Steve Simon Presents

4TH ANNUAL ST. JOHN CHRISTMAS MUSIC FESTIVAL & CHILDREN’S PARADE

Steve Simon presents the 4th Annual St. John Christmas Music Festival & Children’s Parade on Saturday, December 6th. A glorious night of free concerts under the stars in the heart of Cruz Bay at Winston Wells Ball Field.

SATURDAY – DECEMBER 6TH  – 6:30 PM

THE 4TH ANNUAL ST. JOHN CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARADE

Celebrating it’s 4th anniversary, the St. John Children’s Christmas Parade has become a tradition with many of our island’s groups participating. It is truly a parade for all ages.
Starting in front of Mongoose Junction, Santa leads the torch lit parade through Cruz Bay, around the ferry dock and then up to Winston Wells Ball Field. Live Christmas music fills the air with our own children’s steel pan band and plenty of Reggae sounds. The parade route is filled with Christmas spirit as locals and visitors line both sides of the street.
Upon reaching Winston Wells Ball Field, Santa will be giving every child in attendance a free Christmas gift so plan on coming early and staying late to enjoy a free Jazz in the Moonlight concert.

SATURDAY – DECEMBER 6th – 7:30 PM – FREE “JAZZ IN THE MOONLIGHT” – featuring 13 year old Jazz piano prodigy Matt Wigler and his trio, 13 year old Jazz trumpet prodigy Tyler Lindsay and his band,  and ‘the Diva of all Divas’ Ms. Maryel Epps.

MS. MARYEL EPPS
Back by very popular demand, ‘The Diva of all Divas’ Ms. Maryel Epps will be headlining this year’s concert.

An internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter, and actress, Maryel Epps is recognized as one of the most exciting gospel inspired Jazz divas in the world today.

Maryel originated her famous Gospel Brunch at Lola’s Restaurant in New York and from there her career just took off.  Today, Maryel tours the world with her high energy Jazz that is rooted in gospel, “the good news music”, as she so fondly says.  Maryel is a charismatic charmer whose brilliant voice radiates love and energy.

Maryel  has  performed with the greats such as Billy Taylor, Chaka Khan, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespe, David Lee Roth, David Bowie, Nile Rogers, and Patti Labelle. One of her musical dreams came true having opened for Prince at his club Glam Slam on South Beach just a few years ago.
 
Backing up Ms. Maryel Epps will be St. John’s own world renowned Jazz band, The Jazz Islanders featuring Joe Ramsey on sax, Dale Harrigan on trumpet, Rhett Simmonds on bass, Leon Joyce, Jr. on drums and Steve Simon on clarinet.

MATT WIGLER
Matt has appeared on stage with many famous blues musicians including, Deanna Bogart, Buckwheat Zydeco, Tommy Castro, Bobby Rush, Tab Benoit, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials, and Sir Mack Rice.

His debut CD, XIII (thirteen), released June 2007, was produced by great blues pianist Deanna Bogart.  “Whether Matt’s jamming on the Blues Cruise, being invited on stage with great musicians, or at home listening to those who came before, it’s the love and respect for music that truly propels him along,” stated Deanna. 

The Baltimore Sun describes Matt’s CD as “…foot-tapping, head-swinging, blues and jazz……wait until you hear this musician.” 

Matt has played at many venues including the State Theatre in Virginia, the 8x10 Club in Baltimore, the Columbia Festival of the Arts, Artscape, the Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival, the DC Blues Festival, and the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise.

Matt Wigler’s performance schedule, sound clips, photographs, and other information are available at www.mattwigler.com. 

Food and beverage service will be available all evening so bring a chair or bring a blanket but please be cool……..no coolers.

A midnight passenger ferry from Cruz Bay to Red Hook will be available so come early and plan to stay late.

For additional information please contact Steve Simon at 340-693-8120 or at stevesimonlive@yahoo.com

TYLER LINDSAY

            The resumes of most modern 13-year-old American boys read like a 21st century version of what you might see in a Norman Rockwell painting: sandlot baseball, running with a faithful dog, swimming in the ocean or whatever body of water might be handy, eating pizza and making faces at girls.
            The resume of Tyler Lindsay, 13, of Poulsbo, Washington, has lots of these things, to be sure. However, when you get to the part about the jam sessions on the trumpet he’s had alongside jazz greats like Arturo Sandoval, Wynton Marsalis, Richie Cole, Jon Faddis, Chick Corea, Slide Hampton and Jimmy Heath, or the entry about the performance at Carnegie Hall, you take pause.
            This, you conclude, is not your average 13-year-old.
            Tyler probably couldn’t help himself – the musical genes passed along by his musical mother and father, Susan and Paul, were bound to result in some talent.  But Tyler’s meteoric rise as a nationally-recognized trumpet prodigy have astounded even his parents. Tyler began his trumpet and piano studies at age 3 with his father.  He began the viola at age 4 and had daily lessons on all three instruments with his parents.  Tyler, at age 6, began performing on the trumpet with his parents at their church in Honolulu, Hawaii.  He found his love for jazz at age 7 when he began listening to Miles Davis. In addition to performing with the jazz legends earlier noted, Tyler has had the privilege of studying with Marsalis, Sandoval, Faddis, Marvin Stamm and David Baker.
            Before arriving in the Pacific Northwest, Tyler and his family lived in Virginia Beach, VA, where the local media began to take serious notice of the young man when he turned 10 and began performing jazz at the Virginia Beach waterfront. He was featured in several newspapers and on the local news.  The Virginian-Pilot, the region’s largest newspaper, featured Tyler on the front page, as did numerous other publications when Tyler jumped on stage and brought the house down at the NEA Jazz Masters Awards Concert in New York.  HBO also came calling and featured Tyler in a nationally-broadcast TV show entitled, “The Music in Me.”
            Things kept getting better when he turned 11: That’s when he had his Carnegie Hall debut, as well as featured performances with several symphony orchestras including the Virginia Symphony.  That year, Tyler began touring with his younger brother and sister, Ryan and Christina, along with their parents as a unit they call The Lindsay Family. Their performances produced uniformly rave reviews wherever they played.
            These days, when he’s not amazing audiences as a soloist, or performing with his family, he is busy appearing around the Seattle area with Ryan and Christina as the jazz trio, “The Lindsay Kids.”

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