Written by Aniter Webster
CarcassesJazz legend Bobby Carcasses – sometimes called Cuba’s best kept secret – plays a feature concert at Water’s Edge on Saturday, March 7th at 10:30 pm.
Carcasses, known as the Guru of Afrocuban jazz, will take his audience on a musical journey through India, Havana, New York and Africa.
The 71-year-old jazz giant will be accompanied on stage by six young musicians he chose from the top music academies in Cuba.
His visit to Canada with his protégés is quite a coup according to the organizers of Water’s Edge.
“We’ve been working on this visit for a long time,” says Dan Mattinson, Executive Director of Coastal Music Sound Academy, who led the drive to bring Bobby to Canada.
Bobby was born on August 29th, 1938 in Kingston, Jamaica, where his Cuban grandfather was a Diplomat. The family moved to Cuba when Bobby was four, and he grew up surrounded by Cuban rhythms.
During the ‘50s he played at The Tropicana, the centre of Cuban jazz at the time, and there began to experiment with bebop and scat vocals. In the ‘60s he went to Europe and spent a year in Paris where he played with jazz legends of the day.
Returning to Cuba, now a multi-instrumentalist, he played in all the jazz hotspots, did some acting and organized the first Jazz Plaza Festival in Havana featuring jazz stars such as Dizzy Gillespie, Ronnie Scott and Charlie Haden.
Bobby’s music is a movable feast – an eclectic blend of Cuban music with jazz, blues and world music.
He’s a performer, a recording artist and an entertainer. He’s been called a “vocalist extraordinaire”, he loves percussion, is a flugelhorn player, a pianist, an actor and a dancer.
While in Canada, Bobby will be visiting several area high schools to conduct workshops.
Tickets to Bobby Carcasses with Afrojazz at the Evergreen Theatre Mainstage are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Get them by going to www.watersedgemusic.ca
