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Joel,
an accomplished jazz & reggae musician, has studied
piano since the year 1986, trumpet since 1987, and saxophone
and drums since 1991. Although
this versatile musician has trained to play in different
musical genres (jazz, reggae, funk, salsa, and Latin jazz),
he decided to focus on his love for Latin jazz in 1997 and
has since trained with some of the top musicians in the
industry.
While
living in St. Croix, Joel was the director of “Various
Artists”, his own reggae, jazz, and funk band, and
a part of the 666th Army National Guard Band. When
Howard University’s School of Fine Arts Music Department
in DC recruited him as a Jazz studies piano major in 1998,
Joel ventured from St. Croix to Washington, DC to pursue
his musical career.
Since
then, he has had the honor of playing with such highly acclaimed
bands as Orquesta La Romana (Washington,DC), voted best
salsa orchestra by salsametro.com consecutively 2001-2005,
the 257th Army National Guard Band (Washington, DC), Sound
V.I. Zion Records Reggae Band (St. Croix, VI), and Edwin
Pabon and Orchestra (Boston, MA). In early 2005, he
was selected to tour with Sound V.I.Zion Records during
its Spring 2005 East Coast Tour. He has also had the
honor of performing on stage with such Grammy winning salsa
bands and artists as “Mambo 911” (Chicago, IL),
New Swing Sextet, Chino Nuñez, Bobby Allende, Ray
De La Paz, Frankie Vazquez, and Roberto Roena, among others.
Joel’s
recordings include Howard University’s 1998 Jazz Ensemble
as well as compositions and arrangements with 3 major record
labels (B'neath Da Underground Sounds, LLS Records, and
Sound V.I. Zion Records). He has also co-produced
a cd entitled “Jerome Austrie”, a vocalist and
guitarist.
In
2003, Joel began preparing for the release of his own much
anticipated, Latin jazz cd with his original, never heard
before, musical compositions, some of which have been in
the works as early as 1995. His focus lies specifically
on the relation of notes to movement.
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