Enjoy this Lincoln Center Sidewalk Session featuring jazz musician Etienne Charles and his band Creole Soul, with drummer Quentin E. Baxter. The ensemble performs “Watch Night I & II” from Charles’ Gullah Roots album, which is inspired by the Gullah Geechee music and traditions in South Carolina and Georgia.

As Black southerners moved northward in the Great Migration, Gullah Geechee music and traditions spread to other cities and neighborhoods, including New York City and San Juan Hill—influencing and blending with the music of other cultures. This cross-pollination of the music and culture of diverse communities laid the foundation for much of the musical innovation that happened in San Juan Hill the first half of the 20^th century.

This Sidewalk Session was recorded as a prelude to the Legacies of San Juan Hill Festival in October 2025, which featured Etienne Charles's San Juan Hill: A New York Story, an evening-length exploration of San Juan Hill's diverse musical history, performed by Charles, Creole Soul, and the Frost Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Gerard Schwarz.

Musicians
Etienne Charles, Trumpet & Vocals
Axel Tosca, Piano & Vocals
Godwin Louis, Saxophone & Vocals
Alex Wintz, Guitar
Russell Hall, Bass
Harvel Nakundi, Drums
Quentin E. Baxter, Percussion

This performance and interview were filmed at the Kenneth C. Griffin Sidewalk Studio in David Geffen Hall on October 23rd, 2025.