Well attended JAVAA tribute to Marley, D Brown

By Basil Walters Observer staff reporter

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

One of the largest crowds to converge in the Gardens of the Pegasus Hotel, was on hand on Friday evening for the Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes and Affiliates (JAVAA) celebration of the birthdays of Bob Marley and Dennis Brown.

The concert, staged on the eve of Marley's 65th birthday, dubbed JAVAA's Tribute to the King and the Crown Prince (whose special day was on the 1st of the month), did not disappoint the overflowing audience that expressed its appreciation for the night's fare in no uncertain fashion.

Backed by Fab Five, just about all the acts lived up to expectations. Short and spicy was the order of the night. But it was one of those occasions when the delights got more delightful with each performer. So in recalling the highlights, after Stevie Face whetted the appetite with Get to Love On Time, Lloyd Parks found his vocal groove with No One But You after a somewhat weak start with Malcolm X.

The old-stager, Keith Lyn once more demonstrated that he does not bear the vintage title for nothing. Flowing through the ages, the former lead vocalist for Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, like fine wine, gets better every time on Empty Chairs before outdoing himself by taking the longest note on the show to close his splendid performance of Portrait of My Love. Without asking, nay, begging (as so many performers often do), Keith Lyn had the ladies screaming while going through paces on the up tempo ska standard, You Don't Love Anymore.

Patrons have come to know Roy Rayon as a show man of sorts, and on this occasion, his showmanship was no exception. But after his usual high energy delivery of Bob Marley's Iron, Lion Zion and Get Up Stand Up, Rayon's most interesting presentation came with his smooth performance of the slow ballad style That Song.

With the cutting of the birthday cake for both musical legends out of the way, Bunny Brown's tribute went over well with -- classics from each of the honourees. He represented well the King of Reggae with a slightly different take of Concrete Jungle and likewise the Crown Prince with Wichita Lineman.

Althea Hewitt, accompanied by her trio of harmony providers, dished out a lively account of Love That a Woman Gives to A Man before saluting the Crown Prince with his immortal How Could I Live, then ending with Marley's Could This Be Love. Picking strings of Marley, Dwight Pinkney was a pleasure to hear on his set comprising Nice Time and No Woman No Cry.

But the best was yet to come. It came with the duo Bagadito, George Nooks, Bongo Herman and the inimitable Leroy Sibbles. Bagadito's I Shot the Sheriff was executed in such way, Bob would have been dancing not only to his 1970's hit, but to the twosome's treatment of John Holt's gem My Love Call, so too Dennis Brown to those as well as to his own irresistible Love Has Found Its Way.

Then came George Nooks, the artiste on whom D Brown made his greatest impact, so much so, he (Nooks) evolved from a deejay to singer. Warming up with Money In My Pocket, then he stirred audience participation with Always On My Mind.

Opening for Bongo Herman, female percussionist Mama Kaffe from Ivory Coast, West Africa, got much love in soliciting an interactive response from the highly appreciative crowd as she breezed through a few African songs.

Bongo Herman performed Rasta Man Chant for Bob Marley and D Brown's Silhouette but it was on Alton Ellis' Get Rocksteady with which he really moved the crowd.

Has he had done so many times before, Leroy Sibbles, rolling out hits after hits, proved he is the best when it comes to closing a show. No one does it better. Form the moment he hit the note of Party time, it was just that. The former leader vocalist for the Heptones knows how to end a show with a party -- and this time around was no different as everyone was partying to Fatty Fatty and Book of Rules.

Yes indeed, to borrow the signature phrase of veteran MC Tommy Cowan who did a fine job, this was another of the high points of Reggae Month.

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Well attended JAVAA tribute to Marley, D Brown