There was another shaking of the earth shook last Friday when Charlton “Charlo” Alfonso, recipient of a scholarship to Northern Illinois University, NIU, to pursuit a M.Mus. (Masters of Music degree), performed with friends during a fund-raising event entitled Project Charlo 3. The event was held at Nutrien Silver Stars Pan Theatre, in aid of offsetting Alfonso’s expenses and facilitating his transition and re-settling.
Alfonso would be studying under renowned Trinidadian native, steel pan artistry musician and NIU Presidential Research, Artistry, and Scholarship Professor Professor Liam Teague as he starts mid-August 2018 for the university’s Fall semester.
According to University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Titan Steel musical director Elizabeth DeLamater, “Professor Liam Teague is one of the finest steel pan players in the world. A true virtuoso,” and he can be credited for starting the first collegiate steel pan programme in the United States, at NIU.
Project Charlo fund-raising event engaged patrons with acts by Trap-Soca duo Yung Rudd and Marcus Braveboy who opened the show performing few of their popular singles, like Sunday Lunch and Pumpin. Next up was reggae sensation Nex Chapta performing One Day as well as other songs from its mixed repertoire.
Alfonso, after introducing his band Jaiso, delivered a ground-shaking, theatrical performance which had patrons fully entertained by this youthful aggregation.
Jaiso, as Alfonso explained in his introduction, is a unique group of talented young musicians, who like both jazz and kaiso. The band consists of Ruel Williams (keyboards); , Nick Thomas (drums); Dinelson Gulston (percussion); Lemuel Patterson (bass); Nathan Maxwell (trumpet); Johann Andrews (trombone); Irwyn Roach (alto saxophone); and, Anthony O’Connor (tenor saxophone).
Silver Stars also delivered its typical exceptional performance, while Oluseyi Bowen and his brother Osazé, aspiring dancehall/soca artistes, closed the show singing a few of his original tracks, as they, Alfonso and friends danced the night away.
The event was also attended by retired army Brigadier General Carl Alfonso, former Port-of-Spain Mayor and TTFA president Raymond Tim Kee as well as young budding artistes such as APA Vocal & Jazz Studio’s Samuel Thomas Jnr and Tehilla Jones’ family, friends and well wishers.
