Charles, a 35-year-old native of Trinidad who moved to the U.S. in 2002, has earned a reputation as a rising trumpeter who melds jazz and Caribbean music. He has a master’s degree from The Juilliard School in New York and is now an associate professor of jazz trumpet at Michigan State University.

“Along the way, Mr. Charles has developed a magnetic sound on trumpet — clear and mellifluous, with a deep sense of economy ... and he’s becoming a composer to be reckoned with,” wrote Giovanni Russonello of The New York Times.