April 17, 2002- "Sunset Jazz in Frederiksted," a waterfront concert format which found an enthusiastic reception at its 2001-02 Crucian Christmas Festival debut, makes its return Friday in Veterans Park.
Sponsored by the Frederiksted Economic Development Association, the concert from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. will feature trumpeter Marcus Rabb backed by Roy Davis on piano, Mario Thomas on bass and Ken Afra Dailey on drums.
Admission is free. The few park benches in the vicinity will be claimed early on, and attendees are encouraged to bring a folding chair or a blanket to spread on the grass and enjoy great jazz and a beautiful sunset, a FEDA release states.
The association will operate a cash bar to help defray the cost of the event, Willard Fields of Dalton Associates said. He added, "We are promoting the fact that the local restaurants will be open — and are hoping that people will go out to dinner afterward."
Marcus Rabb, who was showcased at this month's Jazz Vespers concert at the St. Croix Reformed Church, was playing the horn in jazz bands as a teen-ager in Baltimore. He attended Howard University, where he earned his master's degree, on full scholarship and has worked with Wynton Marsalis, Milt Jackson and Joe Henderson. He has been teaching music and performing on St. Croix for five years.
Mario Thomas, the son of band leader Alphonso "Scypio" Thomas, started his own band, Together Root, when he was in the ninth grade. As a student, he toured with the Howard University Jazz Septet; he has worked with Wynton Marsalis, John Fadis and Louie Belson and was in the Dave Yarborough Jazz Band. He formed the St. Croix group Rhythmix in 1990.
Ken Afra Dailey played flute and clarinet before making the move to drums. He has worked with the Modern Ink Sports and at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios, where the "Philly" sound originated, and has toured with Grover Washington Jr., Betty Carter and The Dells. Locally, he's a member of the Roy Davis Trio.
Roy Davis continues to make his mark musically on St. Croix as the leader of his own group.
Friday's concert is a comeback for "Sunset Jazz," which ran into unexpected resistance to its January event, leading FEDA to put things on hold in February.
Encouraged by the Crucian Festival response, FEDA decided to make "Sunset Jazz" a recurring event on the last Friday of each month in Buddhoe Park. The unforeseen problem was a conflict with the West End Cruise Ship Vendors Association, which has permission from the Licensing and Consumer Affairs Department to utilize the park space as a vendors plaza when cruise ships are in port. Ships do not call at Frederiksted on Fridays nights, but they do on Saturdays, and it is the practice of some vendors to set up for business the night or the day before.
At a Senate Economic Development, Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee hearing in February, a spokeswoman for more than 20 vendors present said a handbook provided the vendors by the government states that their licenses entitle them to use plaza at any time, unless a government function is booked there.
Tranberg told the committee that one vendor had been asked to vacate the park to allow the concert committee to set up for its Jan. 25 event. FEDA project director Hugh Dalton said the organization had gotten LCA permission to hold the event there.
Although one senator suggested FEDA modify its concert concept to include the vendors, nothing was resolved at the committee meeting. (For more background, see "Vendors unmoved by jazz concert plans".)
FEDA's plan now is to hold the concerts on the third Friday of each month in Veterans Park. Coming up after this weekend are "The Jazz Side of Tuff Enuff" on May 17 and "Adjoa [Claudette Young-Hinds] and Friends" on June 21.
Unise Tranberg, FEDA president, declined to comment recently on the earlier conflict. "The goal of FEDA is to stay focused, positive, and to stimulate economic growth in Frederiksted," she said. "The Frederiksted business community stands strong in overcoming obstacles that impede economic growth and progress in Frederiksted."
Tranberg had told the Senate committee that the idea of the concerts was "to create a café-style atmosphere with tables, tablecloths, flowers and candles. A place where residents can meet, mingle and enjoy jazz."
For more information about the jazz concerts, call 719-3672 or 772-4000 or e-mail to sunsetjazz.
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