The West Indian Company Ltd. (WICO) will feature Victor Provost at its next Jazz on the Dock scheduled for 5:30-9:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 19. Come enjoy the sweet sound of jazz on a steel pan — thrill the heart, relax the mind and float all cares away. He will be joined by Dion Parsons, Ron Blake, Tabari Lake and Shikima Jones. The event will be held in Havensight Mall on the West Indian Company Dock, St. Thomas.
Victor Provost, born, raised and trained on the island of St. John under the tutelage of pan pioneer Rudy Wells and fine-tuned by Charlie Banacos, legendary jazz guru, is now recognized worldwide as a master of the steel pan and has successfully crafted an improvisational voice and style surpassed by none. His ability to extemporaneously weave through complex jazz harmony with accuracy and conviction, while being thoughtful and creative, makes people say, “I didn’t know a steel pan could do that.”
In his early years with Wells, Provost performed throughout the U.S., France, Switzerland, Denmark and Germany. During his professional career, he has made appearances at major venues throughout the world such as Shanghai Concert Hall, Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater, the Umbria Jazz Festival and the Kennedy Center. In 1998, he became the first steel pan soloist to be featured at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy, and he has recorded, toured and performed with several award-winning groups. These include the Grammy Award-winning Afro Bop Alliance and renowned artists such as Paquito D’Rivera, Dave Samuels, Hugh Masakela and Ron Blake.
“Jazz on the Dock was a superb creation of which we are proud, and we remain fully committed to including talent, young and old, from all Virgin Islands,” said Joseph Boschulte WICO’s president and CEO.
Accompanying Victor on stage will be a lineup of local jazz masters: Grammy Award winning Dion Parsons on drums, Ron Blake on saxophone, Tabari Lake on acoustic bass, and Shikima Jones, R&B vocalist.
On the day of the jazz concert, the Norwegian Escape will be in port from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.; Carnival Magic will arrive at 11 a.m. and remain until 7 p.m. WICO’s Community Concerts are free and open to the public.
Carnival on the Dock is sponsored by The West Indian Company Ltd., United Jazz International, the Virgin Islands Department of Education, the University of the Virgin Islands, the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands and the U.S.V.I. Department of Tourism.
