Kralendijk, Bonaire – Escape to the Caribbean this Spring and pair your love for Jazz with your next Bonaire getaway, because the Bonaire Jazz Foundation in cooperation with its event sponsors are pleased to announce that the Bonaire Heineken Jazz Festival will take place May 22-25, 2008. Event sponsors include Heineken, RE/MAX Paradise Homes, Littman’s Jewelers, Rocargo Services N.V, Maduro & Curiel’s Bank, Plaza Resort Bonaire, Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino, Caribbean Laundry, Notaris Maartense, John Russel Insurance, MultiFnction Management, Playa Trading and Telbo.
A long-weekend created especially for Caribbean Jazz lovers, the Bonaire Heineken Jazz Festival will be opened by Lieutenant Governor Herbert Domacasse on May 22 with a “Jazz and Poetry” presentation in Fort Oranje, followed by a performance by Izaline Calister and her trio, whose music is a mixture of jazz combined with the native music of Curacao. The entrance fee for this event is 10 Antillean Guilders (USD $5.62).
The performances on May 23, taking place at Plaza Resort Bonaire, will begin with the Bonaire Student Band, highlighted by the professional musicians of the Festival; followed by Frankie Yanga’s quintet Footsteps Ahead; local percussionist Boy Janga; a Cuban saxophonist; and the headlining act Izaline Calister with her full band of nine musicians. The entrance fee for this event is 30 Antillean Guilders (USD $16.86), or 50 Antillean Guilders (USD $28.09) to attend both evenings taking place at Plaza Resort Bonaire.
Also taking place at Plaza Resort Bonaire, performances on May 24 will begin with the local Jon Hilgers blues band Tin Foil; followed by the Venezuelan jazz band Empatia led by award winning composer, saxophonist and flutist Pablo Gil; and the headlining act La Familia Sextet, a New York style Latin jazz band led by Willie Martines, a professional drummer, percussionist and singer. La Familia Sextet can regularly be seen performing at the Lennox Lounge in New York City. The entrance fee for this event is 30 Antillean Guilders (USD $16.86), or 50 Antillean Guilders (USD $28.09) to attend both evenings taking place at Plaza Resort Bonaire.
A favorite of the Festival is the jazz brunch, taking place at Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino on May 25 featuring Festival musicians and local jazz artists for a jam session.
Mr. Scott Katzev, a saxophonist from Philadelphia whose family owns a vacation home on Bonaire, will make a solo guest appearance during several performances taking place throughout the weekend with the Bonaire Student Band and Tin Foil, among others.
All performances taking place May 23-25 begin at 7:30 p.m. and end around midnight. Other Festival activities will be taking place at Kas di Arte May 21-23 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information visit the official Bonaire Heineken Jazz Festival website at www.bonairejazz.com.
The Bonaire Jazz Foundation is an initiative of musicians and jazz lovers who together promote jazz music in Bonaire by bringing musicians and listeners closer together and making this type of music more accessible to the public. The Foundation also assists young musicians.
