Global Sounds on the Hill featuring Caymanian Kitchen Dance Music w/ Swanky Kitchen Band

This event has passed

Curated and hosted by iconic DC impresario and musician Jim Thomson

Cotton & Reed Rum Distillers Singular Swanky Tropical Rum Punch Will Be Available for Sale!

Swanky Kitchen Band is on an essential quest to revive the traditional music of the Cayman Islands. Set amidst the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, the three tiny islands are home to Kitchen Dance Music, an infectiously danceable fiddle-driven style. The Kitchen Dance sound, created through a crossroads of European and African influences, nearly disappeared save for the efforts of Swanky Kitchen Band, the last of the Caymanian Kitchen Bands.

“Swanky,” as the group is known to its loyal fan base, was founded and is led by fiddler and songwriter Samuel Rose at a time when the rapid pace of development and societal change nearly ended the genre. Samuel grew up on the island of Grand Cayman, and first began violin lessons as a child receiving classical training.  In his late teens he was encouraged to shift his musical journey in order to  preserve the music of his homeland which had become critically endangered. Traditionally performed in community settings, the music was the soundtrack to festivities and gatherings where food, music, and community came together. The kitchen dance was led by master fiddlers including the late Radley Gourzong, who performed at the Grand Ole’ Opry in 1987, a surprising feat for a Caribbean fiddler. Sadly, by the time Samuel began to embrace his musical roots, most of the old fiddlers and kitchen band performers had already passed away. Having learned indirectly from previous recordings of old masters, Samuel’s playing reminds us of their legacy and the depth of this unique Caymanian art form. In 2003, Samuel along with guitarist Nicholas Johnson created Swanky Kitchen Band to preserve and revitalize this rapidly disappearing musical art-form.

About the Band: The heart of Kitchen Dance music is the driving sound of the fiddle surrounded by a rhythmic groove created by drums, a grater, and a guitar or other stringed instruments. Swanky Kitchen Band has added a modern twist on Caymanian heritage by blending these essential traditional elements with more contemporary instruments to create a 10-piece powerhouse dance band. Core members of the band include Paula Scott who joined Swanky in 2006. She is a master on the grater and descends from a long line of musicians on the sister island of Cayman Brac. In 2011 Swanky expanded to include bassist Lammie Seymour, arguably the most well-known Caymanian musician having founded the wildly popular Memory of Justice Band that dominated local and Caribbean airwaves in the 1970s and 80s. Other members include vocalist/songwriter and Cayman’s most successful female recording artist Kay K. Alese; Devon Edie on saxophone and harmonica; vocalist Jeffrey Wilson; lead guitarist- Christopher Seymour; drummer- Jared Tibbetts; and keyboardist/vocalist Beneil Miller.  Together, Swanky is bringing Caymanian music to the global music tradewinds to share an important message with the world; that the music of the Cayman Islands is powerful, fun, and necessary.

About Jim Thomson: Jim Thomson owns and operates the Washington, DC-based boutique record label Electric Cowbell Records. He currently runs Multiflora Productions out of Washington, DC, an independent live music production agency that specializes in expanding the reach of eclectic traditional and non-traditional artists by creating a time and space where their work is presented in an environment where audiences and artists alike have a meaningful and significant experience together. In 2014 he became the music coordinator for the Capital Fringe Festival and also programmed the “Fringe Music in the Library ” series, which offered free live music in the DC Public Libraries through a sponsorship from the DC Public Library Foundation. He has booked several US tours for acclaimed artists such as Sahel Sounds recording artists Mdou Moctar and Les Filles de Illighadad, along with Zedashe from the Republic of Georgia, BCUC from South Africa, and several others. He is a founding member and played drums in: GWAR, Alter-Natives (SST Records), Bio Ritmo, and CSC Funk Band. He currently plays drums in the DC-based punk rock band, Time Is Fire.