This work is based on the vibrant and colorful street performance/parade called Jonkonnu. This festival parade is popular in Jamaica (also throughout the Caribbean and the Americas) during the Christmas holiday season. The performances consist of dancers and musicians dressed in brightly coloured and sometimes elaborate (even grotesque) costumes and masks portraying several characters. These characters range from the mythical and superstitious, to those that represent the impact of colonization and of those who hold great power in our society today.

In Tell! Jonkonnu, Tell! I conjure the characters to life to tell their story personally. In the eyes of the composer, some of these characters were made to assume the role of a particular person or group of persons albeit not in the original lore. Some of these stories give insight on how the character's involvement in real life events help immortalize their place in the parade lineup; collectively soliciting social commentary, humour, intrigue, empathy and hope.