by Brian Major
Last updated: 11:00 AM ET, Tue March 3, 2015
Photo: Nevis will host the first Nevis Blues Festival in April. (Photo courtesy St. Kitts Tourism Authority).
Jazz festivals are a summer staple in the Caribbean. But this year Nevis will host what is believed to be the region's first blues music festival.
The first Nevis Blues Festival is scheduled for April 16 to 19 at the Sundowner Stage in the island's Oualie Bay district. The three-night festival will feature award-winning musician and British blues hall of famer Ian Siegal; Zac Harmon, recently named XM Satellite Radio's "Best New Blues Artist," and U.K.-based jazz, gospel and blues singer Denise Gordon, whose parents are from Nevis.
"We're excited to premiere the Nevis Blues Festival as our newest cultural offering," said Mark Brantley, Nevis' minister of tourism. "Our aim is to present a highly anticipated annual event that celebrates both local and international talent while reflecting the beauty and cultural experience of Nevis."
The Nevis Blues Festival will "complement the natural, intimate and relaxed setting of the island, allowing music lovers to enjoy the soulful sounds of blues that will fill the night air," according to organizers.
The event will also differ from other Caribbean music festivals, which attract theater- and stadium-sized audiences. The Nevis Blues festival will be a "small, intimate festival, where fences and security guards are not only unnecessary but would look absurd," say organizers. The small scale is appropriate on an island with only 12,000 residents and about 400 hotel rooms.
Indeed the event's main stage will be set within sight of the Caribbean Sea, "so close you'll have sand between your toes as you dance the night out," say organizers.
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