THIS REVOLUTION NEED NOT BE TELEVISED

Gungo Walk Festival 2014

As new roads provide a tool to strengthen and extend commercial hegemonies, so do mutli-discipline entertainment/cultural events provide a tool to extend and renew a Jamaican cultural hegemony which, while still strong, has been buffeted over the last decade or so.

In that respect, the 2014 renewal of the Gungo Walk festival, on the campus of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts this past weekend, could well be regarded as a cultural super-highway awaiting pavement.

Except that the organizers are thankfully, not waiting for whatever covering may on offer from officialdom; truth be told, its foolhardy to really expect the State, locked into admittedly stale yet still lucrative conventions, to nurture the seeds and saplings of its own destruction, or at least deconstruction.

But, the above is political discourse, a sideshow at best. The main event is every bit worthy of attention and support, from the “soul-Rasta” stylings of Mackeehan – joined artfully for a brief yet intense moment by Duane Stephenson, to the “modern dub” of Don Z, who best managed to blend the roots sensibility with a genuinely roughneck DJ delivery, aided and abetted by some extra tasty riffs from the accompanying Dubsmart band. One can hear the legitimacy of the heritage in the rendition of Peter Tosh’s “Steppin’ Razor” by Alexandra Love and the Warriah Love band.

And it shines through in the unexpected yet more than welcome revelation that is Shanique Brown, aka GiRL. Nurtured at Ardenne, she and an able quartet of young men took command of the stage and of the audience’s affections with such unapologetic aplomb that by the end of her bouncy, sing-along original “Press Play” (preceded by the deceptively simplistic “Love” there was little doubt about the future health of Jamaican popular music – at least nt from a live performance viewpoint.

There was also Maria Lindsay. The 17-year old Campionite, largely self-taught, delivered of herself a well-modulated yet near epic (in the best sense of that overused term) exposition of musical talent that endeared her to the growing audience gathered on the school ground, doing two originals (including “Wish” already in modest radio rotation) that wiped out her tentative start with Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”.

The festival also affirmed that the present generation of young Jamaicans (whichever letter you want to assign them) may be closer to actual revolution than might be otherwise thought. They are certainly on point in terms of acknowledging the Africanness which the oligarchy – with Government’s tacit approval – has sought to deny while exploiting for decades.

For proof, look no further than the progress of capoeira, that mythical Afro-Brazilian dance of war and of identity, in Jamaica. Led by  maestro Eckart, the capoeira troupe, ranging in age from prep- schoolers to adults, showed, in their mix of athleticism and angularity, the ongoing assimilation process.

Assimilation worked in reverse as well: another Brazilian import, singer Soraya laid down a vibe of funky grace, clad in various iterations of her nation’s colours while going through reggae both classic and contemporary, in Jamaican as well as in her native tongue, the accent serving only to sweeten the effect.

And there was much more than music on offer -  dramatic presentations, dance, film all took their concurrent and independent turns for the audience’s attention and they in turn appeared happy to be made nomads, shuffling from stage to stage and room to room in search of the next enjoyment. In addition to festival merchandise, there was also a genuinely eye-catching array of handcraft items, and the near ubiquitous (but definitely welcome) I-Nation Books.

So if, in fulfilment of the late Gil Scott-Heron’s now iconic statement, “the revolution will not be televised” then we need not worry too much (though the publicity might loosen a few purse strings). It will be phone-shared, Googled, Facebooked, Instagrammed and tweeted far and wide, and even without those interventions, this, is clearly a movement whose energy will not be inhibited nor quenched.

Big and broad, Gungo Walk!

Nina does Nina and More at Regency Bar

The counterpoint garland in her hair(going against her flowing back outfit) suggested Billie Holliday, but lounge singer Nina Karle delivered a sprightly cover of Nina Simone's "My Baby Just Cares" in addition to the obligatory Bob Marley numbers (it's February, after all)  during her stint at the Jazz Thursdays at the Regency Bar and Lounge at Terra Nova

Joining the vocalist in her exploits were Dwayne Livingston on  bass
pianist Anders Lopez and James Ferguson* on  drums

The repertoire, delivered with consummate skill, and with an Airy sound and  languid intervals also encompassed Andy Williams' trademark "Moon River"

the mood was extended with "The Way You Look Tonight" and completed with the bossa nova classic "girl from Ipanema", delivered vocally as the "boy from Ipanema" as well as Randy Crawford's sultry classic "Almaz" which got the bass-heavy treatment with a neatly ascending piano solo from Lopez to boot.

Then Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me"

Of course, one good "Jones" deserves another, so "Don't Know Why" followed.

For the Reggae King Tribute to Bob Marley, the group did "Is This Love" interspersed with freestyle quotes from "Jammin'"

And capped with "Redemption Song"

After the interval, they returned with a booming, funky yet swinging "Fly Me To The Moon"

"Summertime" followed in similar mode, if at a slower tempo

Killing Me Softly

Ska-inflected "My Baby Just Cares For Me"

Back to Marley, via Lauryn Hill, with "Turn Your Lights Down Low"

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.

"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.

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

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.

EMC rocks for Reggae Month - final show

Saw @ 38 - pix

Lady Saw came, saw, conquered and enjoyed her Nuvo at Studio 38 while thrilling a large - and largely female - crowd with her hits both raunchy and regular last Friday night.

