Rupert Davidson plans to 'Buss Out' Jamaican talent

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

Rupert Davidson hosts the Buss Out event at the old Patty Palace Centre, Cross Roads, every Thursday with a specific objective which goes well beyond the moment and place. "It is for pooling talent," he said, adding that he hopes it will eventually be streamed live, as well as the content carried on television and radio.

And, he plans, some of those who step up to the microphone in Cross Roads will be doing the same thing in another country, as Buss Out is part of a larger, talent export-oriented project.

Davidson explained to The Gleaner that he has been working on starting the Bealion School of Reggae and the Performing Arts for about five or six years. "It is to educate and preserve Jamaican talent, to export it and preserve the standard of reggae music," Davidson said. "It is an effort to preserve the standard of the pioneers and nurture the future."

He has no reservations about the export orientation, saying, "We are living in a global economy and Jamaica does not have the capital to expand ... . We are the nucleus. We produce the thing, but to market it we have to look abroad."

Plus, he said, there is a drive to reinforce the music's purpose. "Reggae is actually a tool of protest, to redeem people," Davidson said.

He describes Buss Out as a mini-version of the planned 'Reggae Comes Alive' festival, although the date for that event is not yet set. "We can't say it is happening this year. We have not put our hands on any funding, but we are implanting it in the minds of people," Davidson said. There is one place from which funding will not be accessed, though - the pockets of the performers. There is no charge.

"We plan to pay for it through sponsorship, live music and merchandising," Davidson said.

Davidson is based in Bennett Land, St Andrew, but points out that the project is able to reach out to various persons around the world in collaborative music-making, through the Internet. That Reggae Collabs project has involved people from South America, Germany, France, Russia, England and Japan, and over 40 tracks have been put together for a CD series.

One organisation he has connections with is the United States-based Coalition to Preserve Reggae Music, and Davidson describes a situation of similar objectives. However, while those who are attracted to the Bealion School and the related projects, Reggae Collabs and Buss Out, may all have the objective of becoming performing artistes, not all will have the aptitude or attitude.

"If you don't have the talent but you have the love, you will be introduced to other aspects of the business," Davidson said. These include doing make-up, being a road manager, sound engineer and a therapist.

"It is not just a microphone," Davidson said.