Jazz scholarship fundraiser featuring saxaphone great, Elan Trotman and his smooth jazz band, also performing will be the Darcel Wilson band featuring Darcel Wilson and special guest Althea Rene on flute.
Saxophonist Elan Trotman, has quickly become one of jazzs most thrilling and emotive performers as he continues to stand out and push boundaries as a composer, performer, teacher and recording artist. Trotmans playing, though inspired by Grover Washington, Jr., Kirk Whalum and Najee, displays his own fresh ideas and distinctive tone. So much so that the New England Urban Music Awards, and The Barbados Music Awards both named him Jazz Artist of The Year on multiple occasions....
read more
Jazz scholarship fundraiser featuring saxaphone great, Elan Trotman and his smooth jazz band, also performing will be the Darcel Wilson band featuring Darcel Wilson and special guest Althea Rene on flute.
Saxophonist Elan Trotman, has quickly become one of jazzs most thrilling and emotive performers as he continues to stand out and push boundaries as a composer, performer, teacher and recording artist. Trotmans playing, though inspired by Grover Washington, Jr., Kirk Whalum and Najee, displays his own fresh ideas and distinctive tone. So much so that the New England Urban Music Awards, and The Barbados Music Awards both named him Jazz Artist of The Year on multiple occasions.
Trotman is also the Executive Producer and host of the Barbados Jazz Excursion, a jazz and golf weekend getaway which brings over 300 music lovers to the island every Columbus Day Weekend. Past performers include Jeff Lorber, Javier Colon, Gerald Veasley, Brian Simpson, Althea Rene, Marcus Anderson, Peter White and Jeffrey Osborne. Elan is also the founder of the Never Lose Your Drive Foundation a Non-Profit which directly funds the Headstart Music Program. Headstart Music provides FREE weekly instrument instruction to students ages 7-11 on saxophone, trumpet, flute, clarinet and percussion. In 2016, over $6,000.00 was raised at the Jazz Excursion Weekend and Golf Tournament. All proceeds go towards tutor salaries, instrument maintenance and supplies for the program.
Born and raised in Barbados, the native island of pop star Rihanna, and educated at the world-renowned Berklee College Of Music in Boston,Trotman approaches jazz in his own way. Blending Caribbean rhythms from his roots with skillful horn textures, his playing is full of surprises.
Trotman has recorded and performed with a number of world-class musicians, including Michael McDonald, Roberta Flack, Jonathan Butler, Keiko Matsui, Johnny Gill, Jeffrey Osborne, Sheila E, Marcus Miller, Will Downing, Earl Klugh, Jeff Lorber, Peter White, Peabo Bryson, Brian Simpson and many others. A huge sports fan, Trotman has performed the National Anthem on numerous occasions for such teams as the Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers. As an avid sports fan, Elan has provided entertainment for numerous celebrities including The Bronson Arroyo Band, Cold Pizza on ESPN with Woody Page, Jeffrey Osborne Celebrity Golf Classic, Chris Tucker Charity Golf Tournament, Ray Allen Golf Tournament, Hot Stove Cool Music with Peter Gammons and Theo Epstein.
As a recording artist Elan has topped the Billboard Radio Charts over 10 times. As a solo artist charting songs include Heaven In Your Eyes feat. Brian Simpson, Tradewinds feat Peter White, Master Blaster, As feat. Lin Rountree, Thoughts of Sumer feat. Will Downing, and Smooth N Saxy. Collaborations that have topped the charts include Magic Men (Marion Meadows), Groove Me (Greg Manning), Just What You Need (Brian Simpson), Smooth (Cal Harris) and Ride Along (Julian Vaughn).
DARCEL WILSON
Also featured during this event will be the soulful vocals of Darcel Wilson and her band. Darcel's sound is engaging and powerful and she will have the audience ready for ELAN to take them over the top.
ALTHEA RENE
Flutist and bandleader Althea Rene is a dynamic, soulful performer with a bent toward contemporary jazz, funk, and instrumental R&B.
A native of Detroit and daughter of trumpeter, saxophonist, and longtime original Funk Brother Dezie McCullers, Rene grew up in a musical family.
Encouraged to study music from a young age, she eventually enrolled in a classical music program at Howard University in Washington, D.C. However, while at Howard she discovered her love of jazz, and eventually returned to Detroit.
She entered the police academy and spent the next 11 years balancing her time between working as a Wayne County deputy sheriff and honing her musical skills playing jazz in local clubs. In 2000, she released her independently produced debut album, Flute Talk.
More albums followed as her career took off, including 2003's Chocolate Rush, 2006's In the Moment, and 2008's No Restrictions. Along with her albums, she has made numerous festival appearances, including dates at the North Sea Jazz Festival, Austin Jazz Festival, Norman Brown All-Star Jazz Cruise, and others. In 2013, she signed with the Trippin 'n' Rhythm label for the Michael Broening-produced In the Flow.
Buoyed by the singles "Sunday Cruise" and "Free," it peaked at number one on the Billboard smooth jazz chart. Two years later she delivered the concert album Live in Detroit, showcasing a well-received performance at the Detroit Public Library.
The proceeds from this event will be directed to the Armsted R. Christian Scholarship to financially assist selected students that excel at the Berklee College of Music in honor of Armsted R. Christian who was a professor at the prestigious college and also an outstanding jazz musician and vocalist in his own right.
show less
