My first year at Juilliard in 2006 was eye-opening to say the least. Our first small group concert was the Music of Herbie Nichols, coached by Frank Kimbrough. Frank, a scholar of Herbie’s music, on hearing I was Trini made sure to let me know that Herbie’s parents were Trinidadian and that he was born and raised very near Juilliard in the San Juan Hill neighborhood. San Juan Hill. A name I had never heard. Next spring, Monty Alexander was at my apartment playing as we prepped for his show and he started talking about the Caribbean bounce in Thelonious Monk’s music, which Monty credited to Monk’s upbringing in the West Indian neighborhood, San Juan Hill. There it was again. I had to know more. Then came Robin Kelley’s incredible biography on Monk in 2011. The opening chapters painted this picture of the neighborhood a NYC cultural hub before Harlem was Harlem, fledging with migrants from the Caribbean, Deep South and Europe. I still needed to know more Then came the opportunity to dig. A commission from Lincoln Center to research and compose a piece for my Group and the NYPhil. I chose to write a multimedia work about this neighborhood that had been so vibrant but was then broken up due to an urban renewal/slum clearance project by the City of New York that made it possible for Lincoln Center to be built. So many legends in a small radius, Thelonious Monk, Benny Carter, Russell Procope, Ram Ramirez, Canada Lee, Zora Neale Hurston, Aaron Copland just to name a few. San Juan Hill - A New York Story composed by Etienne Charles Feat. Etienne Charles & Creole Soul Etienne Charles - trumpet/percussion @godwinloue - alto sax @iamelena - flute @sullivanfortnerjr - piano @wintzagram - guitar @benwmsonbass - bass @jdondrums - drums @thedjlogic - turntables @carlhancockrux - spoken word @nyphilharmonic conducted by Maestro @jaapvanzweden 🎥 @mayacozier 🎨 @wickedgf 🎨 @bayetekenan ✏️ @misseljon 📖 Julia Foulkes Photo by @king.hollis.mr WORLD PREMIERE Saturday 8th October 2022 for the Re-Opening of David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, NY Tickets on sale September 1st at lincolncenter.org NYPhil.org