North Coast Jazz director resigns

For some, the North Coast Jazz was a missing element on this year’s calendar of events. The event is usually held at the end of May each year.

However, this year it was cancelled. That resulted in a director leaving the event’s umbrella organisation, LJMJ Productions.

One of its founding directors, Margaret Gittens resigned, a press release announced on June 3.

It said effective immediately, she was no longer associated in any way with the North Coast Jazz Festival or the Blanchisseuse Jazz and Culinary Festival, as it was intended to be renamed in 2024.

The event has taken place for the last five years.

Gittens thanked all stakeholders who were on board with her and the team, and extended best wishes to those taking over the event’s organisation and production.

In a phone interview, she said the chairmanship of the event was handed over to her when former Port of Spain mayor Louis Lee Sing decided to step down after the 2023 event.

Lee Sing, Gittens, John Gill and Jerome Lewis were the directors.

She said she was unable to work with Gill, and that was communicated at a meeting.

When she was named chairman, she enlisted the help of artistic director and producer Davlin Thomas.

“Davlin, Louis and I had a meeting, Louis gave us his blessings and passed everything on to us,” she said.

Thomas handled communications related to financial support, she added. However, there was difficulty in acquiring sponsorship under the event’s original name, and Thomas suggested a name change.

She started sending out letters with the new name, but received a call asking if the company had been registered.

“It was only then I realised I had not done that, and it would have been necessary to get assistance from all of these big stakeholders. At that time it was too late. All of the artistes were confirmed and everything was in place,” she said.

When she realised that assistance would not be given because of the company’s lack of registration, Gittens decided to cancel the event.

On June 3, she met with Lee Sing, who told her she and her team were unable to host the event and so the chairmanship was being handed over to Gill.

She said she simply said "thank you" and left.

Asked if she would consider hosting her own event, Gittens said no.

“I don’t think, on principle, I should because the initial idea of North Coast Jazz was really Louis’. I really don’t think I should attempt to do that very thing.”

Her focus now would be to continue helping artistes and their shows in Port of Spain and if Mavis John, who she manages, decided to host a show she would produce it, she said.

Contacted for comment, Lee Sing said the directors had been trying to meet for the last two-three weeks, but this did not happen.

He said the board of four met on June 3, however.

“At the meeting, we raised with Margaret the fact that the jazz (event) was not held as we had anticipated, and it did impact the brand tremendously. We discussed it and agreed that John Gill, who is one of the founding partners in this, would take the ball and run with the jazz, certainly for 2025 and beyond.”

Lee Sing said the organisers were inundated with calls from people who had made reservations and residents of Blanchisseuse who run the bed-and-breakfast programme.

These people suffered because of the event's not being held, he said.

Lee Sing said the organisers had to do what was necessary to ensure the festival took place yearly.

“We are primarily concerned about Blanchisseuse and ensuring that they get and the surrounding districts get. We don’t want them to be out of pocket, because no one sends anything to Blanchisseuse.”

Asked about his role in the organisation, Lee Sing said he was now looking on at the project and looking after the well-being of people in Blanchisseuse.

The decision on successorship was taken by the majority vote, he said. In this case, it was two to one, out of four votes, with one abstention, Lee Sing said.

He said there was no mischief and it was simply to ensure that the event happens.

He added he could not accept that it was only people involved in government who could host anything in Trinidad and Tobago, and that was a wrong concept.