wonderful energy.
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Casa Beautiful
AIRING BUSINESS Barnett, a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10KSB/Tory Burch Foundation Program, designed to assist women entrepreneurs create growth plans and strategies for their businesses, with Tory Burch, Arianna Huffington and Valerie Jarrett before going on air at MSNBC’s Morning Joe to discuss the benefits of the program.
ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP A lot of it has to do with being clear about your mission—what is it you are trying to create? My mission: to use innovative design to connect people around the globe. Once you’re clear on the mission of your work, all other things will be in sync. Some people are looking for a quick fix. I’ve been working towards Malene B for more than 10 years—understanding and working in the industry; researching. My advice for entrepreneurs starting a business: Start! Stay focused—you will have a lot of naysayers, but if you’re focused and know your mission and purpose, keep at it!
ON UPCOMING PROJECTS The next collection will be more than carpets. We’re looking at the whole home with the introduction of a lifestyle home accessory collection—pillows, throws, etc. I’ve been listening to feedback from clients and developing things that I think would be in sync with the brand. ON GUILTY PLEASURES Fudge—I can make it and eat it!—and macarons. ON DREAMS I want Malene B to be an international lifestyle brand—I want everyone to be able to experience it. I hope my work inspires others to do something they haven’t experienced or figure out something they want to do, and be bold about it. IP
the world, I’ve partnered with Surya, a leading home accessories manufacturer on an exclusive Malene B for Surya line called Destinations and Voyages. The pieces have the same global-influenced inspiration and are available through several online retailers. ON BEING SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS I work with a lot of natural fibers—wool, silk and linen. Our pieces are manufactured in Nepal, India, China and Mexico. I’ve partnered with Goodweave—an organization that certifies that my carpets are made child-labor free. It makes me feel good knowing that I’m working with artisans. No matter where a child is, it’s our child. 30
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IN VIEW A Nepali weaver crafting Market Woman; St Vincent as backdrop to Beyoncé in L’Officiel magazine; Papunya laid out.
I Love My Life
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PHOTOS COURTESY TRACI STEELE
rom the outside looking in Traci Steele seems to have this life thing figured out. She’s organized, passionate, motivated—at peace, though juggling several roles— single mom, DJ and radio personality, event host, real estate investor, CEO. “I try to be balanced within myself. Everyday for me is scheduling and making lists,” Steele says. “I think it’s pretty much about maintaining a positive mindset and finding your peace. It takes effort, but it can be done.” She remembers the journey of getting to this place, and the best thing about now is being able to brush her shoulders off. “I remember deejaying and hosting for free—just grinding, because I had a plan,” Steele says. “I’m proud of myself and what I’ve been able to accomplish through hard work over the past 15 years” Steele, the daughter of Jamaican parents, was born and grew up in the Bronx, N.Y. Jamaican culture was all around her—music, food, dominoes, the love of family. From early on she new music was her thing, but after high school she joined the Air Force to get away. “Everyone around me was just going through the motions,” Steele says. “I knew I had a greater purpose than what was around me at that time.” While stationed in Virginia, Steele, then 21, heard an open casting call for radio
Pretty Empowering Celebrity DJ and television personality Traci Steele is a hard worker—pushing her brand and loving her life, now. personalities, and rushed to audition, in her uniform! She got the job and started a career in radio that would later take her around the world touring with stars like Musiq Soulchild, Ne-Yo and Jazmine Sullivan. Of course she had to make a name for herself first—demanding respect and letting her skills speak for themselves in an industry typically dominated by men. “I got hit on a lot, and was not taken seriously at first,” Steele says. “From day one I made sure to keep the focus on what I could do as a radio personality and DJ.” While appearing on the hit reality series
Love and Hip Hop Atlanta last year, Steele’s looks were the focus of nasty criticism from individuals on social media on a daily basis. “Luckily my mom had cultivated selfesteem and confidence in me growing up,” Steele says. “It hurt, but didn’t break me.” The experience led her to start the Steele Pretty movement and amp up her efforts of empowering women. “I go to schools to talk to kids about bullying, and renamed my annual event Stele Pretty Rocks to focus on women who are beautiful and powerful and have something to share with the world.” The event will be held in Atlanta on May 29 and will spotlight women in the arts. “I want women to come together and celebrate women.” The movement extends to the online boutique that sells the Steele Pretty line of makeup and fashion accessories. “I always get questions about what I’m wearing—jewelry, shoes, lip gloss—you name it,” Steele says. “So, I decided to sell products that I love. We launched last fall. The store is doing really well.” A stickler for living below her means, Steele is always looking for new ways to build wealth. While she minds her businesses, don’t think she’s gone from TV for good. “I like being on TV, so stay tuned,” Steele says. IP Preview Issue IS L ANDP RI DEMAG.C OM 31
No Limits Living Maxine Williams is the Global Head of Diversity at Facebook’s headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. Here she inspires us to get gutsy and embrace authenticity to achieve life’s pursuits.
