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.”