The Prabhu family has disproved the saying “lightning never strikes twice” as a member of its family won one of the top prizes in The Nassau Guardian/Star 106.5 FM and Hot 91.7 FM Jazz in the Gardens (JITG) promotion for the second consecutive year. Last year, Danielle Prabhu walked away with a complete package; this year her mother Derith was the lucky winner.
“I feel great about winning. There must be a God, because I kept seeing little signs that I was going to win. I was watching a show and I predicted the answer before it came on, so I knew God was present today. I’m a Catholic so we’re always in God’s view, but sometimes He’s with us a lot more than we expect.”
Derith may have felt she had God on her side, but also stacked the box in her favor, as she purchased 50 papers the day before the deadline, filled in the entries and deposited them in the box.
A complete package winner of prime concert tickets for two to both nights, airfare for two on Bahamasair, a car with Dollar/Thrifty and accommodations at Comfort Suites Sawgrass, she will take both of her daughters with her — Danielle as well as Deandra. And she’s looking forward to seeing R. Kelly and Maxwell. Danielle who was with her mom to pick up the prize said after last year she knew what they had to do to win this year — she said they had to put in a lot of entries. And she’s looking forward to seeing Maxwell.
Christelle Sturrup, who also walked away with a complete package concert tickets, airfare, car and hotel stay at Indigo was excited.
“I’ve wanted to go over the years and had set my mind to going. I even called my mother-in-law who lives in Ft. Lauderdale trying to make the arrangements, but it just never happened, so I’m excited. It’s amazing that I’ve won.”
Unlike the Prabhus, Sturrup entered only one entry into the contest.
“I always say it’s worth a try, so I tried and hoped to win.”
She wants to see Toni Braxton and R. Kelly, and will be taking her husband Chryslin Sturrup with her.
Taneka Tynes who has entered the competition in previous years, finally won. She took home airfare for one and concert tickets. She said she was excited considering she was picked in the top three. Like the Prabhus she put in approximately 50 entries. Tynes who said she might take her mother to the concert said she was excited for the entire line up.
Prabhu, Sturrup and Tynes will get to take in the 10th Annual Jazz in the Gardens which has an impressive line-up — Maxwell, Toni Braxton, R. Kelly, Men of Soul (Jeffrey Osborne, Peabo Bryson and Freddie Jackson) Erykah Badu, Run DMC, Sheila E. and Brian Culbertson for the March 20-22 event that will be co-hosted by comedians and syndicated radio personalities D.L. Hughley and Rickey Smiley at SunLife Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The 2015 Opening Night Party on the Plaza at the Miramar Cultural Center will feature an evening of music and comedy with Headkrack, Claudia Jordan, Gary Wit Da Tee, Special K, Lavar Walker and Cory Zooman Miller with performances by the DMC Band. Tickets are $50 in advance and $60 on the day of the show.
City of Miami Gardens mayor, Oliver Gilbert says JITG is their way of inviting people into their home to party with them. And he’s also surprised at how the event has grown locally and as an international attraction. Last year’s attendance numbered at 68,000. They are expecting to break the attendance record again this year, and looking forward to giving people an experience.
“When the original mayor [Shirley Gibson] and council created the event, no one could really see that it would be this, but they persevered and stuck to it. They said we would have something for our residents, then it would go past our residents, past the region, past the country, and now it’s an international attraction. Every year we sit down and talk about this because we want people coming to Miami Gardens and having fun, so it’s a testament to our faithfulness, diligence and perseverance. [And] we have great partners like you all bringing everybody over. We’re purposing ourselves to make this not just a concert, but an experience,” he said.
Woodrow Wilson, Bahamasair’s senior manager for international sales, anticipates a booked weekend for the airline between its Ft. Lauderdale and Miami flights.
“It is estimated that we take on average 1,000 people a year to JITG, and those numbers came from the people at JITG who have said The Bahamas has proven to be one of the biggest foreign countries sending people over to JITG,” said Wilson.
Wilson who has attended multiple JITG events said people who don’t go are missing fantastic time.
“The talent lineup is awesome,” said Tony Williams, programming director at Star 106.5 FM and Hot 91.7 FM, the official station for JITG in The Bahamas. “The 10th anniversary of Jazz in the Gardens is going to be very exciting. There is something for everyone. The grown folks will surely love Men of Soul — Peabo Bryson, Freddie Jackson and Jeffrey Osborne, and when you add Toni Braxton and Maxwell you add another level of excitement to the festival. Of course, R. Kelly and all the others have their following, so I think attendees are in for the time of their lives.”
Erykah Badu, who is on the Sunday lineup, is best known for her song “Tyrone”. She is an icon in the neo-soul genre. No stranger to the JIG stage, she performed at the fourth concert in 2009.
Run DMC, one of the first most influential acts in the history of hip hop, will perform on Sunday, and of course one of their biggest hits was “Walk This Way”. They were the first group in the hip hop genre to have a gold record, to be nominated for a Grammy, have videos on MTV and be on the cover of Rolling Stone.
