Now Reading: Stevie Wonder Joins KesTheBand Onstage at DC JazzFest
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Stevie Wonder Joins KesTheBand Onstage at DC JazzFest
KesTheBand delivered a standout moment for Caribbean music during DC JazzFest when Stevie Wonder made a surprise appearance with the Trinidad and Tobago group.
The legendary musician joined the band onstage at The Wharf in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Sept. 5. KesTheBand was performing as part of the festival’s Labor Day weekend programme.
The unexpected collaboration brought soca and one of popular music’s most celebrated artists together on the same stage.
Stevie Wonder Meets Soca
During the performance, Wonder and KesTheBand combined two well-known songs from their respective catalogues.
The musicians performed a mashup featuring Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You” and KesTheBand’s soca hit “Savannah Grass.”
The moment drew an enthusiastic response from the crowd. It also marked another significant international appearance for frontman Kees Dieffenthaller and the band.
Following the performance, Dieffenthaller reflected on the experience on social media. He shared that Wonder’s music had been part of his life since childhood.
From Brooklyn to Washington
The Washington performance came one night after KesTheBand took the stage at Soca Fest in New York.
Held at the Brooklyn Museum, the Friday night event brought thousands of Caribbean music fans together.
Flags representing Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Guyana and other Caribbean nations filled the crowd. The celebration also attracted several generations of soca fans.
New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani introduced KesTheBand during the event.
Mamdani spoke about New York City’s Caribbean community and its contribution to the city’s cultural identity.
The appearance added to a weekend that placed Caribbean music and culture before large and diverse audiences.
A Major Weekend for Caribbean Music
KesTheBand’s performances in Brooklyn and Washington demonstrated soca’s growing reach outside its traditional spaces.
The weekend also continued with another major moment for Dieffenthaller.
He was selected as an honorary grand marshal for the 59th Annual New York Caribbean Carnival Parade. Reggae star Buju Banton was also named an honorary grand marshal.
The annual celebration, presented by the West Indian American Carnival Day Association, brings Caribbean culture to Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway.
Kes Continues Taking Soca Global
KesTheBand has built an international following by taking a genre-crossing approach to Caribbean music.
The group combines soca with elements of calypso, reggae, R&B and pop. That sound has helped bring Trinidad and Tobago’s music to audiences around the world.
However, sharing the DC JazzFest stage with Stevie Wonder added a remarkable chapter to the band’s international journey.
Within one weekend, KesTheBand performed before a sea of Caribbean flags in Brooklyn and alongside a global music legend in Washington.
The two appearances offered another sign of soca’s expanding presence and Caribbean music’s growing visibility on international stages.
Further reading
Explore more: ENTERTAINMENT · Caribbean Music · Caribbean Festivals & Carnival.
