Best of times for Pesso

Fresh from his win in the Festival Song Contest, singer Everton 'Pesso' Pessoa left last Saturday for Japan where he will perform in a series of shows alongside Tessane Chin and Abijah.

The artistes are part of the Caribbean Musical Cruise Japanese Tour which is scheduled to play 23 Japanese cities in 48 days. Being on the road is nothing strange to Pessoa who has toured as a trombonist with Arrow, Burning Spear and the Bare Essentials.

Since winning the Festival competition with Oh If We in July, Pessoa said his profile has grown considerably. Not surprisingly, he has released some of his previously released songs, including Love Me For Me and Stand Up Youths.

"Wi getting a little buzz so wi decided to put them out again," Pessoa said of the songs which were released on his Ball Platt Productions label.

Though he has made a name for himself as a trombonist, Pessoa also tried his hand at singing. He first recorded as a vocalist while he was living in Montserrat during the 1990s.

He toured with Arrow - that country's best-known performer - as part of his horn section. When he returned to Jamaica in the late 1990s, he was keen to establish himself as a singer.

He recorded Party 2000 which was released by Fab Five's Stage Records but the song saw little action. In between dates with Spear and Bare Essentials, he cut Love Me For Me and Stand Up Youths.

Pessoa started playing the trombone under the tutelage of Vince Hawthorne, while he was a student at Norman Manley Comprehensive High School.

After a stint as a chef with Versair In-Flight Services, Pessoa joined the Sonny Bradshaw Band then the Bare Essentials. He is still a member of the latter.

While touring with stars like Arrow and Spear was a thrill, Pessoa said winning the Festival Song Contest is his biggest success to date. He is not concerned that like other winners, he will be typecast as a festival performer.

"If I am branded as that, I don't mind. It's a national event and people should be proud of it," he said.

The Caribbean Musical Cruise Tour is a cultural exchange programme between the Jamaican and Japanese governments.