ART, MUSIC, AND FILMS OF THE CARIBBEAN AND THE AMERICAS TAKE CENTER STAGE IN DOWNTOWN FT. LAUDERDALE AT CARIBE ARTS FEST

The creative, dynamic expressions of the culturally diverse artist community in Broward take center stage in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Now in its sophomore year, Caribe Arts Fest brings the essence of the Americas and the Caribbean to downtown Fort Lauderdale through art exhibits, independent films, music and educational workshops. Taking place October 17 - 20, 2013, the festival has collaborated with Nova Southeastern University Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, Broward Cultural Division and the City of Fort Lauderdale to showcase the unique cultural differences that make the County a true national gem. Early bird admission is $10, available online.

Positioned as a destination event, this dynamic 4 day celebration will consist of industry professionals facilitating educational workshops; international artists, such as Haitian artist Eduoard Duval Carrie and Dillard High school celebrating their 10 year anniversary of "The Indigo Room - The Revival"; and Caribbean filmmakers, such as Dalton Narine from Trinidad screening his Carnival documentary, "Mas Man". These scheduled events will be held at NSU's Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale.

Rootz Underground

Musical performances, art exhibit stations, tasty cultural cuisines and a kid's art zone will be available on Saturday, October 19 at the Esplanade Park, Downtown Fort Lauderdale. In addition to the talents of local musicians and drummers, the park event will have the melodious sounds of Afro Cuban funk from internationally acclaimed band, The Spam Allstars and conscious reggae from Jamaican band, Rootz Underground.

Event:                  Caribe Arts Fest

Date:                   October 17 - 20, 2013

Activities:             Art exhibits - Music - Films - Workshop - Kids Art Zone

Locations:            Esplanade Park, Downtown Ft. Lauderdale

Nova Southeastern University Museum of Art, Ft. Lauderdale

(all venues are in close proximity)

Detailed times and schedules are available on www.CaribeArtsFest.com

This event is endorsed by the Greater Ft Lauderdale Visitors and Convention Bureau, City of Fort Lauderdale, Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, Florida Power and Light and the Broward Cultural Division.

Details of Events

Workshops

In collaboration with Broward Cultural Division, a series of educational workshops will be offered to artists looking to jump start their creativity and entrepreneurial prospects. These events and keynotes target artists, businesspersons and those craving more knowledge. Guest presenters, Nancy Hytone Leb is an advocate for the arts and author who will discuss "Developing a Marketing Plan For the Independent Artist". Attorney, artist and advocate, Sergio Munoz Sarmiento will present "Business Formation for Artists: How to Start an Arts Nonprofit Business, and Creating Your For-Profit Artist Business."

Indie Films

For the indie film buff, Caribe Arts Fest has collaborated with the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival to screen independent films including Trinidadian filmmaker, Dalton Narine with his film "Mas Man" that looks at the creative journey. Dalton Narine is the executive producer and producer/director is an award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker. He has focused on Trinidadian art and cultural traditions in the 14 documentaries he has produced, directed and written in a span of twenty-five years.

Art Exhibits

One of the highlights of the festivities is the proud celebrations of "The Indigo Room - Revival" - A Decade of Living Art curated by Haitian artist, Edouard Duval-Carrie. In collaboration with Dillard Center for the Arts, it signifies the artist's continued connection to the island of his birth. Knowledgeable about Vodou since childhood, Duval-Carrie incorporates the religion's theatrical sacred personages as players in his visual dramas of upheaval and transcendence. Additionally, migration of Haitian immigrants, with consequences for the country they left behind, is a persistent theme.

Talent Showcase

Spam Allstars

The eclectic sounds of latin, funk, hip hop and dub create what they call an electronic descarga will fill the air with performances by one of South Florida's finest fusion bands, Spam Allstars. In efforts to showcase the outstanding talent within the community other performers include reggae fusion by Jamaican reggae band, Rootz Underground, rising star, Ichechi and much more. Both artists are known for their community involvement through their charities the Rootz Releaf Tree Planning program and Urban Youth Green Farmers, respectfully.

About American Art Initiative

Organized by the American Art Initiative (AAI), this South Florida based organization is focused on creating avenues for artists to share their mediums while developing personal and business sustainability and viability. They do not believe in or support the "starving artist" cliche and as such work to promote arts and culture, empower artists, highlight artistic expression while advocating for and supporting entrepreneurship and economies of scale. As such, we use the term "artrepreneurship" which mean the development of business skills to continue creative expression. We are a resource for artists and art aficionados; bridging business with creativity of all mediums.

