Bahamian trumpeter Giveton Gelin is celebrating Bahamas Independence Day with the release of his sophomore album, ISLAND DREAMER: III OF III, a 17-track jazz project that blends Caribbean heritage, personal history and the traditions of modern jazz.
Released July 10 through Island Dreamer Records, the album features five-time Grammy Award winner Jon Batiste, along with voice-note appearances from some of Gelin’s most influential mentors, including the late Roy Hargrove and jazz legend Wynton Marsalis.
For Gelin, the project is about more than jazz. ISLAND DREAMER: III OF III explores resilience, loss, identity and the emotional experiences that connect people regardless of where they come from.
“ISLAND DREAMER is not just for jazz lovers, nor is it only for those from the Caribbean—it is for everyone willing to open themselves to a story that speaks to adversity and the act of overcoming it,” Gelin said.
The album includes several tracks that draw directly from Gelin’s Caribbean background and personal experiences.
“I SOLEMNLY SWEAR TO LIVE,” featuring Batiste on piano, is described as a meditation on perseverance and the determination to live a meaningful life. Another standout, “WHEN YOU CRY I CRY,” reimagines the 2005 song “Footprints (When You Cry)” by Kingston dancehall group T.O.K. The track explores grief and the loss of a mother’s son while adding Gelin’s jazz interpretation to the story.
“BLUE HOLE” pays tribute to the Bahamas’ famous underwater sinkholes, using trumpet and layered percussion to evoke the sensation of descending beneath the ocean.
Gelin also puts his own instrumental spin on Rihanna’s “Take a Bow,” a track connected to his broader Caribbean identity. The arrangement has become one of his signature live show closers.
The album is part of a larger Island Dreamer project that will culminate in a limited-edition five-piece vinyl box set, ISLAND DREAMER ALBUM TRILOGY, scheduled for release this fall.
Gelin has also released ISLAND DREAMER SONGBOOK I, a 145-page companion book available on Amazon. The book includes personal photographs, composition notes and sheet music for 31 songs featured in the forthcoming vinyl collection, offering fans a deeper look into his creative journey.
The project is also connected to Gelin’s commitment to supporting young artists in the Bahamas. He raised $176,000 through the sale of two exclusive early versions of the box set to an anonymous buyer. The funds helped cover production costs while also supporting the Island Dreamer Academy, his arts mentorship program for Bahamian youth.
Gelin began playing music at age five in his father’s church and picked up the trumpet at 10. A Juilliard-trained Bahamian-Haitian musician, he released his debut album, True Design, in 2020 and later appeared on Jon Batiste’s Grammy-winning album We Are.
With ISLAND DREAMER: III OF III, Gelin continues to connect his Caribbean roots with the expansive language of jazz — while turning his personal journey into music intended to reach far beyond the genre.