Caribbean blues and jazz festivals
I didn’t think any pairings existed that could surpass the exquisite perfection of chocolate and peanut butter, but alas, I have found a couple—jazz in the Caribbean, blues in the Caribbean, or just generally, live music in the Caribbean. What better place to hang out and listen to some crazy musically inclined cats (that’s stage talk, by the way) than a tropical island (sans major weather event).
I happened upon the events below whilst planning and dreaming of my annual happy-birthday-to-me tropical sabbatical that I won’t be taking at the end of January this year. Oh well, there is always next year. MOPE. Okay, I’ll stop digressing and whining…
Whether this list is exhaustive, I don’t know, but it seems fairly extensive. And I do hope that someone who reads this can go in my stead because I yearn for the swaying palm trees of Antigua and St. Lucia and Grenada and Bonaire…
(oh, and by the by, several of the Web sites haven’t been updated with the respective event’s 2010 info, but I included the link anyway just because…I’m assuming the info will be updated eventually.)
Barbados Jazz Festival, January 11-17 (yeah, I know, the info is a tad late to plan a getaway unless you are the spontaneous sort with a private jet, but if you happen to be venturing to Barbados already, check it out.)
Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, Ocho Rios, January 24-30
Mustique Blues Festival, Mustique, Grenadines, January 27-February 10.
Bequia Music Fest, Bequia, Grenadines, January 28-31
Plymouth Jazz Festival, Tobago, April—I couldn’t find specific dates because I believe they have yet to be confirmed.
St. Lucia Jazz Festival, May 1-9
Heineken Jazz Fest, San Juan, Puerto Rico, May.
Bonaire Heineken Jazz and Salsa Festival, June 4-7
Ocho Rios Jazz Festival, Jamaica, June 13-20
St. Maarten/St. Martin Summer Fest, two weeks in July..now which two, I have no idea and couldn’t find much current info on the 2010 event.
Curacao Jazz Fest, Punda, Willemsted, October
Bermuda Music Festival, October. Also, I’m not sure how jazzy or bluesy the lineup is, but really, even if you had to endure listening to Yoko Ono, wouldn’t the beaches in Bermuda make up for it?
Dominican Republic Jazz Festival, Playa Cabarete, November.
Tranquility Jazz Festival, Anguilla, November
Riviera Maya Jazz Festival, November
Martinique Jazz Festival, Fort-de-France, December
Havana Jazz Festival, Cuba, December 12-21 (I trust by then, Americans won’t have to sneak into Cuba via Canada, Mexico or other islands in the Caribbean…not that I would ever condone such illegal goings on.)
Pointe-a-Pitre Jazz Festival, Guadeloupe, December
