Ska/Reggae Revival closes jazz fest on a swinging note

Saturday, November 07, 2009 4:01 PM

Entertainment

By Basil Walters, Observer staff reporter

Friday, June 26, 2009

Despite a somewhat low turnout, what matters most in jazz is still the music. From this standpoint, it was the music of the Fabulous Five's Ska/Reggae Revival that brought a swinging climax to the week-long Jamaica Ocho Rios International Jazz Festival on Sunday.

Indeed they along with a number of other acts, were heaven sent to H'Evans Scent, the venue by the beach at Priory, Ocho Rios where strong competition was coming from a nearby sound system blaring some vintage stuff for the regular beach-goers.

But the aggregation did themselves much justice as like the twinkling start of the festival from keyboards giants (the week before), Fab Five performance was live music at its best. With its horn section of Romeo Gray on trombone, trumpeter Andre Palmer's wide-ranging command of tone and colour, the Skatalites' instrumental gems such as Tear Up, Dick Tracy, Ball of Fire and Eastern Standard Time, were perfected with varying moods majestic utterance.

Of particular interest also was the instrumental inclusion of a medley of some vocal ska hits like Carry Go Bring Come, It's You, