Jeffrey Osborne, Peter White, Brian Simpson and Althea Rene are slated to join host Elan Trotman at the Columbus Day Weekend festival that adds a charity component.
Soul-jazz saxophonist
Elan Trotman
has always taken great pride in his Barbadian roots. A few years ago,
the Boston-based artist leapt at the opportunity to showcase the cozy
Eastern Caribbean locale by creating and hosting a
Columbus Day Weekend
jazz festival on the island, inviting a handful of contemporary jazz
chart-toppers to share the marquee. This October 7-10, the native son
returns home for his third annual
Barbados Jazz Excursion at the plush
Crane Resort
with perhaps the strongest talent lineup yet, a fresh itinerary of
unique excursions and a golf tournament to benefit Trotman’s newly
formed
Never Lose Your Drive Foundation, which raises funds for a
local music program that provides students with regular music
instruction from local tutors and quarterly faculty visits from the
prestigious
Berklee College of Music and other college
professors. After all, it was the government of Barbados that awarded
Trotman a scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music where he
launched his own music career.
Joining Trotman at this year’s Barbados Jazz Excursion is four-time GRAMMY®-nominated R&B/pop vocalist Jeffrey Osborne, guitar-slinging hitman Peter White, award-winning keyboardist Brian Simpson and urban-jazz flutist Althea Rene. Local musicians will be featured during a Bajan All-Star Night performance and devout guests can celebrate Sunday at a gospel brunch.
“The
Barbados Jazz Excursion is designed to be an island festival unlike any
other with world-class talent, a wide range of land and sea excursions
for our guests’ enjoyment and non-stop fun at the Crane Resort. Our
excursions are purposely intended for people to discover Barbados
through a local’s eyes. I’m especially excited about launching my new
foundation, Never Lose Your Drive. The NLYD Celebrity Golf Tournament
brings together music and sports celebrities on the links to raise funds
in support of our local music program at the Never Lose Your Drive Community Center,”
said Trotman, a popular performer on the contemporary jazz circuit
known for incorporating Caribbean culture into his distinctive blend of
R&B, jazz and gospel recordings that have earned him a consistent
presence on the Billboard Top 10 singles chart.
While
live music occupies the primetime slot during the festival evenings,
the daytime and post-concert timeframes are for discovering Barbados
through exclusive excursions. Guests can dive deeply to glimpse the
colorful life aquatic on the Atlantis Submarine Tour; take an Island Safari adventure; go underground to explore Harrison’s Cave where caverns and massive crystal formations will leave you marveling; rest, rejuvenate or recreate during a Beach Day at the Boatyard; sail away on a sunset catamaran cruise; hit The Gap
to partake in the vibrant nightlife that includes fine dining, street
vendors and multicultural exchanges; and play golf with Trotman, Osborne
and other celebrities while basking in glorious sunshine under
brilliant blue skies amidst breathtaking vistas and lush tropical
landscapes.
On October 10, former New York Knick John Starks, singer Javier Colon, actress/singer Suzzanne Douglas and other celebrities and sports figures are expected to attend the Golf With A Cause Celebrity Tournament at the Royal Westmoreland and the Never Lose Your Drive Foundation Reception & Silent Auction. The next day, a NLYD seminar and panel discussion will be held for student musicians and athletes.
The Crane Resort, located less than three miles from Grantley Adams International Airport, is set on Crane Beach, which has been called one of the 10 best beaches in the world on “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous,” named by the Travel Channel as one of the Top 25 sexiest beaches in the world and voted last year by USA Today readers as the “best Caribbean beach” for its stunning beauty and serenity.
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