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t the age of 16, I left my home on the island of Trinidad to navigate the immigrant landscape of America. I arrived with very little understanding of American cultural norms and no road map to success. However, I did come from a people who, through the pressures of slavery and indentureship, developed a faith in achieving the impossible along with a particularly high tolerance for risk. The adage that is often heard in Trinidad is, “just try a ting!” In other words, assume no limit to your potential to overcome obstacles and give every challenge your best shot. Having finished high school in Trinidad, I applied to Yale University, which was recommended to me as “a reach” school. My interview with an alumnus was held in the dead of winter. Being an island girl, I headed out in my best orange cotton skirt… neither cute nor practical. I could not have looked less like someone who “was a good fit” for a sophisticated Ivy League school. The gentleman who interviewed me asked the usual questions about why I wanted to attend Yale. Knowing next to nothing about the institution nor its offerings, my answers could not have inspired much confidence 32
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The adage that is often heard in Trinidad is, “just try a ting!” In other words, assume no limit to your potential to overcome obstacles and give every challenge your best shot. that I merited acceptance to such a place. At the end of the lackluster interview, I tried a ting. I asked a question in an effort to find common ground between us where none appeared to exist. “What do you do here? What does your company produce?” He said the building I had come to was a euthanasia research institute. I then mentioned that I found it a fascinating area and began a conversation with him about the ethics of intentionally ending life in order to relieve pain. Clearly this had nothing to do with Yale, and everything to do with showing him that I did have broad interests and the ability to analyze information, form opinions, and debate respectfully. My first letter from Yale stated that I was wait-listed. I remember having two clear reactions. One was, “But they don’t know me, so how can they make that determination?” And the other was, “they didn’t fully
shut the door so there’s still time to try a ting.” I set out to get them to know me better. For context, this was 1987, before the advent of the Internet, cell phones or cheap methods of instant communication. I borrowed a video recorder and set it up on a tripod. Standing in front of the camera, I improvised an account, with humor, of who I was and of what a great addition I’d be to the school. I put the VHS tape in an envelope and mailed it off to the Yale admissions office. I was accepted to Yale, had a phenomenal experience and kept trying tings throughout. Whether it was when I auditioned for an improv comedy group at Yale, created my own major in Caribbean studies, won a Rhodes Scholarship, or started acting while studying law at Oxford University—the belief that effort and risk can lead to reward has never waned. Some years into my professional life, I randomly met a woman who had worked in the Yale admissions office at the time of my application. She said that they thought my video was hilarious and gutsy. She also shared that my interviewer had written such a strong recommendation that prioritized my intellectual curiosity over cultural savvy, that the balance swung in my favor for admission. I can speak from experience when I say that it is never over until it is over, and there’s no downside to “trying a ting” or leaning in. Know yourself, give what you’ve got, and it might just pay off. IP This narrative was originally published on leanin.org.
The Impact 20 GAMECHANGERS | TASTEMAKERS | POWERPLAYERS
Our inaugural compilation of influencers—all of Caribbean heritage—making an impact in media, national affairs, business and pop culture. JUNE AMBROSE
KAMALA HARRIS
CELEBRITY STYLIST Stylist to some of music’s biggest stars, including Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige, Ambrose is also an author and fashion designer, with a shoe collection on the Home Shopping Network, and a collaboration with luxury eyewear brand, Selima Optique.
ATTORNEY GENERAL, STATE OF CALIFORNIA
SUSAN E. RICE, PH.D U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR Following a distinguished career in foreign affairs and national security, Rice, the former U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, was appointed National Security Advisor, by President Obama, last summer.
CHIRLANE MCCRAY
FIRST LADY OF NEW YORK CITY
A career prosecutor, Harris previously served two terms as District Attorney of San Francisco. She is the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, and is the first woman, first African American, and first South Asian to hold the office in the state’s history.
PAULA MADISON
CHAIRMAN & CEO, MADISON MEDIA MANAGEMENT The former executive vice president and chief diversity officer of NBC Universal, is Chairman and CEO of Madison Media Management LLC, a division of Williams Group Holdings LLC, the Chicago-based investment company owned by her family.
STEVE STOUTE FOUNDER & CEO, TRANSLATION The innovative brand marketer helps Fortune 500 companies thrive in the world of pop culture by identifying and activating a new generation of consumers. Last year Advertising Age recognized Stoute, a former music label head, as Executive of the Year. VH1 recently produced a four-part documentary series based on Stoute’s best-selling book, The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created A Culture That Rewrote The Rules Of The New Economy.
