The rain fell, but not the Mountains: @Jimi's Jam

The weathervforecast had proffered a 20% chance of showers, which merely made it inevitable when the heavens did actually open up.

But, thwarted meteorologists aside, the lingering downpour had no I'll effects on the small but enthusiastic group that converged on the Asante Adonai property in the St Ann hills on Sunday. What could possiblyprove such powerful draw? Jimi Hendrix, or more specifically, the remembrance thereof. On ten occasion of the 69th anniversary of the birth of the legendary guitarist, broadcaster, psychologist (and owner of the sprawling hillside estate) and lifelong Hendrix devotee Leachim hosted the official inaugural Hendrix Tribute, dubbed "Jimi's Jam".

The event was conceived to have three main elements: cinematic, dubbed Fillmore Tropical (after the famed Fillmore West and East Theatres where he famously performed; Hendrix on Wax ( as well as CD and digital turntable); and Hendrix Live. Although the rain put paid to the outdoor cinema, the other two elements came together to excellent effect.

The selector duties were lArgely split between the host and dj Afifa who through her Sounds of Life outfit, turned a fiitingly eclectic set of Hendrix originals, tunes from artistes influenced by Hendrix and Hendrix covers - the latter notably including Angelique Kidjo's smoking' rendition of "Voodoo Chile" and - most indelible of all to this writer - The Cure's take on "Purple Haze".

The live segment overcame the much delayed arrival of drummer Akil Karram to prove a welcome finish tothe event. Guitarists Maurice Gordon and Omar Francis cranked up at a moderate pace with "Hey Joe", bassist Shurwayne Thompson adapting speedily to what was unfamiliar material. With the previously lost-in-transit Karram scurrying onto the stage, the vibe quickly belled and the thusly formed quartet stretched out with aplomb on a dub-tinged "Machine Gun" as the rain subsided. More similar explorations followed and on the closer " Little Wing" Karram ceded the drum chair to the previously unheralded but undoubtedly talented Shane Campbell.

Apart from the musical appetite, patrons' cravings for sustenance were sated by organic fare from "Stoosh in de Bush" which included Cilantro-pumpkin soup, homemade bread and a delectable egg-less, flour-less chocolate cake. Artist Richard Von White also had his unique mixed media reproductions on display.

Altogether a great jump-off in tribute to the man who famously said, "fall mountains, just don't fall on me." The mountains held up, and the forecast for the future of this event looks bright.

Altogether, a memorable jump-off for the man who famously claimed "fall mountains, jut don'

The Boys Deserve Better

Some shows succeed in spite of themselves, while other, with the best of intentions, simply don't make the mark.

In that latter category file the Rotary Club 'Let's Do It For The Alpha Boys which unfolded on Saturday night (into the wee hours of Sunday morning) at th cavernous National Indoor Sports Centre.

The Alpha Boys School is as deserving of a tribute show as any institution in Jamaica - arguably the hemisphere - and the notion of combining jazz/big band showcase with a reggae/dancehall showcase must seemed a great idea to the organizers.  The outcome however, was largely a  case of reach exceeding grasp.

It started auspiciously with the Jamaica Military Band striking up the National Anthem and proceeding to spin out a mix of contemporary numbers. Thereafter, interspersed with video vignettes of legendary Alpha Boys  School alumni, the sparse crowd was treated to various iterations of Alpha bands - an Alumni group, the Omega element (opposite of Alpha) and a clutch of the current boys. Longtime Alpha Boys' Band director Sparrow Martin, nattily decked out in a dark suit and robin-red hat, figured prominently in these segments. The Alumni started off tentatively but gathered steam remarkably zipping through standards like "Satin Doll" and pop hits like Otis Redding/Aretha Franklin's "Respect" with notable gusto.

But the audience seemed largely unmoved throughout the demonstration and the first discernible rise came from the 50/50 band, who with noted psychologist Aggrey Irons as toast master, did a good job reminding the audience of the word, sound and power of another great Jamaican: Petr Tosh. "African" was followed by "Buckingham Palace" which, with its message of defiant marijuana consumption was a neat bookend to the Damian Marley hit "Welcome To Jamrock" (and Ini Kamoze's "Worl A Reggae Music" which it samples)

Dubtonic Kru, which is in preparation for its Summer "Victory Tour" gave a workman-like performance that justified its selection as the World's Best new Band in Malaysia earlier this year.

