Victor Provost, Pat Worsham, Essiet O. Essiet, Peter Pollak, Wycliffe Gordon, Dion Parson and Carlton Holmes

The theme of the weekend was Jazz, the fourth installment of our wildly popular "In Conversation With…" event series where over 50 members, guests and staff joined in the festivities to discover the World and History of Jazz with Dion Parson and Special Guest Wycliffe Gordon.

The name this posting is family because of course we have learned about Jazz, its roots, its influences, its evolution, its greats, its instruments, but this weekend, the true theme that emerged is just that, FAMILY.

About a year or so ago, Peter Pollak and I talked about producing a Jazz weekend here on Ambergris Cay. Wycliffe was introduced to me as one of Peter's favorite people in the whole world and quite simply, "my brother." I have never seen Peter's face so bright as to when he and his "brother" were spending time together.

Wycliffe Gordon is quite simply one of the best Jazz musicians in the World. He comes from Georgia, and at a very young age was already making the trombone utter sweet nothings, so well in fact that he marched in the McDonald's National Marching Band for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade back in the mid 1980s. Wycliffe was just 17 when he met a lanky fresh from the Caribbean Dion Parson, another trombonist whose passion had furthered with the drums, these two newest cats in the Jazz scene had instantly formed a brotherly bond… fast forward 25 years and we welcome them to our Ambergris Cay family.

Turks & Caicos Sporting Club's "In Conversation With" fourth session was a solid gold hit. Friday night Neal Vohr, Club Manager, introduced Dion Parson's 21 Century Band with Special Guest Wycliffe Gordon to our family of members and staff here on Ambergris Cay, and from that point, toes haven't yet stopped tapping. Dion, Wycliffe and the rest of the band treated us to tunes we know by heart and ones we know we know, but can't remember the first time we heard them, as they are just engrained into our souls.

Late Saturday morning, we gathered at the Environmental Learning Center to uncover The History of Jazz, a survey and overview defining Jazz and how a mixture between Calypso, Soul, Rhythm and Blues, Soca, and a 55 gallon oil drum immediately reminds us that we are indeed in heaven: Caribbean sun shining, light breeze whisking by, rum punch being poured, and each and every member of the Ambergris Cay family smiling ear to ear.

We spent the morning listening to each individual instrument and their specific contribution to Jazz, understanding how adding a different tempo can transform the same Calypso or Soca notes into Jazz. We heard the Trombone utter each and every word of "Blueberry Hill" and even heard one of the many tales defining the origin of the Steelpan.

On Saturday night, the Ambergris Cay family joined again at Calico Jack Pavilion where Wycliffe, Dion, Essiet, Victor, and Carlton jammed until the wee hours of Sunday morning… no one could sit still, members, guests, and staffed danced, everyone sang along, the energy was incredible. This is yet another example of Turks & Caicos Sporting Club's family at its best…

My toes are still tapping, are yours?

-Mimi Crume