Multi-faceted J'can enterprise Lion Pride had cigars and white rum shots for patrons. Look out for more from them soon

Red bones Redux

Even before moving to its "new" digs on Argyle Road, Red Bones the Blues cafe had lived up to the musical side of its name, presenting an array of musical acts for the enjoyment of patrons and general public - from the Jamaica finals of the global Battle of the Bands to various jazz (World Music Players, Maurice Gordon), reggae (Rootz Underground) and, of course blues acts, Red Bones has become the go-to spot for live entertainment: a comfortable setting, good location and the over all vibes that one has come to expect. Her a just a few highlights of recent shows.

Lookin gabck at some ofthe great live monets shared at red Bones over the past few months

"One Worl- A music" at Red Bones

Starting off with the "Ital-Jamaican" combo of Samuele Vivian on guitar, Alves Reid on bass, and Toti Denaro on drums, the night's music at Red Bones expanded to accommodate a variety of musicians and styles, all to a fair-sized but very appreciative audience.

Drummer Denaro (shown here hand-drumming on the snare) stood out as a model of passion without bombast. His work on the drum kit was shot through with inventiveness, dynamism and -  most of all - abandon.

Full review and more pics on Monday.

Pool Guys: Hotels seek to make splash with weeknight entertainment

At the two major hotels on the capital's Knutsford Strip, those seeking a late evening poolside recharge with food, drink and music are being well catered for.  At the Wyndham,  patrons who navigated the craft stall could hear the sound of 2010 Battle of the Bands finalists, Macca Tree Band
 delved into the Jamaican songbook, serving up ska and reggae hits. Down the road, at the Pegasus, guitar ace, Rupert Bent Snr got things started with the aid of his computer, smartly accompanying tracks that included the obligatory Bob Marley, but also pop/r&b gems like James Ingram's "One Hundred Ways" and Earth Wind And Fire's "After The Love is Gone".

He would later be joined by accompanists Othniel "Ottey" Lewis on keys, Dale Brown on bass and drummer Chris Tyrell, the latter having just returned from a European stint with Jimmy Cliff. Australia is next on the agenda for Tyrell, who's also pursuing some production and personal recording projects. EW&F returned to the lineup, this time with "September" and there was more reggae in the form of Third World's take on the OJays chestnut, "Now That We've Found Love".

The two venue join a number of smaller haunts in and around Kingston that are spurring the beginnings of a live music renaissance for the capital, one some three or four years in the making, but still in need of serious support, attention and investment.

Recession hits concerts: 2010 ticket sales down

The box-office take for the 50 biggest grossing tours in the world fell 12% to $2.93 billion, from $3.34 billion in 2009, according to Pollstar, a trade magazine considered the leading monitor of ticket sales.

In North America, the drop was even more pronounced, with a 15% decline to $1.69 billion.

Underscoring how the industry leans on aging but tried-and-true acts, Bon Jovi's 53-city tour was the biggest in the world this year, grossing $201.1 million.

By comparison, a 31-city tour by U2 topped the list for 2009, with a haul of $311 million.

Even before this year, signs of trouble had been brewing. Though industry-wide total grosses had increased in eight of the previous nine years, that growth had largely been driven by rising ticket prices, even as the number of tickets sold held roughly even.

That led many in the industry to warn that if fans' tolerance for rising prices were to wane, the gravy train could grind to a halt.

That appeared to be part of the equation in 2010, even as promoters scrambled to offer last-minute discounts, slashing prices for some underperforming shows to $10 or $20 a ticket.

Among the acts whose tickets were discounted were the Jonas Brothers, Rihanna, Santana with Steve Winwood, Creed, Maroon 5 and The "American Idol" live tour.

World-wide, average ticket prices increased 3.9% to $76.69, up from $73.83 in 2009.

In North America, the average price declined $1.55, or 2%, as concert promotion giant Live Nation Entertainment Inc. engaged in widespread last-minute discounting.

Despite those efforts, the number of tickets sold declined both world-wide and in North America—and even more steeply than the number of shows did, suggesting weak interest among fans.

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Bon Jovi performs on stage at Rod Laver Arena on Dec. 10.

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Throughout the world, concert-goers bought 38.3 million tickets this year, down 15% from 2009's 45.3 million. The 26.2 million tickets sold in North America represented a 12% drop from the 2009 level of 29.9 million. The ongoing slump in recorded music sales has been a major hurdle to getting top acts to accept less money for concerts, as concerts have become an important financial cushion.

Some in the concert industry had argued that because a live concert is a unique experience that can't be duplicated digitally and downloaded, their business would be immune to the problems that have pushed down recorded music.

U.S. album sales are down 13% this year compared with 2009, to 319 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Sales of CDs, which are often more profitable for record labels than cheaper digital albums, are off 20% so far this year. Sales of individual digital songs have ticked up a mere 1% compared with 2009, to just over 1.1 billion.

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Those shifts have hit many acts in the pocket book, and older acts with established fan bases turned increasingly in recent years to concert tours, with regularly rising prices, to steady their finances.

Irving Azoff, Live Nation's executive chairman and the manager of numerous major acts, last year told The Wall Street Journal that recorded music represented as little as 6% of some clients' income—down from 50% a decade ago.

Last month, in a conference call with stock analysts Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino vowed to reduce prices. "We know that if you lower the price, they'll come," he said. "If you want to get a casual concert buyer to come to a show that he's debating, we know in the amphitheaters that if you price it at $20 all-in they will come."