ERIC H. HOLDER, JR U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL Holder has worked tirelessly to protect the freedoms of Americans —confronting mortgage fraud, restrictive voting practices, discriminatory sentencing and anti-immigration laws.
MONA SCOTT-YOUNG
For McCray, activist blood runs deep in her family. Her Barbados-born grandmother was a member of the Marcus Garvey Back to Africa movement. McCray serves in her husband Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration as the chairwoman of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, a nonprofit entity that raises money privately to support a variety of city causes.
CEO, MONAMI ENTERTAINMENT Reality TV mogul, Mona Scott-Young, is executive producer of VH1’s Love and Hip Hop franchise, and part owner and Chief Marketing Officer of Myx Fusions, a fruit-infused premium, ready-to-drink moscato beverage. She serves on the board of the Haitian Roundtable.
FREDERICK MORTON CHAIRMAN & CEO, TEMPO NETWORKS, LLC Morton, an attorney and former deputy general counsel at MTV Networks, is the Preview Issue IS L ANDP RI DEMAG.C OM 33
visionary behind the cable television network, TEMPO, which broadcasts in 24 Caribbean islands and several U.S. cities with significant Caribbean-American populations—delivering the best of Caribbean culture in vibrant programming.
VASHTIE KOLA DIRECTOR/DESIGNER The renaissance woman is a creative force in fashion, film and music—directing music videos for entertainers like Justin Bieber and Solange, and commercial campaigns for top brands like Pepsi.
CHRIS CHAMBERS PRESIDENT & CEO, THE CHAMBER GROUP The PR veteran and owner of boutique PR/marketing firm, The Chamber Group, helps guide high-profile celebrities and consumer brands.
MENTORING MOVEMENT; EDITOR EMERITA, ESSENCE MAGAZINE With 27 years as the chief editor of Essence magazine under her belt, Taylor heads the National CARES Mentoring Movement—the fastest growing mentorrecruitment organization in the nation that supplies volunteers to youth-serving institutions.
LOWELL HAWTHORNE
FOUNDER & CEO, GOLDEN KRUST CARIBBEAN BAKERY & GRILL
CEDELLA MARLEY CEO, TUFF GONG INTERNATIONAL/DESIGNER The first-born daughter of music icon Bob Marley, is the CEO of Tuff Gong International, a Melody Maker, owner of Cedella Marley Design, and an author of children’s books. Cho!
CONSTANCE C. R. WHITE JOURNALIST/STYLE EXPERT
PATRICE GRELL YURSIK
Hawthorne launched Golden Krust in 1989 with no prior business experience. Today, the staple brand among CaribbeanAmericans has grown to 125 franchises and more than $100 million in annual sales. His inspirational rags-to-riches memoir, The Baker’s Son, documents the journey.
BEAUTY BLOGGER EXTRAORDINARE
SHALA MONROQUE
Nicknamed the godmother of brown beauty blogging, Yursik is the beloved voice behind the award-winning blog, Afrobella, trusted by millions of women of color seeking to embrace their shade of beauty. She is currently part of Target’s Inner Circle group of online influencers, and a sought-after speaker on natural hair, makeup and digital entrepreneurship.
SUSAN TAYLOR
FOUNDER AND CEO, NATIONAL CARES 34
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Whether curating Macy’s celebration of culture-defining black style, or lending her views to dialogue on fashion and beauty, White, a veteran journalist, editor and culture and style expert, is always on point. Her new book, Constance White Presents the Queens and Kings of Style, will be released soon.
SOLEDAD O’BRIEN
BROADCAST JOURNALIST/FOUNDER, STARFISH MEDIA Last year the expert storyteller left her full-time gig at CNN to launch Starfish Media Group, an integrated media production company and distributor, dedicated to uncovering and producing empowering stories.
STYLE MAVEN The St. Lucian native and former art consultant is creative director at Garage, an independent fashion publication, and fashion consultant for Italian luxury fashion house, Prada.
DAYMOND JOHN BRAND ARCHITECT From creator of one of the most iconic fashion brands (FUBU), to an investor on the ABC television series, Shark Tank, John is the definition of entrepreneurial success.
DEAN GARFIELD
PRESIDENT & CEO, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY COUNCIL Garfield is the President and CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council, a powerhouse of advocacy, insight, and influence on issues surrounding the high-tech industry.