LUST  - sans Singing Melody - provided the first real sparks at the mid-point, delivering their known hits to the delight  of the audience, which by this time had gathered a measure of coherence and heft, but only because some of those in the rafters had accepted the off to come and populate the sea of white seats in the centre floor. They also made a neat reference to the "Rapture craze" by taking the audience to church with a medley of gospel favourites.

This writer left to the strains of D'Angel with the dancehall heavy hitters still to come.

The Indoor Sports Centre's acoustics are notoriously unfriendly to bands. The emcees Jodian Gray, Drew Lawence and Denise 'Ises' Miller performed creditably (although some more links could have been made to the video tributes). The Hospitality area in the foyer was barely up to par (but the Grace Foods brand manager as exemplary in pouring the selection of wines on hand), and despite stage designer Bert Rose's appealing tributary touches in the foyer (and outside) the show area was as stark and unattractive as a moonscape.

Wiser options might have meant a more intimate venue with better opportunites for presentation, or even a multi-venue roadshow over a prescribed period during which donations could be solicited and the message of Alpha's integral role spread more deeply and effectively.    At $4000 a pop, it was always going to be a tall order to fill the Arean in these times for a cuase, which while obviously worthy, has way less resonance to John Q Public today.

One has to think that both the legends of the past and the current students deserve better.

"Birthday Girls" get special treat at Quad

Its a Lotto picker's dream rake.

Three talented young ladies, singers all, and born literally within two days of each other. In fact, singers, Dasea, Chanti-I, and Yasmine celebrate their May birthdays on the 1st, 3rd and 5th respectively.: 1-3-5.

And, th the Quad nightclub in New Kingston this past week they, and a sizeable audience got a stirring birthday treat in the persons of Tony Rebel and Tarrus Riley, who dropped in on the cabaret presentation and combined for a scintillating night of impromptu entertainment. The "Rebel" and "Singy-singy" vibrantly ran through now familiar "tune-for-tune tag team" act, trading excerpts of well-known hits by a range of artists.

The audience, which included notables such as comedians Blacka Ellis and Ity  and Fancy Cat, could not get enough, and kept the two crooners - who came on at closing time - in the club well into the night. Not to be outdone, the three singing ladies also shone brightly, whether individually, in combination, or with the support of a raft of musicians. It was - in terms of personnel - one of, if not the biggest shows in he history of  the long-running, high-quality live entertainment series.

Live Jammin' at Christopher's as the series has become known, is presented by Mo' Muzyk Pros and happens at the Quad on Tuesday and Thursday nights each week, beginning at 7:30pm

 
 

ROOTZ UNDERGROUND RETURN TO RED BONES

International reggae band Rootz Underground, fresh off a multi-city tour of Europe, will play Red Bones the Blues Cafe in Kingston on Friday night (April 8).

The six-man aggregation last played the venue in December of 2010. Since that time, they have been busy fulfilling tour dates and also recording new material, even as they continue to push their sophomore full-length album, “Gravity.”

“We’ve been a away for a good while and we ready now to give our fans in Kingston, and especially at Red Bones, a taste of what’s been happening with Rootz Underground over the last few months,” says lead singer Steve “Lightnin’” Newland. “We always have a great vibe  there and this time will be no different.

The band has also remained active on the social front,  starting promoting its Rootz ReLeaf initiative, by which its fans around the globe are encouraged to plant trees in their neighbourhood and document that tree planting by photo, those items then being placed on the band’s website.

The European tour took Rootz Underground through Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany and France, the latter country including a performance at Paris’ renowned Zenith Music Hall, a venue which has also hosted the likes of Alpha Blondy and Canadian rockers The Arcade Fire.   By month’s end, Rootz Underground will be heading to the southern Us state of Louisiana for the annual Festival de Louisiane, and will be hitting other events and venues in the southern and western US prior to and expected summer return across the Atlantic for more European dates.

