Vintage artistes' group celebrates anniversary

Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

Having been around for seven years, the Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes and Affiliates (JAVAA) will be having an anniversary week of celebrations.

Bertram 'Ras Mandito' Johnson, public relations officer of JAVAA, said the group had always been celebrating with a full week and it could not have been done any other way.

"It is an anniversary week. We have a number of events that culminate at this time. We used to have a JAVAA Anniversary Show but we decided not to put the show in this week because we are having two Hall Of Fame ceremonies this time around. When you put all of that together, we really need a week. We will also have a private outing for JAVAA members only," he said.

JAVAA week will start today with a church service at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church in Half-Way Tree, starting at 10:30 a.m. and will end next Saturday.

Tomorrow, the JAVAA To The World compilation CD will be launched at the JAVAA HQ, Half-Way Tree Entertainment Complex, starting at 7 p.m.

The CD, which features artistes like Keith Lyn and Dwight Pinkney, was produced by Grub Cooper and Pinkney. Johnson said the CD commemorating the seventh anniversary of the organisation was sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency.

"It has wonderful songs and represents a number of genres, so it's a good variety of music. It is a lovely album and I am not saying this because of JAVAA, I have listened to it myself," Johnson told The Sunday Gleaner.

On Wednesday, the Third Annual Induction Ceremony of the JAVAA Jamaica Music Hall of Fame will be held at the Mayfair Hotel. There, the new inductees will be announced. This year's inductees include Toots and The Maytals, Desmond Dekker and The Aces, Jackie Mittoo, Jackie Edwards, Delroy Wilson, Island Records and Leslie Kong.

This will add to the other 22 acts inducted in 2008 and 2009.

On Saturday, there will be the unveiling of the first (2008) inductees to the JAVAA Jamaica Music Hall of Fame; Lord Flea, Vere Johns. Count Ossie, Alpha Boys' School, The Original Wailers, Louise Bennett-Coverly, Olive Lewin, Clement 'Coxone' Dodd, The Skatalites, Arthur 'Duke' Reid. Ernest Ranglin and Derrick Morgan. This will take place at the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre, starting at 9:30 a.m.

Johnson explained that the exhibit would be temporarily housed at the transport centre until JAVAA achieves its long-term goal of having a national music museum where the exhibits would have their final home.

"We thought that this was an ideal location given the number of people who flow through there on a daily basis and especially the vast numbers of schoolchildren who go through that place," Johnson told The Sunday Gleaner.

"JAVAA's role is all about preserving the rich musical history of Jamaica. We are trying to show the leadership of this country what they should have been doing a long time ago. The irony is that the burden of carrying this mission is becoming more and more challenging for us without the support of the private and public sector, but we cannot give up on this mission," he said

The PRO explained that the organisation survived through the benevolence of some of its principals. In addition, he said JAVAA hosted tribute shows which helped to raise funds for the organisation.

Although in need of sponsorship, Johnson said the organisation would continue to try to maintain the social welfare programme it has for its vintage members.