THE hills in St. Joseph were very much alive with the sound of Jazz last weekend, when Jazz at Naniki kicked off on Saturday and climaxed on Sunday.
Miles from the City at Naniki Restaurant, nestled among the trees and lush land in Suriname, St. Joseph, patrons arrived with picnic baskets, umbrellas and cushions for a day of fun, food and great jazz.
It was a first such jazz event at this venue. The stage was set up in the amphitheatre; patrons sat in the restaurant and on the grounds of Naniki, in a scene reminisicent of the annual Farley Hill jazz event.
On Saturday, jazz fans left the hills at the end of the first day, pumped up and ready for Day 2. Day 1 saw fans moving to the sounds of C4 Kaiso Jazz Fusion; Luther Francois Quartet and Blue Mango, out of St. Lucia and Martinque.
Day 2 saw the Elan Trotman Quintet usher in the day with It’s A Lovely Day, and indeed it was, with blue skies and great sunshine, with only a few sprinkles of raindrops.
When David Happy Williams and his band hit the stage, followed by the ever-popular Arturo Tappin and his group, patrons were on their feet, some even doing the electric slide.
Arturo dished out such popular hits such as Tempted To Touch, Nyo’s Miss Independent, and a number of Bob Marley’s great hits, including Redemption Song and No Woman No Cry.
As the sun set over the beautiful fields in the St Joseph hills, Arturo and Elan hit the stage together and brought the sun, house and curtain down with a string of jazzy selections which had patrons begging for more.
And more will come promises Tom Hinds, executive producer of the Jazz @ Naniki event. He said fans could look forward to many more musical treats in the hills of St. Joseph. (MH)