Etienne Charles
Carnival: The Sound of a People, Vol. 1
(Culture Shock)
On his latest release, Trinidadian trumpet
wizard and emerging composer Etienne
Charles has found a way to make the pre-
Lenten festivities of Carnival last year round.
Charles’ guiding philosophy, that
Caribbean music and jazz intrinsically
intertwine, is evident as he masterfully
melds a modern, cool jazz lexicon and
polyrhythmic grooves with Afro-
Caribbean street music traditions and the
musical nuances of the West Indies.
In preparing for the album, Charles
immersed himself in the revelry of
Trinidad’s Carnival and field recorded
much of it. He then composed a suite
around the whole experience as the
centerpiece to his album, a method that
imbues the music with equal parts raw
authenticity and interpretive reflection.
The album’s euphoric opener, “Jab
Molassie” — an homage to a mythical
slave, who, according to lore, was burned
to death in a vat of molasses — provides a
conduit into a cacophonous street scene,
evoking colorful images of Carnival. The
track features the group 2001 Jab Molassie
playing on the streets of Trinidad, as
Charles’ jazz septet permeates their
vocal and percussive performance with
a pliable melody. Crisp and mellifluous,
Charles’ trumpet cuts through the
rhythmic rustle of biscuit pans and Ben
Williams’ pulsating bass.
“Dame Lorraine” paints an elegantly modern portrait of another carnivalesque
figure that embodies colonial French
aristocracy as well as African culture
disseminated through slavery. Likewise,
Charles’ mix of highbrow and lowbrow
results in a distinct sound that is at once
exuberant and sophisticated. On his five movement
“Echo Suite,” the bandleader
utilizes a panoply of traditional
Trinidadian percussion to build on
unconventional harmonic ideas. Charles’
tantalizing trumpet solos segue into
layered ensemble passages, while Sullivan
Fortner’s invigorating piano phrases dart
through a mélange of sounds, some of
which are supplied by alto saxophonist
Godwin Louis, drummer Obed Calvaire
and guitarist Alex Wintz. Closing track
“Freedom” reaffirms the session’s jubilance
as percolating skin drums introduce fiery
ensemble interplay in anticipation of yet
another Carnival season.