Entertainment 2011: 'Big four' plus more

Mel Cooke, Sunday Gleaner Writer

TWO DEVELOPMENTS had a huge impact on the concert entertainment calendar last year: the first in the mid-year leading to fewer events, the second in the Christmas season creating far more - and free, to boot.

After the Tivoli incursion in May, a number of shows associated with the west Kingston community and its affiliates were not held last year, notably the Champions in Action and Spring Bling stage shows, normally held in the summer, and the Christmas Eve concert, Island Explosion. Added to those no-shows were those semi-regular events which did not make an appearance, among them Take Me Away and Beres Hammond's A Moment, the latter replaced by the New Year's event, A Private Moment. Recession is tossed out as the reason in many instances.

Then, coming up to Christmas, telecommunications firms LIME and Digicel went on a free concert, cross-island promotional spree, presenting between them some top current reggae and dancehall performers, including Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Mavado and I-Octane. For its part, Red Stripe put Vybz Kartel on show in New Kingston in mid-December.

Hallmarks

If the recession or incursion blues will lift, or the companies-turned-promoters will retreat from their stage show activities this year, remains to be seen. One thing which seems certain though, is that, once again,the hallmarks of the year will be the big four concerts - Rebel Salute in January (this year's staging is on Saturday the 15th, with Beres Hammond among the headliners); Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival (going into its second year at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium, with Maroon 5 slated to perform on January 28); the summer festival, Reggae Sumfest; and the end-of-year Sting.

There are also this year's instalments of Jazz in the Gardens at The Jamaica Pegasus and the vintage music Stars R Us series to look forward to.

Innumerable parties

The parties - from clubs to the streets and quasi-permanent venues - are literally innumerable, with fancy (and fanciful) names and themes to distinguish the blur of events. Still, even in the clutter, the Appleton Temptation Island (ATI) and Dream Weekend summer party weekends in Negril should stand out.

On the literary scene, Poetry in Motion, organised by and featuring Yasus Afari, takes place in Mandeville, Manchester, on Sunday, February 27. Among this year's guests are Dr Michael Abrahams, Steppa, and Ernie Smith. The Calabash International Literary Festival goes into its 11th year on the last weekend in May in Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth, while the monthly Seh Sup'm poetry and live music series starts its 11-month staging for 2011 at the Village Blues Bar, Liguanea, on the last Sunday of this month.

The current LTM Pantomime, Blinga Linga, is one of a number of theatrical productions running from the last days of December into the early part of this year, among the others, Judgement and I Take This Man.

Gospel fans especially will look forward to the free Fun in the Son in March, and Genesis giving the soul-stirring season a flying start today.

Coupled with these regular events are the seasons for the various chorales, such as University Singers, and dance troupes, the National Dance Theatre Company and L'Acadco included, to look forward to as Jamaica moves to its irresistible home-grown beat in 2011.