Entering its second decade, Seraphic Fire is widely regarded as one of the most important vocal ensembles in the United States. Led by Founder and Artistic Director Patrick Dupré Quigley, Seraphic Fire brings the best ensemble singers from around the country to perform repertoire ranging from Gregorian chant to newly commissioned works. This past year, the ensemble’s recordings Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem and A Seraphic Fire Christmas were nominated for two 2012 GRAMMY awards. Seraphic Fire was the only choir in North or South America to be nominated, and the only classical ensemble in the world to be nominated for two separate projects.

In addition to a critically-acclaimed chamber choir, the organization has established Firebird Chamber Orchestra, which collaborates with Seraphic Fire on choral-orchestral masterworks as well as independent concerts of orchestral repertoire. The orchestra, like the chorus, is made up of top-tier performers from around the country.

Seraphic Fire’s artistic accomplishments have translated to chart-topping album sales. In the summer of 2010, Seraphic Fire’s recording of Monteverdi’s Vespers of the Blessed Virgin (1610) reached the number one position on the iTunes classical music charts. The ensemble’s GRAMMY®-nominated recording of Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem debuted at #7 on Billboard Magazine's Classical charts, and Seraphic Fire’s newest Christmas album, of which NPR’s Morning Edition proclaims “the singing is just fabulous; this group has a really excellent blend”, broke into the top ten on the iTunes Classical charts on day of its release.

In January of 2013, Seraphic Fire signed a three-year partnership deal with Naxos of America to distribute Seraphic Fire Media. Seraphic Fire is represented worldwide by Columbia Artists Management, Inc.

Patrick Dupre Quigley

American conductor Patrick Dupré Quigley is at the vanguard of a new generation of young Baroque specialists: completely at ease at the helm of the modern symphony orchestra while still able to create the passionate, distinctive stylings of the Baroque sound. The Founder and Artistic Director of Seraphic Fire and the Firebird Chamber Orchestra, he has been described by the Miami Herald as, “a musician with a constellation of qualities rarely found in a single conductor: an enthusiastic and audience friendly personal style, a scholar’s instinct for rooting out obscure but worthy music, a scrupulous and historically informed approach to works that span a wide range of musical periods, an ability to bring out the best in his talented platoon . . . and a showman’s canny sense of how to appeal to audiences.”

Mr. Quigley was nominated for two 2012 GRAMMY® awards for his work with Seraphic Fire: Best Choral Performance for Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, and Best Small Ensemble Performance for A Seraphic Fire Christmas. He was the only conductor in the world to be nominated for two separate projects, and Seraphic Fire was the only choir in North and South America to receive a nomination. Under his direction, Seraphic Fire has released eleven recordings on the Seraphic Fire Media label, with two additional recordings forthcoming this year. In the past three years, Seraphic Fire has had albums enter the top ten on both the Billboard and iTunes classical charts—including the ensemble’s 2010 release of Monteverdi’s Vespers of the Blessed Virgin (1610), which reached the number one position on the iTunes classical music charts.

2012 saw Mr. Quigley making guest appearances with the San Francisco Symphony’s Community of Music Makers series, Cincinnati’s professional Vocal Arts Ensemble, and two separate appearances with the San Antonio Symphony. With Seraphic Fire, Patrick will conduct over 60 performances across the United States.

Quigley has been lauded as an adept arts entrepreneur and a savvy institution builder. In ten seasons, Quigley has grown Seraphic Fire & the Firebird Chamber Orchestra into a vibrant, cutting-edge arts organization—mounting acclaimed performances of Baroque mainstays, introducing new work and exploring under-performed treasures with equal success.

Quigley is the recipient of the 2004 Robert Shaw Conducting Fellowship, given annually by the National Endowment for the Arts and Chorus America to one conductor between the ages of 25 and 40 who demonstrates the potential for a significant professional career. At 26, Mr. Quigley was the youngest person to receive this award. Most recently, Mr. Quigley was awarded Chorus America’s 2011 Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal, recognizing his artistic and institution building achievements with Seraphic Fire. Mr. Quigley has been a featured guest on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and is a sought-after speaker and consultant regarding arts entrepreneurship.

Patrick received his M.Mus. in conducting from the Yale School of Music, his B.A. in musicology from the University of Notre Dame, and is a graduate of the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy’s Fundraising School.

Jazz Saxophonist Hulon Releases New Radio Single "Two in the Morning"

Smooth jazz and R&B saxophonist Hulon has returned with his newest single, “Two in the Morning” from his latest album After Hours. The single is currently available on iTunes and will be premiering at smooth jazz and urban contemporary radio stations with a music video to accompany that was released in June 2013.

After the success of his debut album, First Impressions, Hulon’s most recent album, After Hours, has combined passion and confidence creating Hulon’s best tracks to date. “Two in the Morning” is the third single off of After Hours featuring Howard Hewitt on vocals who is Grammy-award winner from Shalamar and Blood, Sweat & Tears.  Also featured on “After Hours,” is 2012’s “The Voice” contestant and lyricist Geoff McBride on their rendition of the Heatwave classic, “Always And Forever.”

