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.

Strike up The Reggae Oil, Seven-year Itch and more

Busy week for music, coming off the highs of Buju, Rebel and Sizzla and going into the upcoming Reggae Month and the "Jazz & Blues" fest.

IRIE-FM's Brian Schmidt (above) called reggae music "Jamaica's oil" and lamented the fact that while Jamaica was billed as the home of reggae, reggae did not presently feel at home in Jamaica. he gathering at JAMPRO's conference room for Reggae Month also heard from two great "drillers" Sangie Davis(left) and Earl "Chinna" Smith. First on the agenda for February is the Dennis Brown tribute concert on Feb3 at the Edna Manley College.

Bob Marley, February-born, is also a big part of Reggae Month observances and in the courtyard of his former home and studio at 56 Hope Road, up n' comer Protoje made his own fitting start to Marley/Reggae month with the launch of his debut full-length Cd, 7-Year Itch.

And dub is a fundamental derivative of the reggae sound, distilled to its drum n' bass essentials. In the hands of the Dubtonic Kru, that distillate is enriched by organic doses of rock, Latin, jazz and other world sounds. Its the mix that the band is banking on to take them to the top of the upcoming Global Battle of the Bands (GBOB) scheduled for February 27 in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. In the interim, they are busy honing their craft, with live appearances and practice.