Musical "Pon-Fusion" at Jojo's

Corinne Bailey-Rae brushing up against Dennis Brown? Prince and John Legend in the same show with Frankie Paul and John Holt?

Genres dissolved and made way for fun and musicianship during the latest exposition of Live music Saturdays at JojJo's Jerk Pit

The night's feature act was up and coming singer Deji, who brought a clean clear tone and genuine warmth to some of the aforementioned and standards like Peggy Lee's "Fever"

The bill also also featured singer Stratdon who put his vocal gifts and easygoing presence to good use.

all well served by Pon Fyah, the resourceful musical tandem of O'zuone on keys (including some driving bass riffs) and drummer Junior "Bird" Baillie, the latter regaling this writer with his experiences as musical director for Sean Paul (you just don't know how much of a diva Beyonce can be) as well as Mariah Carey, J-Lo, and others.

Deji

Stratdon

Building That Belgium Reggae Vibe

Ran into veteran reggae music promoter Copeland Forbes a short while ago, huddled with Danielle Pater.

Who's that, you may ask? Well, she's the artistic director for Reggae Geel, which is set to take place in Belgium in August.

  "You have to prepare from now" the reggae industry stalwart shared.

The tag line of the event is "catch a vibe" and this Belgium-Jamaica link is to secure the line-up.

One of Europe’s oldest reggae festivals, Reggae Geel was founded in 1978. Throughout the years Reggae Geel became a trendsetting and authentic festival. Every year we bring the best of what Jamaica has go to offer to the ‘Belse Bossen’ in the city of Geel. What once started as a party in open-air is now a leading festival with over 30,000 visitors each year.

The previous roster included Damian "Jr Gong" Marley, Raging Fyah, Chronixx, Bunny Wailer, Sanchez, Protoje, I-Octane, "Daddy" U-Roy, Jesse Royal and more.

Pure Comedic Dynamite: LAFF IT OFF review

The beauty of theatre, wherever you watch it, is that there may emerge, at any instant, a moment so well executed, so transcendent, so plain damn good, that even the most jaded viewer is taken out of their preconceptions and mental blocks and releases their disbelief.

In Oliver Mair's re-mount of the comedy revue "Laff It Off"" which opened at  New Kingston's Theatre Place on Boxing Day (Dec 26), such a moment occurs about midway through "Spelling Bee" one of the latter skits of the play.

For the first few minutes, the combination of Officer Spellman (Ricky Rowe, more on him anon) and a hapless motorist (Akeem Mignott) plays out in the expected ways. Spellman, the corrupt -and illiterate - cop has the motorist (equally corrupt and illiterate) under his thumb, caught speeding - though we are not shown the actual speed on the "gun" - and pleading to "work things out". After the paltry bribe of a patty and coco bread is flatly rejected, Officer Spellman offers his "victim" one last chance to escape the rap and a certain ticket.

"Spell chuck" [as in "truck"] is the challenge.

What ensues cannot really be described, for it must be experienced. But it is fair to say that with that one sketch, any viewer with half a brain (and a funny bone) would consider his money well spent; it is a sketch that would not be out of place on any comedy show anywhere. It is pure comedic dynamite.

Such heights are not otherwise reached, but producer Oliver Mair, doubling as actor, comes close on two occasions. First, as historic Reggae Boyz football coach Rene Simoes, he nails the combination of innocence, ignorance and unbounded optimism that serves to confound interviewer Simon Croskill (Rodney Campbell)a and then later, he does a "double" of a different kind, playing both Johnny Mathis and Deneice Williams as they voice "Its Over" (Too Much, Too Little Too Late)", one of the selections on a special infomercial CD offered to victims of the failed Cash Plus and Olint schemes.

Those aside, 'Laff it Off" is a solid and robust comedy revue, offering the expected send-ups of people (athletes, entertainers and politicians), places and events in ways that are generally satisfying, and its laughs are delivered without skirting the serious issues. "Jamaica's Finest" presents the earlier contretemps in Gordon House between members Olivia "Babsy" Grange and Lisa Hanna in the shameful light that it deserves, while "New Breed" (the clear highlight of Act I) uses the perspectives of two New Kingston street rats to highlight economic hardship and the increasing prevalence of the "gully boys" who have taken up residence in the drain running from Trafalgar Road down to Dumfries Road.

While not all its skits are "hits" most of the few misfires are still interesting, none more so than "Take A Chance." Its opening premise is overtly personal: a young guy (Mignott) torn over whether he should ask the hot girl (Emprezz Golding, in her theatrical debut) out on a date. It then morphs, rather jarringly into a wider motivational tract, complete with backdrop images of our winning athletes, Marcus Garvey and other inspirational figures. The accompanying song is sine in and of itself, but the images are so compelling that they come close to negating the need for the actors to convey the message.

Oliver Mair (standing, left) and the cast of "Laff It Off"

The cast members each had their respective moments to shine, but with his impish grin, dyed hair, impeccable movement and timing, Ricky Rowe was Prime Time. He almost (but not quite) rescued unworthy filler ("Concentrate" - check the side panel of your everyday juice box), and was invariably the best actor in whichever skit he appeared. Aside from "Spelling Bee" his other fine moment came in "Cutting Edge" a spoof of Mutabaruka's popular radio show, in which Rowe, as a still emotionally crushed, cuckolded Mr Vegas, easily bests Rodney Campbell's Muta - each "music" question inevitably drawing him back to the fateful day, and heightening his meltdown.