Beats
Noteworthy New Releases
Fly Rasta
A Man of Music The musical identity of a song is its melody. If everything else is removed, the melody should still hold strong. This is the first lesson jazz musician Etienne Charles teaches his students. Whether a student of music or not, being in the presence of Charles, a learned music man, makes you crave enlightenment—about music; the soundtrack of history; about yourself. His 2014 theme song: Lord Nelson’s “Family.” His latest album, Creole Soul, was selected by The New York Times as a
new and noteworthy release; dubbed an exploration of his musical roots featuring sounds from the French-, Spanish- and English-speaking Caribbean as well as North America: it highlights myriad inspirations—from Haitian Creole chants and blues, to bebop and R&B—while drawing on an array of rhythms including rock steady, reggae, bel air, kongo and calypso. He has been labeled a daring improviser for his distinguishing fusion music. One truth is evident: Charles’ work is genius.
ZIGGY MARLEY Tuff Gong Worldwide Marley’s fifth solo studio album explores both traditional reggae and new musical territories—incorporating elements of rock, funk, soul and pop over a broad range of lyrical content.
Love & Happiness, Vol. 3: How Stella Got Her Groove Back ESTELLE Est. 1980 Records/SONY BMG The final installment in the Love & Happiness EP-series, includes five new provocative tracks from the celebrated songstress. Preview Issue IS L AN DP RI DEMAG.C OM 35
Chant
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usic is probably Etienne Charles’ first language—his native tongue. Raised in a musical family, the Trinidad-born jazz trumpeter, now based in Lansing, Mich., started singing in the choir at the age of four. Then there was the recorder at 6, steel pan at 9, trumpet at 10, drums and percussion at 14, and writing music at 18. He got into jazz heavily late in his teens, and learned to play the cuatro as an adult. Over the past several years, Charles—arranger, composer, bandleader, and professor of jazz studies at Michigan State University—has been thrilling audiences near and far with his hypnotic compositions and exciting performances that underscore the amalgamation of the music styles of the African Diaspora—winning critical acclaim. To some, his may be an unexpected sound: a jazz cook-up infused with distinct Caribbean influences. Charles does not view his music as unlikely. In his opinion, he’s not doing anything new. “I’m just doing it my way,” Charles says, referencing mentor, Jamaican reggae and jazz luminary, Monty Alexander, and jazz greats Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, who synced Caribbean sounds in their music decades ago. “Jazz as American music is really Creole music—elements from all over: European elements, definitely African elements, and Caribbean elements as well.” Beyond categorization, Charles’ music is based on life. The experiences he has had; the people who have influenced him. “I have a strong value for my family and my ancestors—I try to explore the sounds that inspired them to live,” Charles says. “It just comes out in my music.” Before studying under piano virtuoso Marcus Roberts at Florida State University, and Mark Gould, former principal trumpeter of the Metropolitan Opera, at the Juilliard School, Charles was a member of Phase II Pan Groove, a legendary steel pan orchestra back in Trinidad. He credits that 36
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Charles and Lord Superior
immersion in the vigor and dedication of a large band, with teaching him to be thorough in his music. Charles is a true Creole soul: raised as a citizen of the world with family roots stretching from Montserrat, Martinique and Venezuela. He welcomes cultural exchange; traveling throughout the region to fuel the diverse music styles he brings forth so effortlessly. A lot of what Charles composes is gleaned from careful study of the rhythms of African-rooted music. He reveres and appreciates the traditional mechanics of
CREOLE SOUL Culture Shock Music, 2013 Charles’ fourth studio album transcends typical boundaries and expectations.
the music of the Diaspora, and evidences the common threads i.e. call-and-response base of calypso, gospel and hip-hop. He looks to the cultural rituals that birth music as foundation. “A lot of people hear calypso, but don’t know it comes from the soundtrack of a stick fight,” Charles says. He grew up in the golden age of soca—David Rudder, Baron, Tambu, Merchant—at a time when musicianship was celebrated at the forefront: Charlie’s Roots; Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. Artists like Marvin Gaye, Harry Belafonte, Charles Mingus and Abbey Lincoln, inspire him—all for making beautiful music that made a statement and produced social change. As a sideman he has performed or recorded with many artists, including, Roberta Flack, Ralph MacDonald, Frank Foster, Wynton Marsalis, Maria Schneider, Lord Blakie, and Eric Reed. It is no surprise that Charles has been influenced by the soundtrack of his youth—African Shango drumming, the greats from his father’s extensive record collection; combined with the sounds discovered while exploring his craft, like Haitian racine. And, that all this good music has inspired the fresh and broadranging artistic vision encompassed in his soundscape.“My intent with music is to make people feel good. I take people on a journey; I tell a story,” Charles says.“I love when my music takes people back to a memory. That makes me feel good.” IP
June is National Caribbean American Heritage Month. Celebrate! Visit caribbeanamericanmonth.org for a list of events.
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