LOCAL boy Jesse Billy, is returning to the St Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival this year. During his teen years he attended the St. Lucia School of Music as a scholarship student for piano for four years from 2005. There, he became part of the school’s student jazz band ‘[Black Antz’ playing the piano and performing at a number of venues including the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival in 2006 and 2007. He also made contributions as a drummer for the folk musical Tinday and Masquerade as a pianist.
A recipient of the Saint Lucia National Award of Excellence for Music, Jesse started performing with different bands playing the piano and on a few occasions, the drums. He has performed alongside recognized names such as Luther and Ricardo Francois, Emerson Nurse, Shirley Ann Cyril-Myers, Rupert Lay, Alison Marquis, Harvey Millar, Jab Duplessis and Barbara Cadet. The talented young musician has featured in one way or another on Saint Lucia’s biggest musical stage, Saint Lucia Jazz Festival in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. He was again featured in 2013 when he collaborated with jazz trumpeter Etienne Charles for the Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts festival press launch.
Jesse has gone on to accompany a number of other artistes such as Rob ‘ZI’Taylor, Teddyson John, Michael Robinson, Zack Popo, Stacey Charles, and the Group Sisterhood at the Jazz sampler. That same year he teamed up with the Justus Choir at ‘Jazz in the South’ and opened as the first band for the performance of Kassav at Fond d’Or Jazz as a drummer for the Rupert Lay quartet. Currently Jesse Billy is a member of the Royal St. Lucia Police Band