Director Craig McNally (also pulling double duty) keeps things moving at just the right pace, with welcome and well-handled audience interaction. The other creative nd technical aspects of the production are more than ably fulfilled. Ratingswise, Laff It Off skirts pretty close to a PG-13 bracket, but parents bring may younger children without feeling inordinately uncomfortable
   
Whatever your age, economic status or creed (there's the obligatory church sequence, well played by Campbell), you'll find that the pre-requisite to enjoying this thatrical breath of holiday fresh air is a sense of humour.



Laff It Off plays weekends at Theatre Place through January 18. For details, call 459-8382/383-0622, check the press or follow the Facebook group at  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1398690393752792/

And Now.....EDH! DJ Duo Them brings electro-dance to Sting

DJ Firestarter

DJ Sky (left), Zhavera (r) and her manager

The one-night dancehall show Sting is a seething cauldron where audience and stage have combined to swallow up the uninitiated and hesitant act and basically boil them alive, never to be heard form again.

This year, three interesting musical personalities are among those seeking to stand the heat at Portmore's Jamworld beginning Boxing day (or night, really) December 26.

Dj Sky (left in both photos), who hails form a musical family will be working in tandem with DJ Fyahstarter (right, above pic), who has built up a commanding reputation through stints with Brand New machine and elsewhere. The will be presenting a hybrid dubbed "electro-dancehall" or EDH,

As Fyahstarter puts it: '"basically, its  the dancehall and dub that people would already be familiar with, presented in a new way."

Also looking to test the waters is Grenadian ingenue Zhavera, who has stepped into the pop-dancehall arena courtesy of a collab with Beenie Man, "Gimme That Lovin'" The Los Angeles-based popster is working against trend in that market as pop circles and playlists are not exactly hot on the Jamaican sound at the moment, but she figures she has the goods to break that ice.

the Claws - and More - set to come out for Sting 2014

The one-night reggae/dancehall show started by former "bad boy cop" Isaiah Laing has become a Boxing Day institution, courting and generating controversy, earning the ire of certain sectors of society even as others credit it for making their careers or, as Ninjaman has done in his inimitable style, credit themselves for making it (Bounti Killa has taken on that mantle as well).

Sting founder Isiah Laing "feeling it"

Reardless of who has made it, or been made, Sting has lasted three decades now and, with the continuing investment support of Joe Bodganovic, is set to conquer new audience markers, following last year's success on pay-per-view.

Laing has made no bones about it - what drives that success is the clashes - battles between DJs that are meant to be strictly lyrical, but have on more than one occasion , exploded into the physical (Vybz Kartel vs Ninjaman being a notable case in point).

At the recent pre-event media launch, Laing and Co. pitched the headline clash this year, sponsored by Trini-based energy drink Raptor, will be a rematch between budding clash king Kip Rich and contender-turned-champ Blak Ryno.

Ryno, said to be overseas on the occasion, was not on hand, which made it convenient for Kip Rich to spit a quick "teaser" in terms of what was going to happen when the two renew acquaintances tomorrow (or into the wee hours of Saturday more precisely).

There were the usual commendations from sponsor brand Raptor energy drink, distributed by  SM Jaleel, which joins tonic wine Magnum as title sponsors for dancehall's biggest night out

Kip Rich vs Blak Ryno (the latter having rumbled away with US$30,000) - in a prime event dubbed " the Raptor Rematch"

A lot of other acts are expected to square off during the night, and Sting will also go "one-drop" this year with a roots segment in the early heat of the night. there will also be an exposition of EDH - that's electro dancehall to  you uninitiated, with DJs Sky and Firestarter (working as THEM) spinning dub and dancehall classics with an EDM twist.

All in all, it should be a pretty hectic 12 hours or so at JamWorld in POrtmore come tomorrow.

Moon over Tarrus: 2014 Christmas Concert

A city battered by Chik-V, price crises and various other trials would no doubt welcome the offering presented by Tarrus Riley, aka Singy-Singy at Kingston's Emancipation Park on the "eve of Christmas Eve".

With a crescent moon floating over the lower New Kingston skyline and the recently-added imposing backdrop of the soon-to-be-finished Marriott Hotel, Riley took the stage shortly after a typically sparkling opener from the ageless Karen Smith, who practically soared through a number of pop songbook selections ranging from Aretha Franklin ("Respect" "Natural Woman") to the seasonal "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and the indigenous "All For Jesus".

Clad in black, robustly contrasted by martial red high-tops, Riley brought a palpably fresh energy to his now familiar repertorire, and the audience was more than ready to receive him, both by voice and in person as he waded through the packed aisles, greeting, touching and singing.

His last tune in heavy rotation had the title "Where Were You" and singer Bijean Gayle answered in fine fashion, ably supported by a youthful and exuberant aggregation known as the High Point band. They delivered a new single "Ghetto Rock" (to be the lead-off on a soon-to-be-released album) and the imposing Gayle proved his showmanship by stepping off the stage ot pick out a young miss out of the front row  as a song and dance partner.

Another up-and-comer, D-Medz was taking the crowd through the verses of his anthem. "Champion" on our departure, with lots more solid entertainment promised.

A welcome and worthy Christmas gift to the people.

Happy holidays

Wherever you are in the world, this is just to convey our heartfelt appreciation for your support during 2014, and wishing you the very best of the holidays to you and yours.