Caribbean to the World Super Concert

Nicholas Brancker - Barbadian Musician

Here we go! Tomorrow night, the World Super Concert steps in right after what promises to be a stirring Opening Ceremony. No pause, no dip, just a clean handover from ceremony to celebration. That’s the signal CARIFESTA is sending: we start on a high and stay there.

At the helm is the inimitable Nicholas Brancker—Barbadian bassist/keyboardist, Grammy-nominated producer and writer, film-score composer and bandleader. He will be directing the Caribbean All Stars on the night. A pillar of the region’s sound, Brancker has lifted stages across Barbados, after early studio and tour work with Eddy Grant. His charts favour precision with feel, the kind that lets singers breathe and horn lines speak. Under his direction, expect tight execution, smart transitions and a groove that keeps people moving long after the last hit.

Barbados anchors the stage with a home squad that knows how to move a crowd. Saxophonist Romaro Greaves, trumpeter Kevyn Lynch and trombonist Jomo Slusher bring a brass conversation with colour and bite; vocalist Nikita Brown lines melody with soul; Biggie Irie carries the sing-along warmth only he can; and Kweku Jelani plays, sings and stirs the call-and-response like a born showman. It’s a local core with global reach, set to meet visiting heavy hitters at full tilt.

Speaking of those heavy hitters: they arrive with receipts. Trombonist and composer Andrew Jackson is a JUNO Award-winner and one of Eastern Canada’s first-call players, also the long-time musical curator of the TD Halifax Jazz Festival—proof of both chops and leadership.   Trumpeter Alexis Baro, Havana-born and classically trained at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory, toured early with Omara Portuondo, then carved out a major Toronto career, from Kollage and multiple Canadian National Jazz Awards nominations to a solo catalogue that ranges from Havana Banana to the JUNO-nominated Sandstorm and the tribute set Mi Raíz.

On percussion, Alberto Suárez brings Matanzas in his hands. Rumba roots, conservatory training and a résumé that runs through Jane Bunnett, Hilario Durán, Andy Narell and David Rudder among many others. Expect tone, time and fire. From Saint Lucia, Danyl Daniel doubles as keyboardist and audio engineer, music director, producer and tutor who is known for shaping live shows and studio sessions across gospel, jazz, reggae, soca and R&B, including work with the 200 Feathers Band and The Teddyson John Project.

Antigua’s Javier Jarvis brings a drummer’s precision forged in the Salvation Army brass band and the Gemonites Steel Orchestra; he’s built a reputation for energy and musicality across the region.  Trinidadian-born saxophonist Jesse Ryan adds a JUNO-nominated voice that links jazz to Afro-Caribbean tradition; he’s the Toronto Arts Foundation Emerging Jazz Artist awardee and grandson of calypso great Mighty Bomber—heritage and ambition in one sound.

Grenadian guitarist Jeremy Sean Hector stretches from blues and soul to contemporary jazz, sharing stages with names like Eddie Bullen and Larnell Lewis, and recording the albums Ascension (2019) and Light After Dark (2022).  Presiding over decades of Caribbean hits, arranger-producer Leston Paul—a national Chaconia awardee—has steered thousands of recordings, with credits ranging from Arrow’s “Hot! Hot! Hot!” to road-march winners across the islands. If you hear a groove lock into place and the whole park lift, don’t be surprised if his fingerprints are on the chart.

What does that mean for tomorrow night? A constellation of stars that creates a magical moment of music. The opening stretch will welcome you in. The drums will speak first and the brass will answer. There’ll be room for reverence: a familiar melody reframed, a nod to the elders and idioms that shaped us. Then the gears engage: soca runs that pull the crowd into one voice, horn lines trading phrases like old friends meeting up, rhythm sections building that irresistible “come forward” sway. Jazz phrasing on a kaiso beat and reggae step under a gospel lift. Borders blur and culture sharpens into focus.

This sits perfectly on the heels of the Opening Ceremony. One minute you’re watching the flags and the formalities; the next, you’re in the thick of a live soundtrack that says “this is who we are” without a speech. That’s the point: ceremony to celebration, an immediate statement of range and readiness. Barbados hosts with confidence, and the region answers in kind.

It’s also a picture of how Caribbean music actually works. Many of the players you’ll hear are more than performers; they’re writers, producers, educators and mentors who are the builders of scenes as well as songs. Jackson programmes award-winning festivals as easily as he takes a solo.  Baro’s catalogue tells the story of a trumpeter at home in Cuba, Canada and the Caribbean circuit.  Suárez’s credits thread steelpan, jazz and calypso communities together.  Daniel and Jarvis bring the discipline of MDs and section leaders who know how to make a band breathe on time.  Ryan’s practice sits where scholarship meets street feel.  Hector folds island sensibility into the guitar lexicon, and Paul’s arranging legacy is, simply, woven into how the region hears itself.

So plan your night carefully. Arrive early, pick your vantage, and let the blend do its work. Watch the Bajans set the tone; feel free to sing at the top of your lungs or share an unmistakable West Indian whine with someone. The World Super Concert is quality meeting quantity.

Tomorrow, the lights go up. What follows is talent meeting talent, cultures crossing lanes, smiles everywhere, and a steady run of creative moments that stick. If you are asking what the festival will feel like, start here. It is the perfect precursor to the week to come at CARIFESTA XV.