Thursday, February 22, 2007

The Caribbean Scene


ST. VINCENT PREPARES FOR BLUES AND RHYTHMS FESTIVAL

NEW YORK (February 21, 2007) – St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean is ready again to play host to the annual Blues and Rhythms Festival which is currently being promoted on the BET J television network.

Glen Beache, Minister of Tourism, Youth and Sports, said the March 9-10 festival coincides with ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 warm-up matches and will be held at a new location, the Emerald Valley Resort in St. Vincent. "We are very happy with the progress being made and we are looking forward to a successful festival this year," said Minister Beache, praising the partnership with BET J.

Confirmed for the festival are legendary GRAMMY Award-winning recording artiste, Stephanie Mills; French Caribbean zouk sensation Kassav; "The Blues Queen of New Orleans" Marva Wright; saxophonist Arturo Tappin from Barbados; Ella Andell from Trinidad & Tobago. Local musicians Bomani, Skarpyon, Digicel Rising Star Kyron Baptiste, steel pan player Ashley Kirby, and the Tropicana II and Akcess bands will also perform.

In addition to a thorough marketing campaign, BET J developed a 30 minute preview show promoting the Blues and Rhythms Festival using a Caribbean-based production team and St. Lucian host Portia Mogal.

The preview show is currently in rotation on BET J's "Island Lime" format on Saturdays, along with a 30 second commercial. The final BET J airdate is this Saturday February 24 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. (Eastern time). The show aired earlier on BET.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a destination made up of 32 magical islands and cays, each with its own special character and flavor. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a delightful place, small enough to offer the visitor intimacy, but big enough to provide fascination for a prolonged visit.

For further information about the festival, contact the Ministry of Tourism, Youth & Sports at + 1 784 457-1502 or E-mail: tourism@caribsurf.com.

ABOUT BET J

BET J is the flagship channel of BET Digital Networks, a subsidiary of BET Networks and Viacom, Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B). Born from the historic BET Jazz Channel, BET J is a music, entertainment, lifestyle and multicultural hybrid that melds classic and contemporary jazz with vintage soul, classic R&B, festive Caribbean and today's Neo-Soul. Wrapped around its musical play list is an adult-targeted menu of short films, celebrity interviews, reality, pop culture, nostalgic retrospectives and engaging conversation. BET J reaches 26 million subscribers in the United States and Caribbean through DirecTV and select markets served by Cablevision, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Comcast and Time Warner Cable.


Contact: Bevan Springer + 1 201 861-2056
http://us.f519.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=bevanspringer@nj.rr.com



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