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‘Mr Magic Fingers’ plays for St Joseph Church restoration

For one night only, Trinidad and Tobago’s beloved pianist Dr Louis Nurse will present ‘Rejuvenation—A Soca Jazz Concert’ at the Central Bank Auditorium in Port of Spain on June 22.

‘Rejuvenation’ is being hosted by Nurse in support of the St Joseph RC Church Restoration Project. Proceeds from the event will go towards the urgent repair of the church—a 200-year-old treasure situated in the nation’s first capital. As a born-and-bred member of the community whose family has resided there since the late 1800s, the popular pianist wasted no time in pledging his assistance to the cause.

Together with his band Louis & The Lynx, Nurse will perform a range of inspirational and contemporary music, including some of his own original compositions.

Jazz vocalist Jolene Romain—fresh from performances at last month’s Dominica Jazz ‘n Creole Festival—and Calypso entertainer Gerry Prudent & Frenz in Musik will also bring their unique style.

Fondly referred to as ‘Mr Magic Fingers’, Nurse is a stalwart of the local music circuit having established his band a little more than 40 years ago. In their heyday when the local dance music scene was flourishing, Louis & The Lynx gigged extensively at many of the well-patronised local nightspots and hotel lounges such as the Hilton Trinidad, Bel Air and the Holiday Inn (now known as the Radisson). Their popularity grew even more after the release of several memorable albums including ‘Just for You’, ‘From the Heart’ and ‘Dancing Moods All Year’.

When the band ceased performing as regularly as in previous years, Nurse continued to delight audiences with his solo piano-playing skills at various venues throughout the country.

Music lovers throughout the Caribbean, Canada and the United States were also privileged to experience Nurse’s undeniable prowess as an interpreter of classic and contemporary music, designed to put the listener in a relaxing mood.

Inspired by his enduring love for music and the desire to bring about positive change in the lives of others, Nurse committed his vast talent to tutoring young musicians in the rudiments of music theory.

To this end, he produced the first ever local distance learning television series titled Learning the Guitar with Louis and Learning the Steelpan which aired on both Channel 4 and Gayelle.

The current cadre of musicians forming Louis & The Lynx include master percussionist Tamba Gwindi, Sean Friday (bass), Claude Griffith (drums) and keyboardist/arranger Ajay St Louis. Nurse has also added a brass section for the Central Bank show, while Ian Gill doubles up as singing MC for the evening.

‘Rejuvenation—A Soca Jazz Concert’ featuring Dr Louis & The Lynx takes place on Saturday, June 22 at the Central Bank Auditorium. Showtime is at 8 p.m. Contribution: $200. For bookings and more information, call 730-2344. Secure parking will be available.