Jimi Hendrix's 69th birthday marked in St Ann

The significance of the 69th birthday of the guitarist who had a hit called If 6 was 9 was not lost in Jamaica. The inaugural staging of Jimi's Jam at Asante Adonai, Winefield, St Ann, saw a small but appreciative audience turning out on Sunday. Hendrix lovers were treated to the original recordings on vinyl, works by other artistes interpreting Hendrix classics, documentaries on his life and work, and live music from guitarists Omar Francis and Maurice Gordon, drummer Akil Karram and bassist Sherwayne Thompson.

"Jimi's Jam was coordinated on a tonload of love and passion, but with a very limited budget in terms of financial resources, time and human capital. The intention of this year's staging was to provide Hendrix aficionados with an opportunity to be immersed in the music and to share the music of the man recognised by Rolling Stone magazine as the greatest guitarist ever," said Dr Leahcim Semaj, who conceptualised the event.

"Our partners made it possible and we must thank Garth Swaby and Judge Productions, with input from Seretse Small's ReadyMedia Rental, for the excellent sound quality. The Imaji Nation provided graphic design work, security was provided by the Atlas Group, and BESS FM was our media affiliate."

Although the turnout was modest, those who attended seemed satisfied.

"Well, for me it was an easy Sunday evening with Jimi. Very relaxed atmosphere, which is important for me to have fun." offered Audre Reynolds. Sharon Bogues Wolfe said "The vibe was good. I particularly enjoyed the live jam. The artistes, while performing Jimi's work, added their own creative flair to the numbers."

Charles Campbell, formerly of Reggae Sunsplash producers Synergy and chairman of the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association, said the organisers "deserve my expression of appreciation for a exhilarating afternoon in a breathtakingly scenic location. It was filled with great recorded music and fascinating live musicianship. As a bonus, I encountered and enjoyed some intriguing conversations with good old friends and colleagues. The latent appeal is there, but the event's timing coincided with, and obviously suffered from, a plethora of other events being staged simultaneously."

"The success of an event is not always about the number of patrons. The target was to have 50 to 75 persons on location for the first staging, and we made the 50-plus head count," Semaj said.