Fri 9/13 @ 8:30 PM
Young jazz trumpeter Etienne Charles hails from Trinidad, and his Afro-Caribbean roots fuel his music.
As he says in his bio, “My family has a mixed background, with French Caribbean, Spanish and African roots as well as Venezuelan influences. I come from a fusion of rhythms, a fusion of cultures.”
His new album, Creole Soul, reflects his interest a vast range of music from Soul and R&B to calypso, reggae, and rock. Its ten tracks include half a dozen originals as well as covers such as Thelonius Monk’s “Green Chimneys” and Bob Marley’s “Turn Your Lights Down Low.”
Today Charles teaches in the jazz program at Michigan State University, performs regularly — he’s played with artists like Wynton Marsalis, Roberta Flack, and the Count Basie Orchestra — and releases his albums (four so far, including Creole Soul) on his own Culture Shock label.
He’ll be performing at Nighttown. Tickets are $20; $10 for students with ID.