Infinity: Next Up

Infinity (born Daniel Edwards) set another stone in his bid to be THE next international artiste out of Jamaica, with a suitably varied and scintillating set at Kingston's Red Bones the Blues Bar recently.

Ably supported by vocalist Thamar, guitarist samuele Vivian, keyboardist Joshua Jones, percussionist Ouida Lewis,  The list, eclectic from the start, was even more so in the second set, which featured an appearance from "Mr. Get It" Bryan Art. The set included originals like  Seeds of Glory, the hot new single, "Save Me", Eyes of One" the playfully boasting "Ratings" and the haunting "So Many". Look to hear much more from this focussed yet unassuming musician over the coming weeks and months. 

To Leo, Da Victory...singer Conquers Quad

"I planned to leave long time, but you hold me"

That was just one of the endorsements that rang out at Kingston nite spot the Quad (now in a transition phase) following a sometime impromptu yet always engaging set from singer Leonardo McFarlane(full name Leonardo Carmichael McFarlane), more than ably supported by Pon Fyah (Ozou'ne, Chris and Damion on keys, drum and bass respectively).

The affable crooner, who until recently had been in the Triangle area of North Carolina, told the audience he wanted to comemmorate Black History, but having not been present for the month, gave a "lifetime's worth of classic reggae, soul and r&b tunes, done in a variety of styles by the ever-inventive band.

The crowd refused to let him go, and the impression was so distinct that the artiste earned himself a return engagement come Thursday night, along with the likes of veteran Ossie D.

Victory for Music @ the Pegasus

whether you want to call it "big people tings" or " the mature alternative" there were no cliches necessary: it was just good music at the Pegasus Gardens as the Victory Christian academy had the likes of Dwight Pinkney, Della Manley, Seretse Small, Keith Lyn, Alex Martin-Blanken and Christine Fisher and Boris Gardener, to a moderate but enthusiastic crowd on Sunday night.

Blues, Ripe for the Pickin @ Red Bones

Gawaine Campbell (top left) is a more than proficient student of the blues idiom as laid down by Stevie Ray Vaughn, B B King, Luther Allison and more. In the company of Fitzroy Bennett, Jerome Wiles and Ruel Miller at Red Bones on Friday night, he delivered a rousing, if slightly uneven set of blues standards that included a rollicking "Rock Me Baby" and a magisterial "Texas Flood" that ideally should have closed out the first set, but was sadly followed by a neo-soulish  reading of "Ain't NoSunshine".

No matter. Just to see Campbell's atmospheric flights of fancy and hear his intense love for the music, whilst his bandmates strived to match, as reward enough. The mangoes on the tress skirting the Red Bones stage may need some more time, but as a bluesman - thus trodding a lonely road in Jamaica - Gawaine Campbell is maturing very nicely.

Highlights of UWI 12th Annual SALISES Conference

The Sound of Jamaican Music: Social & Economic Research Conference

Having sat through varied presentations and a keynote address from Bank of Jamaica Governor Bryan Wynter, the audience at the opening of the UWI Social and Economic Sciences Conferenee wee in the mood for  some levity and, courtesy of legendary music man Ibo Cooper and some choice musical cohorts, they got even more than that. In the space of about an hour, the attendees (from various countries) were taken on a trip traversing the spectrum of Jamaican popular music, starting with mento and coming right through the advent of Bob Marley to the present dancehall daze. The presentation was well received and the compliments were still flowing the band's way well into the post-session cocktail hour. when "musicology" and sociology meet, everybody wins, or as Bob famously said, "one good thing about music, when it hits, you feel no pain."

Praising the "Son" in the "Sun"

we arrived at the expansive acreage of the UWI Mona Bowl (after a walk that could possibly have taken us halfway back to Liguanea) to find activities for 2011Best Dressed  Fun in the Son well underway. We left with the strains of Papa San (and the crowd's cheers) accompanying us all the way to the main exit gate, and with folks still coming in to catch the last act, US star, Tye Tribbett. In between, this is some of what we saw.

