MIAMI – WDNA is proud to announce April’s Jazz Encounters, featuring an unforgettable performance by composer and storyteller Etienne Charles. The event will take place in the station’s intimate Jazz Gallery, providing an up-close experience with this remarkable artist.
About Etienne Charles
Etienne Charles is celebrated for his lush trumpet sound, rich compositional textures, and vibrant percussive rhythms. Through his music, he has the unique ability to invoke a trance-like atmosphere that both soothes and excites listeners. His concerts are known for engaging, enlightening, educating, and enriching audiences.
Charles’s performances are energized and multidisciplinary, incorporating original compositions, thematic improvisation, dance, and spoken word to create a holistic artistic experience. He strongly believes in the power of music and performance as tools for provoking thought and encouraging dialogue, using his art to comment on contemporary issues and draw connections to historical events.
Musical Heritage and Achievements
Born in Trinidad, Etienne Charles’s work actively connects the diaspora and explores the roots of migration. This theme is evident in his latest release, Live in San Francisco Vol. 1. As a sideman, Charles has performed with and/or arranged for world-renowned artists such as Roberta Flack, Chucho Valdes, Marcus Roberts, Marcus Miller, the Count Basie Orchestra, Monty Alexander, Gregory Porter, Terri Lyne Carrington, and many others.
He has also been commissioned as a composer and arranger by prestigious organizations, including Lincoln Center for the New York Philharmonic, Savannah Music Festival, and Chamber Music America. Currently, he serves as Associate Professor of Studio Music and Jazz at the University of Miami Frost School of Music.
Event Details
Tickets for the event range from $35 to $45. Ticket holders are invited to arrive at 7:00 PM to enjoy a pre-show reception catered by The Fish House. Students are encouraged to claim one of the limited free tickets available and participate in the post-show jam session.
Acknowledgments
Jazz Encounters is made possible with the support of the Musicians Discount Center and the Miami Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs.
