Name: FirstWorks Live – Music at Roger Williams Park
Start: 2021-08-15T17:00:00-04:00
End: 2021-08-15T18:30:00-04:00
Location: Roger Williams Park Bandstand

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Join FirstWorks and Roger Williams Park Conservancy for a journey from global Jazz to Americana, from hip-hop to sounds from the mountains and rhythms of the sea, from 1:30 – 6:00 enjoy the sounds of the Caribbean at the Bandstand!

PVDFest Ideas Panel Discussion: The Legacy of J’ouvert in Carnival
1:30-2:15 PM Roger Williams Park outside of the CasinoJ’ouvert, pronounced “jou-vay” from the French patois, is a traditional festival originating in Trinidad and Tobago but is celebrated throughout the Caribbean. Meaning “dawn” or “daybreak,” J’ouvert celebrations begin in the early morning and commemorates the emancipation of slavery. Historically, this festival occurs in August, but it has become associated as a pre-carnival celebration over time. As part of PVDFest Ideas, Etienne Charles (Trinidad), Gabriel “David” Alexis (Trinidad), and Becky Bass (St. Croix / Providence) will discuss the legacy of J’ouvert from its Caribbean origins and its integration into Carnival celebrations.

Workshop: Carnival Music
2:15-3:00 PM, Roger Williams Park Bandstand

Join Etienne Charles and his band to explore the music of Carnival. Take the time to learn about instruments, rhythms, and how it all works together to have a more immersive and informed listening (and dancing) experience during the band’s performance at 5:00 PM!

Workshop: The Steel Pan from J’ouvert to Carnival
4:00-4:45 PM Roger Williams Park, outside of the Casino

Two-time New England Urban Music Award winner Becky Bass (St. Croix / Providence) is known for her euphoric steel pan playing, soulful voice, and powerful stage presence. Bass will discuss and demonstrate the journey of the steel pan and its place in J’ouvert celebrations to the modern Carnival. Attendees are welcome to bring their percussion instruments to participate in this interactive workshop.

Performance: Providence Drum Troupe
4:00-5:00 PM Roger Williams Park, near the Bandstand

Born from the pandemic, this troupe of acrobats, fire-arts, stilt-walkers, hoopers, lasers and dancers from near and far create funky beats with positive interactive energy demonstrating that living in harmony with one another is not an antiquated notion.

Headline Performance

ETIENNE CHARLES • Creole Soul • August 15, 5:00-6:00 PM
Roger Williams Park Bandstand [map]

If any single musical artist today can embody the rich spectrum of Caribbean musical traditions, it is Etienne Charles. This Trinidad-born jazz trumpet master defies easy categorization. The New York Times hailed him as “an auteur” and JazzTimes described him as “a daring improviser who delivers with heart-wrenching lyricism.” Charles is a student of pan-Caribbean music, as fluent in the riffs of New Orleans second-line brass as he is in the many rhythms of the islands.

As both a bandleader and sideman Charles has worked with some of the finest talents in jazz today, and played with legends like Roberta Flack, Wynton Marsalis, and “the grand master of calypso” Lord Kitchener.Charles and his band bring “Creole Soul” and the sounds of his newest album “Carnival: The Sound of a People Vol. 1” to the FirstWorks Live stage, leading an excursion into the varied acoustic sounds, grooves, chants and rituals of his native Trinidad & Tobago Carnival. https://www.etiennecharles.com/

In the event of rain, Etienne Charles’ concert and related Carnival events will take place inside the Roger Williams Park Casino. Space is limited, first come first served. Masks are strongly encouraged for indoor events.*

FirstWorks and Roger Williams Park Conservancy are committed to following the State of Rhode Island’s guidance on COVID-19 precautions. Patrons are encouraged to view the latest state guidelines at reopeningri.com as guidance develops.

*To best protect others, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) recommends that you continue to wear a mask outdoors in crowded settings and indoors near unvaccinated people you don’t live with. RIDOH also recommends that you continue to stay at least three feet apart from unvaccinated people you don’t live with.