Born and raised in St. Maarten, this exceptional Sax player wasn’t always as easy going as he is today. A challenge for his mom at an early age, she introduced him to music as a means to keep him busy and out of trouble. He took to it like a fish in water and by the age of 14 was already playing in bands with some of St. Maarten’s leading musicians.
Wanting to take his music to a higher level he choose to attend Berklee College of Music after high school which further opened up a whole new world of musical experiences, enhancing what he had already been taught. While there, Connis learned drum programming, engineering and experimented with various instruments such as the piano, bass guitar, and the flute, but his first love remained the Saxophone. His inspirations were artists like Grover Washington, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and David Sanborn to name just a few.
After graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Professional Music he went on to work in programming and engineering at various studios, including Gloria Estefan’s studio Crescent Moon in Miami. Additionally he went on tour with Patra, the Dancehall Queen, for a year where he traveled throughout America, Suriname and Belize.
His musical talents recently led him home, where he opened up his own recording studio Lil’ Man Studio and the Jingle House. While in St. Maarten he has worked with many local artists in efforts to give back to his local community. His talent for producing jingles has also led to his working with many companies here and abroad.
Connis has also started his own band Blues Inc. and you can catch him every Tuesday night at Pineapple Pete’s in Simpson Bay. Also playing in Anguilla every Sunday, you can find Connis and other local artists at Johnno’s Beach Stop with Johnno’s Jazz Ensemble. Having opened for various international recording artists such as Spyro Gyra at SummerFest 2005 and the Tranquility Jazz Festival in 2004 for three years running, Connis also has a soon to be released video coming up on MTV’s Tempo channel.
Through all his experiences he remains humble and is mostly proud of his involvement with the volunteer work he has done in the community, providing free music workshops at various Elementary and Secondary schools. “Anything I can do to awaken or enhance young people’s passion for music I am more than happy to do,†Connis says. “Music is what saved me.â€
Myspace Layouts - Myspace Editor - Image Hosting
