Peter White And Other Smooth Jazzers Going To Gitmo

Over the past year, the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba – also known as Gitmo – has been in the news due to alleged abuses at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center. More than 500 foreign military prisoners from the war on terror are detained at the Detention Center’s Camp Delta.

This Labor Day, however, the mood at the base will be lightened during the third annual Guantanamo Bay Jazz Festival. Scheduled to perform are guitarist Peter White, pianist Alex Bugnon, saxophonist Paul Taylor and the Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman. White and the Rippingtons also performed at last year’s event.

More than 6,000 people representing all five of the armed forces – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard – will be on hand. Smooth Jazz has a history at the base. It was back in 1997 that Spyro Gyra made the trip as they performed for the troops following singer Sheryl Crow.