YahMan! DJ Naaman Goes Deep

Much has been made - rightly so - about the exploits of Chronixx, Kabaka, Protoje and the other young Jamaican reggae revivialists.

But at the risk of hyperbole, its very probable that reggae's next "saviour" just might come from a point further east. From the[ coast of Dieppe, France, singjay Naaman (given name: Martin Mussard) has emerged from the fully equipped with the lyrical flow, mental dedication and emotional resonance to confidently add his name to the upper echelons of  reggae's brightest stars.

French singjay Naaman (right) greets the writer

It was the heavy rhythms and engaging messages of reggae's legends (Marley included) that first hooked the young singer, the raggamuffin styles of the likes of Capleton, Sizzla and Lutan Fyah coming shortly thereafter as he devoured all the Jamaican music product available. It wasn't long before he had formed a sound system with some other enterprising locals.

In 2012, following the equally inevitable mixtape, (featured track: Skanking Shoes")the sing jay made a big French tour with more than 70 dates making and meeting numerous new fans. He also created a buzz on the web, scoring over 600 000 views in the space of a year!

Those milestones were enough to earn him the title of Revelation of 2013 by the Reggae Victories (Reggae.fr / France), but still a trip to the source of the music beckoned. he fulfilled that marker on the musical totem pole last year, describing the feeling of touching down on Jamaican soil as "awesome and incredible". But now Naaman is armed with a full-length  follow-up to the previous compilation, this time titled Deep Rockers Back A Yard!

Naaman and his team successfully enlisted the contributions of drumming maestro Sly Dunbar and guitar ace Dalton Browne on this recording, with the process also being overseen on the production side by Sam Clayton and Stephen Stewart, the latte also doubling on keyboards. The recording took place at the famed Harry J Studios in Kingston - under the shadow of the Long Mountain range. The geographical reference is important, Stewart says, as the album is part of a long-term collaboration between French outfit Soul Beats, and Warieka Music (named for the eastern part of the Long Mountain range. The label, he adds is all about returning to a holistic approach of developing artistes of international quality wherever they hail form and working intently with them to  put out and promote top-notch recordings of substance.
Standout tracks on the immediately engaging disc include The House Of Love" and "Rebel For Life" featuring Cutty Ranks, and the lilting acoustic closer, "One Day" which in fact recorded in the DJ's home district of Normandie with his original band.

Naâman says positivity and life are his priority and his boyish ease in conversation lends credence to that statement. He is typically effusive about the vibe that greets him here in Jamaica, and having checked the "recording box" he would next like to add a Jamaican live performance to his musical bucket list. 'Though I haven't been to every country, Jamaica so far is the perfect place for music. I really feel special when I come here and it helped me in putting my truth and my authentic vibes out to the public through this record. If I don't live it, I don't sing it."
A line well worth remembering as Naaman stakes his claim to reggae pre-eminence

Dennis Rushton Group @ Regency bar & Lounge....Serious Musical Fun

its a most rewarding scene for an audience, whether composed of aficionados or musical neophytes, to hear musicians who not only have ability, but are clearly enjoying themselves.

Such was the scene last Thursday evening at the tony Regency bar & lounge, the Terra Nova's category-defining upgrade of its former El Dorado Room. Dennis Rushton on piano, Paul Madden on bass, Obed Davis on drums and Ian Hird on alto sax and flute treated a very receptive gathering to a night of rumbling resonance, sharp stick work, sonorous keyboard runs and plangent horns.

No surprises on the set list, of course. Starting with the Joe Zawinul-Cannonball Adderly classic Mercy Mercy Mercy and encompassing Nat King Cole's "L-O-v-E" Spyro Gyra's "morning Dancer" and "Blue Monk" among others. It is part of the commercial aspirations of the project, after all, to set a familiar and refreshing scene for the executive, professional and self-made types who gradually brought the room to near capacity over the course of the 3-set show.Conversations of all types were conducted in the chic lounge and on the adjoining terrace. A multi-screen plasma composite, mounted on the far wall facing the entrance showed muted hip-hop/r n'b videos, and ironic counterpoint to the music on the floor.

