Augustin "Jab" Duplessis began his career in music at the age of 15 when he joined the Royal St. Lucia Police Band as a junior bandsman. His first instrument was the clarinet but later he developed a love for the saxophone. Jab has performed with almost every group on the island of Saint Lucia as well as the West Indies Jazz Band, which toured Europe and the Caribbean over a period of three years. After this, he formed his own group, "Third Eye." Jab has studied at a number of master classes with renowned musicians such as Bobby Watson from the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz and Bob Berg and the Wynton Marsalis Band. In 2002 Jab produced a music video featuring an original piece from the band's first CD, "Awakening" entitled "Ojisten" which is the Creole form of his name "Augustin."
In 2003, Third Eye performed at the 12th Annual Saint Lucia Jazz. The group has performed with other well-known musicians such as the Bernard Brothers, Four Play, and Earth Wind and Fire.
Today Jab uses his imaginative arrangements in fusing Caribbean and traditional jazz together. He has earned the reputation of being one of the most talented musicians in the Caribbean, rivalled only by his mentor, Luther Francois. Jab is currently working on his next album of songs and the Jazz/Caribbean community cannot wait to hear what comes next.
