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Published: October 17th 2011
Click on the video above for sample music. ^^^ For 14 years jazz fans from all over the world have come to the
Dominican Republic Jazz Festival to hear top-of-the-line Latin jazz musicians from the Caribbean, Central and South America in the tropical towns of
Cabarete and
Sosua on the Dominican Republic’s north shore.
Part of what makes this festival different from others is that during its four days and three nights it wanders from venue to venue so attendees listen to the dulcet tones in different physical surroundings and different acoustical settings—most of them outdoors.
Free The festival is free for all but one of the sessions. “We did this,” says Jennifer Kirkman, one of the founders and coordinators of the festival, “because we wanted as many people as possible to have exposure to jazz and its international character.”
The “free” is made possible by its music-supportive sponsors: Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism, , Ferreteria Ochoa, Millennium Resort in Cabarete, Sea Horse Ranch in Cabarete (founders), and Ayuntamiento Sosua and Dominican Republic Ministry of Culture.
The festival is more than an entertainment experience. Attendees also get the chance to mingle and socialize with the musicians
and get to know them face-to-face. This continuous opportunity is the reasonable price of US$150.00. It gets attendees the privilege of sitting in the VIP section in front of the stage with the sponsors and the musicians during the event. This includes complimentary cuba libres made with a fine Brugal rum, one of the sponsors. This makes the VIP tickets quite a deal.
The general audience has many choices for food and beverages as Friday and Saturday nights takes place in the heart of Cabarete beach. This means patrons can order drinks from the festival kiosks as well as nearby bars and restaurants like Mohitos, Lax and Nikki Beach.
Opening night on Wednesday is in the Parque Mirador Sosúa at 8:00. Under the stars, fans hear the Puerto Varas Jazz Sextet from Chile and Sabrina Estaban, the Dominican Republic’s “Las Divas del Jazz.”
The next day’s music is in the open-sided, roofed-over amphitheater at the Casa Marina resort. At 10:30 in the morning there is a workshop/seminar and the Puerto Varas Big Band from Chile. The afternoon is free to sightsee at such places as Monkey Jungle and Zip Lines, or snorkel or SCUBA in the really,
really crystal-clear waters of Sosua Bay.
The night session features the Dominican Republic’s Tes-A-T, and Ismail Miranda from Puerto Rico and mainland United States. This is the only session that has a minimal cost, just US$5.25. The proceeds go to fund special educational music programs. For those who buy the US$150.00 VIP all-event ticket, this session is included.
On the Beach, Under the Stars Friday is under the tent on Cabarete Beach starting at 11:00 a.m. with workshops for school aged children, but anyone can attend and learn something from these master musicians. (Yet another opportunity to meet the artists.) The afternoon starts at 1:00 p.m. and features a concert aimed at youth by youth, this year it will be Puerto Varas Big Band whose musicians are all between the ages of 16 and 22 in keeping with the goals of the Foundation to expose and inspire young people to learn to enjoy and appreciate music as well as the opportunity to learn to play an instrument.
The evening music starts at 8:30. Because this year the theme is vocalists, it starts by featuring Tutti Druyan, from Israel and the United States, a young and up and
coming vocalist currently studying at the Berkelee Collegee of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. When she is famous, and she will be, you will be able to say you saw her in in Cabarete in 2011...Tutti is followd by the Afro-Cuban Antillean fusion specialist, Xiomara Fortuna from the Dominican Republic. Turning up the heat to close the evening will be the amazing and accomplished singer from Cuba, Gema Corredera.
Saturday night starts at 9:00, still on the beach, with Rando Camasta from the Dominican Republic and Jerry Medina y La Banda from Puerto Rico. The evening ends by removing all the VIP seats to open up the floor for standing ovations and dancing—no telling which artists will jump back up on stage for an impromptu jazz session. This is the best.
For more information go to http://www.drjazzfestival.com/ . Email: info@drjazfestival.com
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