Party series pays homage to conscious music

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

Keteis Brissett and Denise 'Isis' Miller chose last Friday's International Reggae Day 2011 to launch their Conscious Reggae Party One Love Series at one of the Corporate Area venues which will host the events, starting in August.

The grounds of 56 Hope Road, St Andrew, were much quieter than they would have been on the launch day when The Gleaner met with Brissett and Miller on Sunday. The flow of tourists had ended for the day, but an unexpected heavy tourist presence had helped to underscore the scope of the party series.

Miller said that the visitors not only added numbers to the already large Jamaican presence, but thoroughly enjoyed the music that was interspersed with the speeches. And that is what the two want, a fusion of fun and education.

"For each party we will be having a singer, a deejay, a poet and a 'reggaelutionary' - someone who can speak to the history and issues in the music," Miller said.

The launch had elements of the party series - singer Hezron, poet Cherry Natural and reggaelutionary Mutabaruka.

Among the other venues which will host parties in the series are the Ashanti Oasis Restaurant, Veggie Meal on Wheels and Country Farmhouse, each venue expressing a preference for a particular day. Brissett pointed out the connection between the venues and the parties which goes beyond the physical. "It is healthy all the way, with the food and the music - everything," she said. And the series' slogan makes a bold statement of intention - 'Save the Music, Save the People, Save the Nation'.

Party's soundtrack

One of the common elements to most of the parties will be the music of Lee's Unlimited, the longstanding St Thomas sound system which is now into its second generation and being run by Lee Tafari. Lee's Unlimited will be playing the roots music that is the party's soundtrack.

Miller pointed out that, coincidentally, a few weeks before Friday's launch, Tafari wrote a song that has become the Conscious Reggae Party theme.

Reggae events are, for better or worse, known for going on at length. Plans are for the parties to run from 6 p.m. to midnight. "We are not looking for a long, drawn-out thing," Brissett said.