Etienne Charles’ San Juan Hill: A New York Story Mesmerizes Crowd At Lincoln Center
For Carib News, Inc.
Picture it...Etienne Charles’ Creole Soul band, the New York Philharmonic, and DJ Logic met up at Lincoln Center last Saturday night. The result...history was made!
I am talking African drums, a full orchestra, and a DJ scratching beatbox beats, all together, making the grand opening of the David Geffen Hall not only an unforgettable experience but one of the most fantastic joint presentations that patrons might have experienced lately.
Trinidadian Etienne Charles, a musician, genius, trumpeter, percussionist, and composer, was given the task of commissioning the piece of this opening gala - bringing to life what had existed before Lincoln Center in San Juan Hill, a community and vibrant culture of immigrants - what David Dinkins would call this ‘beautiful mosaic’ that existed where Lincoln Center now sits.
Not only did Charles deliver a well-researched historical piece to a mixed audience, but the presentation also sent us back to San Juan Hill, a forgotten community that once stood where Lincoln Center currently is. The images shared during the performance came alive on screen and took us back in time to what that neighborhood was and meant to the folks who resided there at the time. We were reminded of people like Zora Neale Hurston, Percy Heath, among others.
Charles promised an immersive experience and that is exactly what he delivered. Super-imposed figures from the era laid over the buildings at the Lincoln Center and the corners around to transport the audience back in time.
Images in black and white of notable men and women from that time, mixed in with present-day New Yorkers walking the streets made it such a fabulous interaction between the past and present. A juxtaposition of sorts that was necessary and complimented the immersion.
Add to that, the live musical accompaniment to each story from that era, and history came alive.
Included in the multimedia performance were Harlem fashion icon Lana Turner, and the voices of Ray Matias, Rasheed Ali, Cal Jones presenting stories of well-known musicians and creatives.
As a well-thought-out presentation, artists from around the Diaspora also played a huge part in bringing this to life alongside Charles. There was poetry from Grenadian poet Eljon Wardally, American poet Carl Hancock Rux, photographer Hollis King, and members of the EX Vandals, who created a mural in Brooklyn ahead of the anticipated show.
Saturday started out with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon to mark the opening of David Geffen Hall where several elected officials and community members alike turned out to celebrate the completion of the project on time, and under budget. Present were Governor Kathy Hochul, Senator Charles Schumer, Board members, and community members who were excited to see the finished project.
As one attendee said, the grand opening was used to create awareness, some connection, but certainly, some consciousness as to a. where we are, b. where we were, and c. how we need to move forward.
Jaap van Zweden, the conductor of the NY Philharmonic, reiterated after the show how new and enjoyable this presentation was, and we could see it. It was evident that the orchestra had fun. It was also evident that the audience was totally into it.
It was lockstep between Charles’ band, The Philharmonic, and DJ Logic. All one movement. A celebration felt and seen and by all counts, the task that was given to this talented Caribbean-American, was well-received and the sensitivity of people came forth in a concert in the center of New York’s cultural offering.
Trnidad & Tobago Consul General Andre Leveau expressed his thoughts saying, “The night of Saturday, October 8, was one of the really proud moments about the ascent of Trinidad and Tobago culture to the most dizzying heights. Etienne Charles, coming from our tiny island nation, leading this massive illustrious orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, was an awe-inspiring experience once its significance hits you.
What was flattering is that the Lincoln Center, this deservedly highly prestigious organization, after over half a trillion in expenditure on upgrading the stunning David Geffen Hall, would choose to “christen it” with the eclectic Caribbean musical mix of Etienne Charles. That this music would take us on the breathtaking journey from forgotten but clearly formative times to the exciting present in the great city of New York, was also a great honor to behold.”
As Caribbean-Americans, there was not only a sense of pride, but a sense of coming out of the shadows, coming out full-blown, coming out center stage, coming out with an international offering, and full acceptance.
At the end of the day, we can say that the audience got it, the orchestra got it, and the Lincoln Center management got it. Enough cannot be said of his talent and how he moved, manipulated, and brought to life a stage of musicians that everyone could feel. It was an expression of not just music, but a connection that one must understand and prepare to deal with if we are going to move forward.
The newly renovated David Geffen Hall will house the magnificent New York Philharmo-nic Orchestra, but it was an opening that had to reach back in order to move forward, and so the Lincoln Center management team must be commended for this sensitiv-ity to understanding the dynamics of not only a community, but its culture, its legacy, and its significance.