This Trinidad-born trumpet star claims “jazz is Creole music.” His performances incorporate the songs and rituals of the Caribbean carnival that influenced him to pursue music: danceable, percussive and with captivating melodic lines. Charles is a Guggenheim Fellow and a 2022 Creative Capital Awardee. He is a recipient of a Lincoln Center Millennial Swing Award, a Caribbean Heritage Trailblazer Award and a CMA New Works Grant. Charles has released ten highly acclaimed albums as a leader; his most recent, Creole Orchestra, features vocalist René Marie. Charles has performed/recorded with luminaries including Wynton Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, Monty Alexander, Maria Schneider, the Count Basie Orchestra and Roberta Flack. He is a dedicated educator and professor at the Frost School of Music. In his compositions, Charles investigates the real-life connections between music and ritual. In a promo video for his San Jose Suite, he explains this naturally inspiring fusion: “We went to not only be with the people, but to partake in their rituals; to learn about why the rituals happen so that we know why things are in the music… Then we can use that music with knowledge and respect to the ritual and the traditions, and make the music lively.”