FOR YOUR GRAMMY® CONSIDERATION

BEST CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

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About The Album

Born to parents who immigrated to Canada from the Caribbean islands of Antigua and Saint Lucia, Joy and Larnell grew up in the metro Toronto area among extended families with rich musical heritages. This album celebrates Caribbean artistic ingenuity while unfolding as a musical love letter to family, friends and faith.

"Christmas comes with familiar preparations: stuffed stockings, ornamental trees and feasts to please the fussiest of palates. But for many Afro-Caribbean communities, that's just a start." The Caribbean Christmas Mixtape Vol. 1 captures this spirit with an imaginative set of reinvented classics.

The Music

The album transforms beloved Christmas carols into sophisticated popular music through Caribbean influences. From the opening "Soca Sleigh Ride" - blending soca, calypso and Trinidadian genre influences with playful pop sensibility - to "Silent Night" featuring the trio of Joy, Larnell and pianist Courtenay Frazer, each track offers a fresh perspective on familiar traditions.

Featured Tracks Include:

  • Soca Sleigh Ride (Music by Leroy Anderson)

  • Santa Clause is Comin' to Town (Written by J Fred Coots & Haven Gillespie)

  • Petit Papa Noël/Old Toy Trains (feat. Subria Lapps)

  • Edelweiss (feat. Subria Lapps & Justin Bacchus)

  • O Little Town of Bethlehem (Traditional)

  • Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

  • Little Drummer Boy (feat. Subria Lapps)

  • Carol of the Bells (Music by Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych)

  • Silent Night (Music by Franz Xaver Gruber)

The Artists

Joy Lapps - Steelpan artist and master's degree researcher specializing in the history and development of composition for steelpan in jazz. Joy's eventually recorded several albums exploring steelpan within Caribbean, sacred and popular music before earning her masters degree researching the history and development of composition for steelpan in Jazz.

Larnell Lewis - Grammy-winning drummer, educator and member of Snarky Puppy. Surrounded by multi-instrumentalists within his immediate and extended families, Larnell's life as a "stage baby" informed his empathic artistic sensibility through an education supplemented by a mosaic of styles and live performances.

Credits & Production

Core Team:

  • Joy Lapps - Steelpan, Tenor Steelpan, Vocals, Co-Producer

  • Larnell Lewis - Drums, Percussion, Auxiliary Keyboards, Synth Lead Solo, Co-Producer

Featured Musicians:

  • Michael "Skel" Redhead - Tenor Saxophone

  • Jan Morgan - Trumpet

  • Terry Woode - Trombone

  • Jeremy Ledbetter - Piano, Organ

  • Courtenay Frazer - Piano, Auxiliary Keyboard

  • Elmer Ferrer - Guitar

  • Rich Brown - Bass Guitar

  • Roshane Wright - Congas, Percussion

Special Guest Vocalists:

  • Subria Lapps

  • Justin Bacchus

Production Credits:

  • Mixed by John "Beetle" Bailey

  • Mastered by H-Jess at Hoomii Mastering

  • Recorded at Revolution Studios

  • Album Artwork: Jesse Ryan

  • Album Photography: Avital Zemer

Thank You

As artists, it's really easy to focus solely on the final polished body of work we are producing... We had such a wonderful time creating this. Not to say there have not been any hiccups, but we thank God, first and foremost. He is so good and has given us such a beautiful experience through this process, filled with beautiful people and many, many blessings.

Special thanks to parents Oral Lewis, Maureen Lewis, John Lapps, and Juliet Lapps, and to the community of elders who have poured into us over the years.