Six time grammy award winner Toni Braxton added to Saint Lucia jazz 2010 line-up

Wednesday, January 28, 2010 – With three months to go before the start of one of the world’s most legendary Jazz Festivals, the Saint Lucia Tourist Board is putting the finishing touches to what promises to be another exciting Event.

Jazz fans and music lovers the world over are coming to Saint Lucia to see first-hand, the performance of multi-platinum R&B recording artist and winner of six Grammy Awards, Toni Braxton. Braxton, who has had a successful recording career particularly in the 1990’s, topped the Billboard 200 with her 1993 self-titled debut album and continued that streak with her second studio album Secrets, which spawned the number-one smash hits "You're Makin' Me High" and "Un-Break My Heart". Braxton’s chart-topping third album, The Heat, was followed by albums More Than a Woman and Libra. She recently returned to the spotlight with "Yesterday", a #12 R&B hit which serves as the first single off her new album planned for March 2010. Braxton was also featured on Season 7 of the hit reality show ‘Dancing with the Stars’.

Minister for Tourism Allen Chastanet, who is very instrumental in creating this year’s exciting line-up, says that jazz patrons can look forward to truly memorable performances, particularly at the main stage venue. “The 2010 line-up isn’t just a group of artists that we put together for a show. We were very strategic and targeted this year because we wanted to ensure we appealed to a wider cross section of the visiting public.” Minister Chastanet added that “We can look out for some more announcements in the coming days and weeks as we are in the process of finalizing contracts for some other great names in the music industry.”

Aside from Jean Luc Ponty, Quito & the Edge, Steel Pulse, Shaggy, Maxi Priest, Hatian/American band Carimi, Foreigner and Earl Klugh, there is a fantastic bill of Saint Lucian-based artists including regular main stage performer Boo Hinkson, Monty Maxwell, Alison Marquis, Harvey Millar, Claudia Edward, Carl Gustave and Teddyson (TJ) John who created quite an impression last year when he performed alongside the likes of James Ingram, Jeffery Osbourne and Bebe Winans.

Newly appointed VP for Marketing and Sales at the Saint Lucia Tourist Board, Nerdin St. Rose, says she is quite enthusiastic about working with the team to execute this year’s Festival, having spearheaded similar Events around the world during her stint with BET. “This is a real opportunity for us at the Saint Lucia Tourist Board to assess the effectiveness of our Legends Campaign which started off last September with our Road Shows. We are not as limited as we have been in the past as it relates to airlift from outside of the Caribbean region so we anticipate an increase in visitors from the US and Canada, the UK and the rest of Europe for the Festival.” She did emphasize the fact that the SLTB has been working with its travel partners to provide incentives for regional travelers desirous of participating in Jazz 2010 on Saint Lucia. “Jazz has, and continues to attract many visitors from the French territories, and we plan to intensify our efforts in the coming months to ensure that these numbers continue to grow.”

Saint Lucia Jazz is the premier music festival in the region and is rated fifth in the World. The Festival, which has attracted some of the biggest names in the music industry, will mark its 19th anniversary this year. For more on Saint Lucia Jazz, visit www.stluciajazz.org, http://www.facebook.com/home.php?pages/Castries-St-Lucia/Saint-Lucia-Tourist-Board/109703760674?ref=ts and follow the Saint Lucia Tourist Board on www.twitter.com

Contact: Dainea Augier-Stevens

(758) 452-4094 OR (758) 716-0154

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