More Dub Inc

The language barrier was well and truly shattered at Wyndham's Jonkanoo Lounge on Friday night during th Plug n' Play session. French band Dub Inc brought the house down with their tight instrumentation, great energy and overwhelming vibes

Alpha Dub:France's Dub Inc takes in the cradle of J'can music

The very name conjures up all kinds of heady associations for music lovers: The Skatalites, Don Drummond, Lenny Hibbert, Roland Alphanso, Johnny "Dizzy" Moore, Eddie  'Tan Tan' Thornton, Rico Rodriguez.

All alumni of the famed Alpha Boys School, and the South Camp Road institution has for many years attracted musical wanderers hooked by the Jamaican sound. The latest are France's Dub Inc,  representing the international tapestry of drum n' bass since 1997. The members of the band swung by during their Jamaican "lay-over" - during which they've recorded with the likes of Capleton and were featured at the Friday live series "Plug n' Play" at the Wyndham's Jonkanoo Lounge.

But on Friday afternoon, it was all about honouring the roots and the fruits. Gudied by Director, Sister Rosie Chung, the Frenchmen saw an alpha in transition and git the cherished opportunity to hear the future greats via an impromptu 'mini-concert' that included renditions of "Slide Mongoose" and "Linstead Market" as well as a ska classic like 'Java" and the Bob Marley anthem "One Love"

Interaction complete, they also presented the school with some much-needed instrumental gifts, and then it was back to their accommodations to prepare for the scintillating Plug and Play set later that night (into the wee hours of Saturday).

With Dub Inc's Alpha swing, another thread has been woven into the expanding global quilt that is the Jamaican music experience. There's more to come.    

Beauties & the Beats: Denver & the Family @ Red Bones

It was all about the music, but yet, there was more to enjoy than just the mere musicianship.

Its been a while since this writer saw an eight-piece percussion set, rarer still to see them all miked as they were fro percussion maestro-bandleader Denver Smith at Red Bones in Kingston last night. Supported by an extremely fluid bunch of players (the drum chair especially; all were brilliant) and a very fetching trio of back-up vocalists, he offered Latin, rock, roots reggae and straight African rhythms to an appreciative crowd, with some familiar covers and some sterling originals that deserve a wider audience (Reggae Sumfest bookers: take note!) Chevaugh Clayton of C-Sharp (above) joined in for an impromptu session reeling off NAt King Cole and Sam Cooke chestnuts to the delight of the crowd.

ROOTS REGGAE STILL A GLOBAL SOUND

Persistent negative press involving Jamaican artistes over recent months has not been sufficient to dampen the appetite of international aficionados of  reggae music, with many acts enjoying a welcome presence at festivals and stand-alone tours across the globe.

In California, long a welcome territory for roots reggae artistes, two of the biggest nad long-established reggae events recently hosted a large contingent of veterans including Half Pint, Bunny Wailer, Israel Vibration, Marcia Griffiths and more. Even relative newcomer I-Octane, who has exploded in popularity over the last year, was included in the lineup for the 30^th Annual Raggamuffins Reggae Festival held in the southern California cities of Long Beach and San Diego.

Across the Pacific Ocean, in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, Dubtonic Kru, themselves road-tested vets in their own right, bested 16 other bands from as far afield as Brazil and the Ukraine to win the Global Battle of the Bands. The win puts the Jamaican sound squarely in front of a huge south-east Asian audience that stretches as far as China and India, and which also will reverberate – via a tour and promotional package – across Europe later this year.

And speaking of Europe, Rootz Underground have for the last couple of weeks been on a western and central European swing with multiple stops in countries such as Germany, France , the Czech Republic and Poland. On returning from across the Atlantic, the group will head to the Gulf of Mexico, to Lafayette, Louisiana, to be exact, where they will  make a return appearance at the International Festival de Louisiane in April, before heading west to the Houston iFest.

April also marks the return of the London Ska Festival, which will run April 21-24 in the UK capital. The festival is expected to draw participants from 37 countries, including Jamaican legends such as Ansel “Double Barrel” Collins (who will be reunited with Dave Barker), Ken Boother, Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths, as well as English stars like The Specials, The Beat (also known as The English Beat) and James Hunter, once described by Van Morrison as “one of the best voices in British r&b and soul.”