First night of jazz sets the stage for magic

Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:

Musical excitement ruled supreme at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium on Thursday night as patrons who attended the opening night of the 2012 edition of the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival were delightfully exposed to the heart and soul of Jamaican music.

From early acts such as the Dubtonic Kru, whose instrumental cover of Black Uhuru's, Shine Eye Gal, had patrons in awe; to super star Shaggy, who closed the show with a pulsating set, no stones were left unturned in highlighting the potent power of mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae and dancehall.

All the acts came through with passing grades as they made glowing contributions through instruments, vocals and, at times, exquisite dance steps, which they combined to showcase 50 years of Jamaican music.

The night's offering was so complete that even the contri-butions of some of Jamaica's musical icons got caught up in the package through the likes of Ky-Mani Marley, who evoked sweet memories of his legendary dad, reggae's king Bob Marley; and soulful crooner George Nooks, who did likewise for reggae's crown prince Dennis Brown.

While all the acts distinguished themselves, the likes of songbird Marcia Griffiths, Ky-Mani Marley, the messenger Luciano, deejay King Yellowman, the lyrically compelling Agent Sasco (Assassin), Etana and Shaggy were all exceptional and soaked up most of the love from the audience.

In her set, the ever-smooth Marcia Griffiths demonstrated that even after 40 years, she was just as potent as the day she started building her rich musical legacy.

From her opening song until she exited the stage, she was large and in charge, belting out classics like, Dreamland, Settle Down, No No No, I Shall Sing and amazing covers of Bob Marley's, Could You Be Love and Get Up Stand Up.

Ky-Mani Marley sang with emotion and left absolutely no doubt that he is a substantial chip off the Bob Marley block.

His authoritative delivery of songs like Trench Town Rock, Get Up Stand Up, and the goose-pimple-evoking rendition of, Redemption Song, underlined his musical mastery.

His collaboration with Protoje on their hit song, Rasta Love, was a huge bonus.

Luciano, who took the stage after Ky-Mani Marley, was clearly in a mood to please as between offering advice on the dynamics of life, the roots singer all but transformed the audience into his personal choir as they lent their voices to his commanding delivery of songs like, Glory Be, Give Praise, One Away Ticket and Lord, Give Me Strength.

He even took time out to demonstrate that he has deejaying skills.

Yellowman time

A fit-looking Yellowman reminded fans of the era when he became the first undisputed king of the dancehall.

While running around the stage non-stop like a well-conditioned athlete, hits like Zungguzungguguzungguzeng, Come Back, Darling and Mr Chin, were delivered without hitch. He all but brought the house down as the ladies went wild when he soothed them with the classic, Blueberry Hill.

As he has been doing for most of the past two years, Agent Sasco, who came to the fore as Assassin, simply came, saw and conquered, leaving no doubt that he is ready and capable of "running the place".

While songs such as Hand to Mouth, Priority and Idiot Ting Dat, hit the mark with consummate ease, his latest hit song, the witty Late, created ecstasy.

Like the veteran Marcia Griffiths, the youthful Etana displayed great maturity, engaging and advertising herself as the new reggae queen in waiting. Songs like Free, Love Weapon and Push Over, which were delivered with class and charisma, demonstrated that Etana had made the transition from star to super star.

Shaggy and his charm

Shaggy, who only needs to walk on stage to send the ladies into a tizzy, opened with the thought-provoking song, Sugar Cane and then took charge.

Once the 'Sugar Cane' began to hit its mark, he went about laying on his charm, spoon-feeding the audience generously from his catalogue, which churned out hits like Woman, Angel and Oh Carolina.

On another night, possibly without the likes of Ky-Mani Marley, King Yellowman, Agent Sasco and Etana in the line-up, acts such as the commanding Mykal Rose, George Nooks, Half Pint, Maxi Priest, A.J. Brown and Christopher Martin, could have emerged with even higher marks.

Interestingly, the king of ska Derrick Morgan, the witty Pluto Shervington, the evergreen John Holt and the lyrically smooth Marcia Barrett, formerly of the multi-award winning group Boney M, all did well, but performed at a time when patrons were still arriving close to midnight.

The fans were not the only ones to show love to the musicians throughout the night, as the promoters handed out special commemorative awards to Marcia Griffiths, John Holt, Derrick Morgan, Yellowman and Lloyd Parkes of Lloyd Parkes and We the People Band, for their contribution to the growth and development of Jamaica's music.