From soca roots to global rhythm

By the time Kees Dieffenthaller, better known simply as Kes, and his bandmates step onto the stage of Frederick P. Rose Hall this January, it won’t just be another concert. It’ll be a full-circle moment two decades in the making.

“Caribbean music has always been a voice of resilience, rhythm and unity and stages like Jazz at Lincoln Center give us the chance to share that unique voice with the world,” Kes said.

“Headlining Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Unity Jazz Festival is a dream come true for us. We feel so aligned in a bigger purpose.”

Set for January 8-9, the Unity Jazz Festival celebrates global connection and cross-cultural storytelling, anchored this year by the theme Mother Africa – a salute to the African roots of jazz and the diaspora rhythms that continue to shape it.

For KestheBand, celebrating their 20th anniversary on one of the world’s most iconic stages feels almost poetic.

“Headlining the Unity Jazz Festival feels like the perfect way to enter this chapter of our 21st year as musicians,” Kes said. “Jazz at Lincoln Center is a place where legacy and innovation stand side by side and that’s exactly the space where our band has always lived in. This opportunity to bring Caribbean soul, soca and calypso to one of the world’s most iconic jazz stages . . . it’s a dream that took over two decades to build. Now more than ever, we feel aligned with something bigger: a movement to show how Caribbean music continues to shape global sound.”

That sense of purpose runs deep in Kes’ reflections on the festival’s Mother Africa theme.

“Africa is in everything we as Caribbean people do, whether we consciously think about it or not. You hear it in the rhythm patterns, the percussion, the call-andresponse lyrics, the spiritual grounding of the music. Soca and calypso bridge the history, joy, resistance, community and creativity of the African diaspora.

“So when we take that Caribbean sound to a jazz stage under the theme of Mother Africa, it feels like coming full circle. It reconnects the roots with the branches.”

Stripped-down show The band’s Unity Jazz Festival performance will also mark a first: KestheBand’s debut stripped down show.

“This will be the most intimate version of KestheBand that fans will experience to date,” Kes told Weekend Buzz. “With everything stripped down, the melodies, the lyrics and the emotional core of the songs come forward in a new way. You’ll hear the Caribbean heartbeat in fluid conversation with jazz, giving the music space to breathe, to improvise, to let the groove stretch and reshape itself.”

Joining Kes onstage will be long-time collaborator and acclaimed Trinidadian trumpeter Etienne Charles, whose Afro-Caribbean jazz sound will infuse the performance with new energy.

“Etienne is family,” Kes said. “We’ve been creating and exploring together for almost a decade, and his musicianship carries the full weight of Afro-Caribbean wisdom, jazz mastery and Caribbean storytelling that I really appreciate as a music lover. Working with him on this Unity Jazz Festival set elevates the conversation we’ve been having for years about

identity, diaspora, culture and the brilliance of Caribbean musicianship.” With new singles such as Rum And Coca Cola and Carnival Friend slated for release in early 2026, Kes sees this performance as both a reflection and a rebirth. “It’s perfect timing. Revisiting and re-imagining our catalogue in such an intimate setting reminds us where we came from, while new music shows where we’re going next. This stage . . . this festival . . . feels like a bridge between those worlds. It honours 20 years of growth while opening the door to a future filled with new collaborations, new stories and new sounds.”

Bigger than the beat

When the lights dim and the first notes fill the House of Swing, Kes hopes the audience feels something much bigger than the beat.

“I hope the experience inspires people to leave with a deeper appreciation for how connected we all are. Caribbean music is built on unity: cultures blending, histories meeting, energies crossing borders. I hope the audience walks out feeling more connected to the music, to themselves and to each other. If people leave the House of Swing feeling that our story is part of their story too, then we’ve done what we came to do.”

As for his hopes for the year ahead? Kes keeps it grounded.

“For myself, I’m wishing for clarity and courage. To keep growing as an artiste, a storyteller, a dad, and a human being. For KestheBand, my wish is a guided purpose: that we stay aligned with the mission of uplifting our culture in the sacredness of our brotherhood, representing the Caribbean proudly everywhere we go, and connecting people around the world through music.” For more than three decades, Jazz at Lincoln Center has been a pillar of artistic expression, uniting musicians, fans, students and educators across cultures and perspectives. Unity Jazz Festival invites audiences to experience a carefully curated programme that fosters creative exchange and celebrates the dynamic future of jazz.

Unity Jazz Festival showcases an exciting line-up of more than 20 acclaimed acts and emerging artistes across five stages. In addition to entertainment celebrating the legacy of the legendary Eddie Palmieri, there will be a first-time Jazz at Lincoln Center performance by DJ Logic and sets featuring Tomeka Reid, Veronica Swift, Erena Terakubo, Gabriel Chakarji, Rajna Swaminathan.

Unity Festival proudly presents the first Jazz Legacies Fellowship Honours All-Star Concert, spotlighting over 17 masters of the music: Valerie Capers, Amina Claudine Myers, George Coleman, Akua Dixon, Tom Harrell, Billy Hart, Bertha Hope, Roger Humphries, Carmen Lundy, Roscoe Mitchell, Johnny O’Neal, Shannon Powell, Julian Priester, Herlin Riley, Michele Rosewoman, Dom Slavador and Reggie Workman. (NS)

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