Sheila E. will bring the glamorous life to the stage on Saturday. The longtime protégé of Prince is a world-class drummer and percussionist. Jazz, rhythm and blues and funk saxophonist Ronnie Laws; funk, soul and jazz composer and vibraphone player Roy Ayers; funk soul and jazz performer Lonnie Liston Smith and jazz trumpeter Tom Browne are on the card for Sunday.
Maxwell, the sexy ambassador of soul, will be taking to the JITG stage on Sunday after an extended hiatus with a brand new look and a fresh, yet deliciously vintage sound. The artist who gave you classic songs like “Sumthin’ Sumthin”, “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder)” and “Lifetime” not to mention “This Woman’s Work” is back with a challenging, mature, sensual, courageous and emotionally open sound on his new album entitled “BLACKsummer’s night”.
Toni Braxton, who has the voice that is recognized as one of the most outstanding voices of this generation, will bring her distinctive sultry vocal blend of R&B, pop, jazz and gospel to the JITG stage that can be heard in her classics “Another Sad Love Song”, “Breathe Again”, “You’re Makin’ Me High”, “Unbreak My Heart”, and “He Wasn’t Man Enough” on Saturday.
Then of course there’s R. Kelly whose tasty array of hit singles include “Bump n’ Grind”, “Your Body’s Callin’”, “I Believe I Can Fly”, “Gotham City”, “If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time”, “The World’s Greatest”, “I’m a Flirt” and “Trapped in the Closet” commands Saturday’s stage.
The Men of Soul — Jeffrey Osborne, Peabo Bryson and Freddie Jackson — individually are outstanding in their own right — babies were made to their music, brides walked down the aisle to their music, and lovers have been brought together because of them. The quiet storm format on radio stations would be non-existent without their unforgettably timeless, chart-topping classic love songs. They will take to the stage on Saturday.
Osborne is known for hit solos “On the Wings of Love”, “Don’t You Get So Mad”, “Only Human” and crowd favorite “The Woo Woo Song” to name a few; while Bryson has given the world “Feel the Fire”, “Reaching for the Sky”, “I’m So into You”, and “Can You Stop the Rain”; Jackson dominated the R&B charts in the early 80s and 90s with music like “Rock With Me”, “Jam Tonight”, “You are My Lady” and “I Don’t Want to Lose Your Love”.
Contemporary jazz/R&B/funk artist Brian Culbertson brings to the stage on Sunday songs such as “Let’s Get Started”, “Skies Wide Open”, “Hookin’ Up”, “Sensuality” and ”Dreaming of You.”
But before any musical act takes to the stage, the festival weekend will officially kick off with the Women’s Impact Conference and Luncheon on Friday, March 20 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Miramar Cultural Center. The theme for the conference is “There’s no ‘S’ on my chest but a hero lives within”.
And the Friday night official pre-party will feature JIG staple, Doug E. Fresh, and will be hosted by Rickey Smiley.
Jazz In The Gardens
When: March 20-22
Where: SunLife Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Saturday, March 21 line-up (Doors open at 3 p.m.)
4 p.m. — Karina Iglesias (local artist)
4: 30 p.m — John Erinosho (local artist)
5 p.m. — Sheila E.
6:20 p.m. — Men of Soul (Jeffrey Osborne, Peabo Bryson and Freddie Jackson)
9 p.m. — Toni Braxton
10:30 p.m. — R. Kelly
Sunday, March 22 (Doors open at 3 p.m.)
4 p.m. — Valerie Tyson, local artist
4:35 p.m. — Jazz in the Gardens All Star Band (Roy Ayers on Vibes, Lonnie Liston Smith on keyboards, Ronnie Laws on sax and Tom Browne on trumpet)
5:55 p.m. Brian Culbertson
7: 10 p.m. — Run DMC
8:30 p.m. — Erykah Badu
10 p.m. — Maxwell
Co-hosts: D.L. Hughley and Rickey Smiley
Ticket prices:
Gold Ambassador: $1,110 (2) 2-day front row tickets; 2 VIP experience tickets for JITG pre-party with reserved seating; (2) 2-day wristbands for VIP restroom facilities; 1 parking pass for Saturday and Sunday; plus exclusive JITG merchandise inclusive of a one-of-a-kind JITG laminate and T-shirt.
Silver Ambassador: $1,009 (2) 2-day platinum tickets in Row 2 or Row 3; 2 tickets to the JITG pre-party; (2) 2-day wristbands for VIP restroom facilities; 1 parking pass for Saturday and Sunday plus exclusive JITG merchandise inclusive of a one-of-a-kind JITG laminate and T-shirt.
Platinum: 2-day advanced ticket purchase - $195, 2-day (day of show) purchase $215, 1-day advanced ticket purchase $120, 1-day (day of show) ticket purchase $140.
Prime: 2-day advanced ticket $135, 2-day (day of show purchase) $155, 1-day advanced ticket purchase $80, 1 day (day of show purchase) $92.
Reserved: 2-day advanced ticket $115, 2 day (day of show purchase) $135, 1-day advanced ticket $70, 1-day (day of show purchase) $82.
General admission: 2-day advanced ticket $85, 2-day (day of show purchase) $105, 1-day advanced ticket $55, 1 day (day of show purchase) $67.
Ten (10) percent discount available for groups of 20 or more in all sections, excluding Platinum.
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