TheTraveler

A Monthly Special Feature from The Traveler at TouristTravel.com

 

Sultry Sounds in Barbados, A Week of Jazz
By Maigii Sterling

Thousands are swaying to the music. The strains of the saxophone come wafting over the hill, carried by the cool breezes off the azure Atlantic Ocean.  In the forefront are acres of coconut, banana, breadfruit, and palm trees. You can see for miles the impossibly lush green of northeastern Barbados.

The atmosphere is filled with anticipation of the day ahead--a day of world-class jazz amidst million-dollar views. It’s the island’s biggest party of the year. Annual jazz Fest goers greet their fellow regulars like old friends and catch up with others they haven’t seen in a long time, lovers walk hand- in- hand, visitors mingle with the locals.

Picnic baskets sit atop colorful blankets. Barbados rum, and rum punch, flow freely, fried chicken, and sandwiches make for lunch--people bringing their own, and vendors provide for those who don’t.

Farley Hill National Park, where the festival is held each year, cradles a ruined house built in 1818. It was once the most impressive mansion in Barbados, where the movie “Island In The Sun” was filmed. But today, though the grounds remain impressive, the home, is a ruin—destroyed by fire sometime after the filming in 1965. 

It’s these ruins though, that serve as a backdrop for the stage, and for a star-studded lineup of performers.  This year’s event scheduled for January 10-16, 2005, boasts a roster that includes Tito De Gracia, Horatio “El Negro” Hernandes, Giovanni Hildago, and Kenny Garret, among others.

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It really is a party no jazz lover should miss.  This festival lasts for about a week, with performers at the other locations in addition to the hill.  And musicians meet at night clubs in town, too, where they play to small groups and often jam ‘till the early hours.

For more information about this year’s festival, go to www.barbadosjazzfestival.com

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Maigii Sterling

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