Etienne Charles comes from a long line of musicians, starting with his great-grandfather, a folk musician who emigrated to Trinidad from Martinique. Receiving his first trumpet at the age of ten, Charles led a successful academic young life, until finally pursuing musical studies at the Berklee College of Music and Julliard School of Music. In 2006, he began to immerse himself in NYC's jazz scene, multiplying collaborations with renowned artists, namely his ex-teacher Marcus Roberts, as well as Wynton Marsalis, Maria Schneider and David Rudder. The same year, the trumpeter released Culture Shock, a debut solo album blending jazz and Afro-Caribbean music, followed by Folklore in 2009, an album of traditional standards from Trinidad.