That said, musical aspirations were undoubtedly met, and the interplay between the four - all longtime fellow travelers on the city's cocktail music circuit - was palpable and made for a hugely enjoyable evening. Madden and Davis have grown beyond even their considerable talents of a few years ago - Madden coaxing deep resonance from the irridiscent strings of his instrument. Davis meanwhile continues to show the fruits of continuous application and study of the trapset - offering bursts of speed and power without sacrificing musicality nor slipping too far from his bandmates. His work on the high-hat was particularly distinguished on the night.

While working the flute on a couple selections, Hird reeled off some tart alto sax runs, including one extended solo that literally brought all other proceedings to a halt and elicited cheers from even the white-jacketed bartenders behind the counter. Leader Rushton smartly worked a modulated version of  his more outre show mode - offering tasteful fills punctuated, rather than obliterated, by appropriate flourishes.

This show was the third since the inauguration of the weekly series, the prior ones sadly missed by this writer. Not that it was even needed, but the night's performance provided ample incentive for more consistent attendance going forward.

FLOW's "Squaddy" set to "fly out"

Cable provider FLOW is continuing along the path of generating original programming acceptable to a wide audience, as news in The Observer indicates Jamaican police drama comedy Squaddy will soon be available to viewers in New York and the Tri-state Area, courtesy of Caribbean Interactive Network (CIN)

CIN, the report said,  made the agreement with the producer of the show, eMedia Interactive Ltd, which already distributes the comedy series through its own online platform iVu tv and Columbus Communication's Flow TV.

The comedy series stars Darielle Cummings, Randy McLaren and Chris Hutchinson in half-hour-long episodes. It is based around Hutchinson and McLaren's characters 'Touchie' and 'Scrapings', who are rookie cops. Darielle Cummings plays their superior, the intimidating Superintendent 'Bigga Blacks'.

"CIN looks forward to airing Squaddy. This programme is a continuation of CIN's efforts to present the best Caribbean programmes to the Diaspora in New York City and the Tri-state area," said CIN CEO Stephen Hill in a press release.

The deal represents iVu tv's first international distribution deal. Rachel Osbourne, the online network's assistant vice-president of original content, described it as "another major move" for the young platform.

"It's amazing what we have accomplished in just a few months with iVu tv. Squaddy peaked at number 6 on Flow cable in its time slot during this first run. Cracking the top 10 is something to be proud of. Now we're giving hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans in the Diaspora the chance to share the laughs with us," Osbourne said.

CIN has the distinction of being the most watched television channel in New York among the Caribbean community, which is measured at 550,000 viewers per day in the latest media survey done by Hope Research. Squaddy will run on CIN Sundays at 12PM and 11PM from January 12, 2014 to March 2, 2014.

Squaddy was introduced on Flow TV in October as part of a partnership agreement between Flow and eMedia that will see the latter distributing a slate of original local programmes to the cable provider.

Squaddy is set to return to iVu tv and Flow TV in May with five more episodes than its first season, for a total of 13 episodes.

"We've began the pre- production of season 2 of Squaddy and we're excited about the experience we can give viewers in the upcoming run," said Osbourne.

FLOW previously had a hit with the animated series "Cabbie Chronicles"

"Shaggy & Friends 2014": Mo' Money(?) Mo Problems

so, the "Tessanne Homecoming" edition of Shaggy & Friends is now behind us. Having opted not to go (neither by purchase nor accreditation),  I had refrained from any public review/comment, apart from a social media debate (Ok, Facebook)  on the "unfortunate" decision to give working media armbands with "No Meals" printed on them.

Having watched the greater portion of the live telecast ( I dozed off twice, but more on that later), and having covered each of three previous shows, I write out of a compulsion to address some glaring issues. Before that though , the show had a few positives. Firstly, the turnout was obviously the biggest they have had and that no doubt augurs well for the cause - so eloquently outlined by Agent Sasco mainly, and the other artistes. Secondly, the decision to provide live stream and also live television coverage (the latter via CVM) was highly commendable.

Several of the performances were good to very good; Sasco, as I already mentioned, the Mighty Diamonds, Matthew Schuler and more.

Tessanne, as expected, sounded absolutely great, but I just couldn't fathom why she would want to do her "Voice" repertoire all over again (maybe its just me) but, having acknowledged that your own material has been stifled by local interests (media and otherwise) why not make a proper showcase of that material now that you have the people at your feet?