Truly living up to its provocative title, Hulon’s 2010 independently released debut First Impressions spent 15 weeks on the Billboard Jazz Chart (peaking at #25). Its debut single “Sax on the Beach” reached #16 on the SmoothJazz.com Top 50 Indie Chart and was featured on the noted jazz website AllAboutJazz.com, in addition to receiving national and international airplay at terrestrial and online radio. Collaborating once again with mentor, composer, producer and fellow saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa, the Panama City, Florida based tenor saxman gets even more personal and intimate with his growing audience on his highly anticipated, musically eclectic follow-up After Hours. World renowned for his years with The Rippingtons, The Sax Pack and numerous hit solo albums over the past 20 years, Kashiwa again brought in some of contemporary jazz’s most powerful and dynamic players to take Hulon’s musical game on the new collection to the next level; Dave Hooper (drums), Allen Hinds (guitar), Melvin Davis (bass) and Bill Heller (keyboards) all played key roles as well on First Impressions. The new 11 track set includes a vocal and instrumental version of the Heatwave classic “Always and Forever” and eight originals penned by Kashiwa that play to Hulon’s strengths as a soulful balladeer and a grooving R&B/funk player, with a few dashes of cool and swinging traditional jazz in the mix. Highlights include the sensual late night romance “You’re Beautiful,” the whimsical mid tempo light funk tune “Takin’ My Time,” the tropical chill of “Sticky Trickuation,” the sly, “Pink Panther”-esque “Speak Easy” (featuring shuffling drum, bass and finger snap rhythm) and the high octane horn-driven jam and first single from the new release,“Do You Feel Me.” Yet there’s lot more to Hulon’s dynamic emergence onto the urban jazz scene than simple chart stats and the support of some of the genre’s best players. At its heart, it’s the story of a musical dream long deferred and unique connections between the spiritual and emotional healing power of music and the physical healing that Dr. Hulon E. Crayton does as a rheumatologist and founder of The Arthritis and Infusion Center, which specializes in the treatment of Rheumatological diseases as well as sports related injuries. The title of one of the tracks on After Hours, the tropical flavored groove tune, “Second Opinion” is a playful ode to his longtime profession. Over the past few years, Hulon has experienced the unique double blessing of performing for some of his patients, feeling joy and fulfillment as those who once could not even walk actually got up and danced and sang along—all thanks to him! Hulon has been practicing since 1986 and is a diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and of the American Board of Rheumatology. He has a Master’s in Hospital Administration and has served in the U.S. Army and the Army Reserve, obtaining the rank of Captain. In an effort to give back to the community, Hulon and his wife Dinah created the Crayton Foundation to assist in providing minorities with a feasible way to attain the funding needed to attend college; they have given numerous scholarships to students interested in pursuing a career in healthcare related fields. The foundation gave the first ever scholarship at Florida State University for African American students. The Milwaukee born and raised Hulon was originally inspired to play the alto sax by his college roommate when he was an undergrad at Lincoln University in Missouri. He taught himself the instrument and it became a favorite hobby for a time, used as recreation and stress relief as Hulon played along to his favorite recordings. He put the horn aside for years as he went to medical school at the University of Wisconsin, started his first practice, got married and began raising a family. Hulon’s interest was rekindled when all three of his children showed an interest in music and served as first chair on their respective instruments in middle school. He had loaned his daughter his old sax and she wouldn’t give it back, so he bought a tenor at a local pawn shop (after moving to Florida) and that became his main voice as he began to pursue music professionally. He started playing informally with some local musicians (enjoying cigars and martinis along the way) and then was hired to play at a festival by a promoter who heard him performing one Sunday at church; this prompted Hulon to start a band with a fellow doctor friend. Cleverly dubbing themselves On Call, the band began performing at numerous private functions, local Panama City jazz hotspots like the Boatyard, Firefly, Bonefish and large scale affairs at the Grand Panama Hotel. His incredible friendship and musical association with Jeff Kashiwa began when Hulon was in the audience at the Seabreeze Jazz Festival one year when the famed saxman was onstage playing the EWI, or Electronic Woodwind Instrument. “He started introducing this cool looking instrument and I shouted out from the crowd that I’ve gotta get me one of those,” says Hulon. “Jeff responded from the stage, ‘Not only will I sell this to you, I will also teach you how to play it!’ After the show I met him and asked if he was serious. He gave me his address, I sent him a check and he sold me his EWI. He was down in Orlando with the Rippingtons two months later and I went to see him. He took me up to his hotel room and taught me how to play EWI. At a later gig in Atlanta, he invited me backstage to meet the Rippingtons. We started doing lessons on Skype, and about a year later, Jeff was playing at a fundraiser for the Anchorage Children’s Home, which takes care of disadvantaged youth, and my band opened for him. I was nervous at first but later in the show, when he invited me to play onstage with him and we traded solos while walking parallel up the aisle in the audience, I felt like this was a musical high I could get used to!” Hulon’s later idea to hire the veteran saxman to compose a jingle for his practice inspired Kashiwa to write an extended version called “Dr. Goodfoot,” which ultimately became the first track they recorded on First Impressions. The title is a nod to James Brown’s classic “Get on the Good Foot.” Once Hulon received the blessing of his wife Dinah and the encouragement of his children, he enlisted Kashiwa to help him develop a full length album project—beginning with four demos that Kashiwa had sent him after “Dr. Goodfoot.” “The experience was surreal,” Hulon says, “as if I were suddenly on this fast track. A few years earlier, I wasn’t even playing the horn, and here I was in a studio recording with a world renowned saxophonist who believed in my potential as an artist. He saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. “Even as he was producing me,” he adds, “he was my teacher and mentor, telling me what I needed to do, helping make me a better player. The cool thing about Jeff is that he always has a goal for me inside his mind. He won’t always tell me what it is, but when I hit it, he tells me and then raising the bar. With constructive criticism, he knows how to get the best out of me. The experience became even more intense as we worked on After Hours. I am feeling more confident about myself as a player and artist than ever and am able to nail a song much faster. The first time we ever recorded, it took me eight hours to do the first song and four days to do three songs. This time we got almost the whole album done in three days—all thanks to Jeff’s encouragement and gentle push at the right times.” Believing that “versatility is survivability,” Hulon (with Kashiwa’s guidance) breaks the mold of the typical urban jazz output these days by offering a wide variety of styles and grooves behind his rich emotional tenor melodies. That’s not surprising considering the wide variety of genres he listens to on his iPod—from hip hop and country to orchestral and classical music. Yet beyond simply providing musical pleasure to the genre’s adult audiences, he says, “I want to be inspiring to children and a good role model to them the way I have strived to be with my own kids. I’m really enjoying this journey every step of the way. As with medicine, I get great personal joy and satisfaction having people appreciate what I do. My time in the office is devoted to physical healing. But when I’m recording or playing live onstage, that’s when the spiritual healing begins.”          

