SAINT LUCIA JAZZ & ARTS FESTIVAL 2023

After a three-year absence due to Covid, the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival opens on Friday 3 May and will feature live performances from Shenseea, Kes the Band and DYP and Friends.

Since its launch in 1992, St. Lucia’s Jazz Festival has grown to become a regional staple. It's one of the longest-running Caribbean music festivals, and showcases the island’s music, performing and fine arts, culture, cuisine and artisan craftsmanship, as well as world-renowned international music acts.

Lorine Charles-St. Jules, SLTA’s CEO said, “This year, we are focusing on creating even more experiences around the destination.” The festival’s line-up of headline performers will include iconic, multiple Grammy award winners as diverse as Sting and Shaggy. It will also comprise globally recognised stars of jazz, gospel, soca, reggae, zouk and pop music, including two-time Latin Grammy winner Gustavo Casenave, 16-time Grammy winner Kirk Franklin, Jamaican dancehall stars Barrington Levy and Buju Banton, Saint Lucian artist Luther Francois and Nigerian artists Rema and Ayra Starr.

For more information and the full schedule of events, visit www.stlucia.org/en_UK/jazz.

Nailah Blackman Launches Swimwear Brand

Trinidadian princess Nailah Blackman continues to reveal new creative talents. The Calypso Baby crooner has designed and launched Sokah Galor, an earthy but glamourous swimwear brand intended to celebrate her Caribbean heritage.

The first piece from the collection, Bacano, is available for sale in limited quantities.

Visit @sokahgalor to purchase Bacano, and to stay updated with Nailah on her fashion journey.

David Rudder To Perform At His Last Event

David Rudder has revealed that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and that 'Rudder 7.0', held on 6 May 2023 - also his birthday - was his last major event.

Harry Belafonte Passes Away At 96

The singer, actor and activist Harry Belafonte died on 25 April, of congestive heart failure, at his home in New York City. He was ninety-six.

Belafonte was born in Harlem in 1927, his father hailing from Martinique and his mother from Jamaica. He lived in Jamaica from ages 8 to 13, then returning to the U.S. to continue high school before serving in the navy during World War II.

When RCA Victor promoted Belafonte as the ‘King of Calypso’, he was denounced as a pretender in Trinidad, the acknowledged birthplace of calypso. However, Belafonte never claimed to be a purist when it came to calypso, or any of the other traditional styles he embraced, let alone billing himself as the ‘king’ of calypso. He and his song writing collaborators loved folk music, he said, but saw nothing wrong with shaping it to their own ends.