Press Releases REICHHOLD CENTER AND VIRGIN ISLANDS LOTTERY November 19, 2010
Virgin Islands native Dion Parson returns home for a concert featuring his project Mentoring Through the Art of Music. As part of the Virgin Islands Lottery Youth initiative, Parson has mentored more than a dozen youths over the past year, teaching them the fundamentals of jazz. Parson and his 21st Century Band perform at Reichhold Center Saturday, November 27, 2010 at 8 p.m. Students from the VI Youth Ensemble will perform on stage with Parson during this concert. Parson will also perform music from his new CD, Dion Parson Live At Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola. Also performing are VI natives Ron Blake, Rashawn Ross, and Victor Provost. Parson began playing drums when he was a student at Leonard Dober Elementary School. He was introduced to drums by Mr. Leroy Trotman, a music teacher at Dober school. “My mom told Mr. Trotman, ‘We have to find something for him to play,’” Parson remembers laughing. “Mr. Trotman went under the stage and found an old set of drums. He set it up in his garage, and I went to his house everyday to play.” Parson began playing drums when he was a student at Leonard Dober Elementary School. He was introduced to drums by Mr. Leroy Trotman, a music teacher at Dober school. “My mom told Mr. Trotman, ‘We have to find something for him to play,’” Parson remembers laughing. “Mr. Trotman went under the stage and found an old set of drums. He set it up in his garage, and I went to his house everyday to play.” In December 1998, Parson, along with high-school classmate and saxophone player Ron Blake, formed 21st Century Band. As founder and leader of 21st Century Band, Parson has created a unique form of music, blending his Caribbean rhythms and styles with traditional jazz. Drumming has taken Parson around the world to Japan, Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East. He even performed on Broadway, as part of the musical band for “The Color Purple.”Twenty First Century Band plays regularly at Lincoln Center in New York City. In fact, 21st Century Band’s most recent CD is a live recording from Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, located in Lincoln Center. Rashawn Ross’ love of music began from the moment he picked up the trumpet at age 8. His professional music career started, however, at age 14 while attending Charlotte Amalie High School under the direction of band teacher Georgia Francis. Playing with local jazz musicians as well as some of the Caribbean's top calypso and dance bands, he started to broaden his horizons musically by listening to different styles of music and learning about arranging horn parts to these various styles and genres of music. Rashawn is currently on tour with the Dave Matthews Band. He has also played trumpet with such luminaries as: Usher, Ludacris, Branford Marsalis, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, The Edge (Of U2), Rodney Jerkins, Christina Milian, Ray J, ?Uestlove, and Common. Saxophone playing has taken Ron Blake from his native St. Thomas to NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” band and the classrooms of the renowned Julliard Music School as a professor of music. And that’s when he’s not belting out his saxophone on stage alongside such jazz greats as Branford Marsalis, Art Farmer, Stanley Turrentine and Roy Haynes. Blake has recorded four CDs as a leader, and more than 50 recording as a guest with leading artists. In 1998, Blake joined with former classmate Dion Parson to help form 21st Century Band. He can be seen performing with the band regularly at Lincoln, Center, New York. Blake is also featured on the band’s latest CD, “Dion Parson & 21st Century Band featuring Ron Blake and Terell Stafford, Live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola–Vol. 1”. Victor Provost developed his love of the steel pan as a youngster attending the St. John School of the Arts. Provost played for the youth steel pan orchestra, Steel Unlimited II, under the guidance of Rudy Wells. He honed his skills playing pan at Carnival and other events on St. John. Provost was exposed to a plethora of music, including blues, soul, classical, reggae and calypso. In 1999, Provost became the first steel pan player to be featured at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy. Provost is a protégé of Dion Parson, who met a young Provost during his trips home to the VI from New York. Eventually, Provost was invited to join Parson’s 21st Century Band, and plays regularly with the group at Lincoln Center and concert halls around the world. Provost resides in Washington, D.C., where he performs regularly with his trio “Synthesis.” He also teaches privately and works with award-winning group Positive Vibrations Youth Steel Orchestra. The evening’s performance also features the VI Youth Ensemble. The VI Youth Ensemble consists of: Malachi Thomas on saxophone; Jonte Samuel on saxophone; Kai Richardson on Trumpet, and Tabari Lake on Bass. The four young men are no strangers to the Virgin Islands jazz scene. They have wowed audiences with their skills at such a young age, performing alongside accomplished jazz musicians at many events. The group performed regularly at Tavern on the Waterfront, The Beach Bar (St. John), and Full Moon Jazz at Yacht Haven Grande. Tabari Lake is a junior at Charlotte Amalie High School. Malachi Thomas now studies at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. Jonte Violenes is a freshman at the Berklee School of Music in Boston and Kai Richardson attends the New School in New York. The concert is a co-presentation with the Virgin Islands Lottery. For ticket information call the Reichhold Center box office at (340) 693-1559 |
||
