Hagley to bring his fusion to North Coast Jazz

Musician Adan Hagley loves to fuse jazz with calypso, soca, Latin and funk rhythms and his love for a wide range of music helps him to create a unique sound.

Hagley will perform at the North Coast Jazz and Heritage Festival on May 28 at the Solomon Hochoy Ground, Blanchisseuse. The three-day festival will pay tribute to Lord Nelson and will feature film, music and a J'Ouvert parade.

Hagley, who is pianist, arranger, composer, producer and educator, is a 2013 graduate of Berklee College of Music with a music degree in contemporary writing and production.

He is passionate about creating and is very much into film and dabbles in almost anything related to the creative arts. He continues to work on finding a middle ground – creating jazz music but bridging the gap between jazz lovers and everyone else by fusing the genre with others for a more universally palatable sound.

Hagley formed his own band in 2017 to perform his original compositions and arrangements. The band has performed at a number of festivals including Point Fortin Jazz, North Coast Jazz and Jazz Artists on the Greens.

He also released his first album, Insomnia, in 2019. A seven-track album, it has been described as a "a musical study of TT's indigenous sounds expressed through jazz."

As a film composer, Hagley's work was featured in Flying the Coup, a short film by Ryan Lee, which won the People's Choice Award at the TT Film Festival.

Dynamic pannist Johann Chuckaree is also on the North Coast Jazz and Heritage Festival cast. A sharp, all-round musician and entrepreneur, Chuckaree plays the tenor pan with Phase II Pan Groove and has toured with the band also.

He has collaborated with the legendary Len “Boogsie” Sharpe; played alongside Ray Holman, performed in Indiana, New York, Texas, California, London, and Germany and alongside Trini-born Grammy award-winning artiste Heather Headley at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in 2011. He has also performed at most major event locally.

Chuckaree’s love for music started when he began playing the pan at age four. In 2003, he joined Phase II Pan Groove and there he learned from the members, including arranger Sharpe. He has also attained Grade 8 Certificate of Distinction in pan from the Creative Arts Centre, University of the West Indies (UWI). He has been featured on CDs with Sharpe and David Rudder and has released two of his own CDs to date, A Sweet Touch of Christmas and In De Yard.

He plays the piano and drums but pan remains his first love. At 18, he released his first album, A Sweet Touch of Christmas, with instrumental covers of Christmas music. He then started composing his own music and in 2012 released the album, In De Yard, a compilation of original music and covers, with a live traditional band. In 2015, he released Soca Meets Pan, with instrumental covers of popular soca songs.

Chuckaree will show off his musical versatility on May 28 at the North Coast Jazz and Heritage Festival at the festival grounds, Sir Solomon Hochoy Park, Blanchisseuse. Also listed to perform are Michelle Sylvester, LeAndra, Sharon Phillips, Freetown Collective, Reuel Lynch, Mista Vybe, and Dean Williams.

The three-day festival opens on May 27 with a free film night featuring Bazodee which stars Machael Montano. The festival pays tribute tribute to calypsonian Lord Nelson.

Following the main event on May 28, a J'Ouvert will take place from 2 am featuring Phase II and DJ music.