Come Saturday, Yogo Events is hosting a jazz music fund-raising concert at St Anthony’s College, Westmoorings. Billed as VB Under the Stars, the event is headlined by Vaughnette Bigford, R’kardo St Von, QED (Quite Exquisitely Done) the talented tenor trio of Raymond Edwards, Nigel Floyd and Edward Cumberbatch, retro kaiso exponent David Bereaux, Music Connection vocalist Stacey Sobers and the St Anthony’s College Band.
Patrons are promised an evening of soothing jazz, fusion and music by these extremely talented artistes and musicians. It will offer avid music and jazz fans the opportunity to experience and enjoy a variety of music and jazz stylistics by their favourite local musicians and artistes.
Bigford is renowned for performances that simply explode with character. This La Brea diva has an energy she spins, weaves and intertwines that mesmerise audiences through her soulful and magical aura.
Jazz buffs are still speaking of Bigford’s performances at North Coast Jazz in Blanchisseuse and the Jazz Artistes on the Greens earlier this year.
New York-based St Von, a powerful baritone will be performing his own unique, eclectic style of jazz fusion.
Possessing three of this country’s most magnificent male voices, QED will treat patrons to snippets of their recently concluded show down memory lane. Saturday’s show can be seen as a teaser to QED’s One Night in December production, scheduled for December 16 in Santa Cruz.
Since making an impression as a teen on Party Time, Sobers has etched her name in the soca world with the timeless classic Lemme Know When Yuh Coming in 2001, and music lovers look forward to each of her performances. Her career has been punctuated by her becoming a front line singer for the band Island Vibe and an uninterrupted member of the Divas Calypso Cabaret for the last decade, initially as a performer and more recently as a manager also.
Outside of carnival Sobers is a student pursuing an Associate Degree Fine and Performing Arts at Costaatt and is a regular act at Kaiso Blues Cafe in Newtown with the band Music Connection. She performs music from a variety of genres as this three-piece live band constantly reinvents its offering. Sobers has also had the pleasure of performing from time to time with Chantal Esdelle and Moyenne.
This week Yogo Events director Dawn Cameron told Trinidad Guardian: “This event is not only about the entertainment and our talented vocalists and musicians but we also aim to raise funds to assist breast cancer survivors and a mentorship initiative for our young women and girls who are in need for this kind of support. It added that the effort can be defined as ‘a night of jazz for a cause’.”
Cameron added: “Through proceeds we will support the After Cancer Patient Care Initiative for Breast Cancer Survivors conducted by Ms Brafit, run by Nicole Joseph-Chin, and the Reach Mentorship Programme, an initiative facilitated by Afett (Association of Female Executives in T&T).”
She continued: “The second initiative, the Reach Mentorship Programme, also done through Afett, mentors our young girls between the ages of 13-18 in communities and organisations throughout T&T. With this support and training mentorship assists our young women in understanding life challenges, what they need to do or changes that they need to make to achieved and reach their goals. The mentors who give of their personal time and expertise (free of charge) continue to motivate our young women, not only helping them to chart that course to attaining their individual goals, but also helping them to build self-esteem and to garner self-worth.”
Showtime for VB Under the Stars is 5 pm.