YOU! by Calvin French YOU! Magazine - Issue 2 | Page 116

By Laura Dowrich
When anyone meets
Etienne Charles, the first
thing they comment on
is his distinctive look. The
acclaimed Jazz trumpeter
is known for his blue-
rimmed spectacles and
hat, accessories that have
become his trademark.
His on-stage wardrobe is
also a talking point.
Charles, 34, is not a man
afraid of colour or loud
patterns. From brightly
coloured patterned pants
to bright pink suits, Charles
makes a bold statement,
especially on stage.
His overall aesthetic belies
his age and harkens to
an era when musicia ns
favoured suits and hats.
“As a musician, fashion
is extremely important
because it is part of telling
the story, it is part of you
presenting an image that
people can look to. There
have been some great
examples of fashion in
calypso and other musical
styles in the African
diaspora. You look at people
like Lord Kitchener, The
Roaring Lion, look at Lord
Melody, Sparrow, look at
the way they dressed in
suits and dinner jackets and
black tie versus a regular
suit, always fitted with a hat,
like Pretender.
“There was always
something special going
on, it was a big part of the
presentation, so I definitely
try to imbibe that calypso
tradition which is also
very similar to Black music
traditions in the US, so
you see people like Miles
Davis... Freddie Hubbard,
Charlie Rouse, Roy Haynes
who were all very savvy
dressers who got custom
made clothing, the whole
collegiate look of the 50s
and 60s, the blue note
look, the young intelligent
black entrepreneur look,” he
explained.
He said his fashion has
been influenced by the likes
of Louis Armstrong, Prince
with his use of colour, Rick
James and the Motown
Label with Marvin Gaye
and takes comfort in seeing
hip-hop stars adopting the
formal look today as part of
their fashion evolution.
Charles is big on history and
honouring the past.
His albums, seven in all,
are historical journeys into
the forgotten culture that
has shaped the African and
indigenous experiences in
the Western Hemisphere.
On his latest album Carnival,
which will be launched
officially at a concert on
January 14 at Queen’s Hall,
he delves into the Carnival
arts that once took pride of
place in T&T’s Carnival.
Determined to restore some
of the Carnival traditions
that have been discarded,
Charles emerged from
that Carnival project with a
thirst to return brass to the
streets on Carnival Monday
and Tuesday and pulled off
a stunning coup this year
with his own jersey band
called We The People.
Credits:
Laura Ferreira
Bailey davidson
Jessica C Woles
116 - YOU!
YOU! Magazine
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by Calvin
Calvin
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French
Featuring David Rudder,
Keet Styla (formerly known
as Designer) and Lima
Calbio, the band attracted
over 1000 people, mostly
those lovers of live brass
music on the road who no
longer felt included in the
mas.
Even though he is an
Associate Professor of Jazz
Trumpet at Michigan State
University, where he was
recently awarded tenure,
and travels the world
with his band Creole Soul,
Charles is rooted in his
Caribbean-ness.
That is reflected in his
fashion as well, particularly
his use of colour.