Scotia Palace a hit at Jazz
Published:Wednesday | February 1, 2012 | 12:00 AM
Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
They never made it on the big jazz stage at the Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival, but they created sweet music inside the Scotia Palace at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium.
'Queen' Karen Smith, Nickeisha Barnes, Ellan Neil and Keisha Patterson, backed by 'King' Desi Jones and Friends, lit a constant flame in the bank's jazz 'vault', attracting a large number of their customers who have come to appreciate the acquired genre. Jones and his band played from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. nightly during the set changes.
Themed as a Vegas-styled palace, the two-storey booth was erected as a tribute to Celine Dion's appearance in Jamaica. Dion is renowned for her usually sold-out Las Vegas performances.
Features of the Scotia Palace included 'chits' used as cash to acquire drinks at the very popular bar; while showgirl hostesses, bartenders and servers dressed in top hats served up true Scotiabank hospitality nightly.
For three nights - Thursday, Friday and Saturday - this booth became the most coveted at the stadium, and if there ever was a prize for 'Most Fun' booth, the toss-up would be between Scotia and Riu, as both of them kept jazz lovers entertained throughout the festival.
But Scotia could not be outdone, with LED screens, strategically placed around the booth, so guests could watch the show, it was the place to party.
Ellan Neil's rendition of Ain't No Sunshine, Autumn Leaves and Sweetest Taboo complemented the scorching inferno that Nickeisha Barnes refused to cool when she sang Sha La La, Sweetest Mistake and Natural Woman.
"I loved the vibe in the palace, every time there was a break people would stream in," said Grace Campbell, a Jamaican residing in Miami.
Satisfied with the attention the palace had created, Scotiabank's President Bruce Bowen told The Gleaner that he wanted something different, "a two-level club atmosphere" that had the ability to draw on his customer base.
For the Scotia bigwig, even more satiating was exposure to the local talents.