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Etienne Charles: Creole Orchestra Featuring René Marie

By Chris May
June 12, 2024
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Etienne Charles: Creole Orchestra Featuring René Marie

Trinidad-born Etienne Charles has been fortunate in his associates during his development as a jazz musician. One of the first friends he made on arrival in the U.S.A. in the early 2000s to study at Florida State University was faculty member

Marcus Roberts

piano
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Marcus Roberts. Among much else, the pianist taught Charles the importance of keeping in touch with his roots. "He always said make sure you put where you're from in your music," says Charles in the press materials accompanying his first big-band album, Creole Orchestra. "Marcus would say that going backwards is the only way to go forwards." Charles took the advice and it shines through Creole Orchestra, as it has shone through his previous output.

A later addition to Charles' circle is

Rene Marie

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Rene Marie, who guests on four tracks on the new album. Charles first worked with the singer when she asked him to contribute some arrangements for her album I Wanna Be Evil: With Love To Eartha Kitt (Motema, 2013), including for the declaratory opener, Betty Garrett and Gerald Dolin's "I'd Rather Be Burned As A Witch." Following the album's release, Marie asked Charles to write big band charts to take on the road. It was a "baptism by fire," says Charles, who thought "Okay, now I'm a big band writer."

Marie's tracks are among the many pleasures of Creole Orchestra. She is featured on Lester Judson and Raymond Taylor's "I Wanna Be Evil,"

Harry "Sweets" Edison

trumpet
1915 - 1999

" data-original-title="" title="">Harry "Sweets" Edison and

Jon Hendricks

vocals
1921 - 2017

" data-original-title="" title="">Jon Hendricks' "Centrepiece," and two of her own songs, "Colorado River Song," which resonates with Frank Loesser's "On A Slow Boat China" without ripping it off, and the incredibly sensual "Take My Breath Away," the penultimate track, a slot often filled by tracks too understated to act as openers but which are in every other way an album's highlight.

Not that there are any duds among the other dozen tracks on this smile inducing 78-minute album. It taps in, says Charles, to the Trinidadian big band tradition which was kick started during the Second World War, when American troops stationed on the island had a services radio station whose musical output was primarily

Glenn Miller

trombone
1904 - 1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Glenn Miller,

Tommy Dorsey

trombone
1905 - 1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Tommy Dorsey,

Duke Ellington

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Ellington and their peers, and whose sound was soon to be evoked on Trinidadian calypso recordings. Echoes of that are heard on Charles' opener, "Old School," and "Douens." Another Caribbean reference comes with the ska- influenced arrangement of

Monty Alexander

piano
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Monty Alexander's "Think Twice."

On top of all this are striking arrangements of

Joe Henderson

saxophone
1937 - 2001

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Henderson's "A Shade Of Jade," Edgar Sampson and

Chick Webb

drums
1905 - 1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Chick Webb's "Stompin' At The Savoy" and

Jimmy Forrest

saxophone, tenor
1920 - 1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Forrest's "Night Train," the bar walking (if you can get a 22-piece band on a bar counter) closer. Charles' textures and voicings are fresh and inventive throughout, and among the album's soloists of note are Charles, lead trumpeter

Jumaane Smith

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Jumaane Smith, tenor saxophonist

John Ellis

saxophone, tenor
b.1974

" data-original-title="" title="">John Ellis, guitarist

Alex Wintz

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Alex Wintz, alto saxophonists

Brian Hogans

saxophone, alto
b.1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Brian Hogans and

Michael Thomas

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Thomas, trombonists

Corey Wilcox

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Corey Wilcox and

Dion Tucker

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Dion Tucker, and pianist

Sullivan Fortner

piano
b.1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Sullivan Fortner.

Magic.

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Track Listing

Old School; Poison; Think Twice; I Wanna Be Evil; Holy City; Ten to One Is Murder; Centerpiece; Douens; A Shade of Jade; Colorado River Song; Stompin' at the Savoy; Take My Breath Wway; Night Train.

Personnel

Etienne Charles

trumpet

Sullivan Fortner

piano

Alex Wintz

guitar

Ben Williams

bass, electric

Obed Calvaire

drums

Jonathan Michel

bass

Seth Ebersole

saxophone

Brian Hogans

saxophone, alto

Godwin Louis

saxophone

Giveton Gelin

trumpet

Anthony Stanco

trumpet

Walter Cano

trumpet

Jumaane Smith

trumpet

Dion Tucker

trombone

Corey Wilcox

trombone

Chris Glassman

trombone, bass

John Ellis

saxophone, tenor

Michael Dease

trombone

DJ Logic

turntable

Rene Marie

vocals

Additional Instrumentation

Michael Thomas: saxophone; Paul Nedzela: baritone saxophone; Gina Izzo: flute; Etienne Charles: percussion; Jorge Glem: cuatro; Pascual Landeau: maracas; Brandon Rose: vocals.

Album information

Title: Creole Orchestra Featuring René Marie | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Culture Shock Music

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Etienne Charles Concerts

Sep 18 Thu

Etienne Charles & Creole Soul

Wexner Center for the Arts
Columbus, OH

Sep 18 Thu

Etienne Charles & Creole Soul

Wexner Center for the Arts
Columbus, OH

Jun 5 Fri

Etienne Charles

The Appel Room
New York, NY

Jun 6 Sat

Etienne Charles

The Appel Room
New York, NY

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