MARK BEGELMAN INTRODUCES MARKEE REHEARSAL AND RECORDING

Serial entrepreneur Mark Begelman is at it again in Deerfield Beach, Florida with his newest business, Markee Music. Mark Begelman, the 2-time winner of Ernest and Young's "Entrepreneur of the Year" award, former Financial News CEO of the Year and Board member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is going back into the music business with partner, Keith Ridenour.

Begelman, founder of Mars Music, sees an opportunity to create something for the music community that simple doesn't exist in today's market. Mark and partner Keith Ridenour have formed Markee Rehearsal and Recording studios. Keith was the founder of Ridenour Rehearsal, which, in its day, was the only recording and rehearsal studio in Ft. Lauderdale that catered to the serious hobbyist. Having sold "Ridenours", Keith embarked on a successful song writing career, having published and produced over 50 songs. "Though I love songwriting, the opportunity to team with Mark and create a rehearsal, recording and music lesson studio, was too much to pass up," said Ridenour.

Mark Begelman, no stranger to the music business, having created Mars Music and having built that to 54 stores and $350 million in annual revenue, understood the potential to put forth a facility, unlike anything the serious music community has seen.

With the help of a few "friends", specifically, David Frangioni, recipient of dozens of gold and platinum albums, Chief Technologist and Engineer for Aerosmith, Ozzie and Chic Corea, to name some, Mark and Keith created the state-of-the-art facility for rehearsal, recording and lessons.

Markee has 6 fully equipped rehearsal studios, an 800 sq' tracking/live room, a control room, and 4 music lesson rooms. Each room has been built to STC ratings so musicians can practice and record in the most "sound correct" facility in South Florida.

Begelman's familiarity with the serious musician hobbyist is credible. Mars Music was the largest provider of music lessons in the world, having given over 1 million lessons.

"I always loved the lesson side of the business," says Begelman. "We'll have experienced teachers who get students making music quickly."

Though Markee will be able to record the likes of some of Keith's former customers, Ricky Martin, Foreigner, and Cheap Trick, the targeted customer is the weekend warrior. Bands such as "Monkey at a Typewriter" (Mark's band) needs a facility that's well equipped, clean and "happening". "I have my day job and I know I'll never get rich playing music, but we play every week, the band is very serious about it, and we want to make as good music as we're capable of."

"Every musician that walks through the doors of Markee will be treated as just that...a musician. When it comes to music, there are no barriers, we're all musicians, whether it's the first-time player or the pro," says Ridenour.

Visit the Markee website at Markeemusic.com or call at 954 794 0033.



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