Next - Macka Diamond. I could probably just leave that there and it would be self-explanatory.

But WHY?

Why bring to the stage of a family event, with scores of kids (okay maybe not "scores" but you get the point) visible in the front rows, one participant in the egregiously disgraceful Sting clash incident. Giving Lady saw her due, she apologised publicly and repeated the apology in an on-camera interview at the venue. Macka Diamond has, to my knowledge, remained defensive and unrepentant. She then added insult to injury by proceeding to tell said audience "how to give bun and not get caught.". Okay, on one level I get it. Shaggy had  a big  hit with "It Wasn't Me" and Macka scored a not-so-big hit with "Bun Him" (which of course was a springboard for her literary career, but I digress). But whereas the Shaggy-Rik Rok combo was an acceptably tongue-in-cheek comic paean with some risque lines, Macka's mini-lecture left subtlety far behind.  A Mercedes Benz and a Lada are both automobiles: they hardly conjure up the same mental associations in people's minds.

Enough on that. On this next issue, I have mixed feelings. Young Gio, Wayne Marshal's son, delivered of himself a poised and very confident performance - in plain terms, he one-upped his Dad on the night. But, truthfully I have some personal misgivings about a pre-teen (or even an adult) using public platform to boast about "stoopid money" and having a house with an Olympic-size pool. I have no objections to kids being inculcated about wealth, but sheer material acquisitiveness without a corresponding attention to values like respect and community-building sends, in my view, the wrong set of messages.

Inadvertently or not, it had a seam of crassness about it that beyond any particular act or performance,  tainted the body of the show in my opinion. I'm the last person that anyone could justifiably label a snob, but the show came across as a virtually "anything goes" type of affair which, to me is not befitting the cause: will the  children lying ill or recovering in their beds at Bustamante really be uplifted by "How To Give Bun"? or "Stoopid Money"? With great respect, I think not.

Then to the famous media pass issue, which as I indicated, formed the basis of a moderately lengthy debate on my Facebook page (here:  https://www.facebook.com/EmxGroup - scroll dwn to Jan 4). In the strictest sense, hospitality for media is not mandatory but then, neither is media coverage at said events. Its not  a quid pro quo, but simply a matter of basic goodwill. My belief is that if I invite your presence at my event, then all such invitees - media included - are deserving of an acceptable level of hospitality. This, obviously, is not (necessarily) the same level as paying patrons, but it should still be acceptable. Also, there's a media accreditation process, where the organizers, having received applications to cover (or having decided to invite select media directly) will make a determination, in good time, as to the media presence at the event, give or take a few "unexpecteds" (my term) If, for whatever reason, the promoters decided not to provide any such hospitality then it should not have been too difficult to communicate directly to said media, again, in good time. To do otherwise, such as to have it blatantly displayed on the press accreditation, as was reported to me (reliably) to be the case, speaks to a level of disdain that also is unworthy of an event such as Shaggy & Friends 

I expected the telecast to be long and, frankly, having been busy through the day and facing an early assignment (6:00 am) the following morning, I admittedly didn't have the juice to stay up through the whole thing. That knock is squarely on me. Having said that, why was Tessanne not the closing act? As far as I'm aware, the convention in multi-act shows is that the headliner closes and I'm sure that notwithstanding his name in the title, even Shaggy would concede that the clear headliner in this case, was Tessanne. With respect Tarrus, Sean Paul, et al who I understand followed her ( I was counting sheep), the overwhelming public anticipation was for the "Voice" winner so why not allow her the honour, even if it might have meant trimming the line-up/running order to accommodate her?

I'll reserve comment on the technical aspects as I believe those would be more fairly served by an on-site experience which, clearly, I did not have.

So that essentially, is my two cents on the subject. I see neither acclaim nor attack, but I've been doing this long enough now to comfortably handle either. I'm open to to being corrected (if its demonstrable that I was incorrect) as well as challenged on any of the preceding points.

One last thing: I included this partial shot of the 2009 Shaggy & Friends poster (the inaugural show, if memory serves). Tessanne is pretty much smack in the middle of that pic. This is highly personal of course, but I ca't help but prefer that lushly exotic and dare I say, sensual, image to the more streamlined Tessanne whose visage is now justly world-famous.

Again, that's just me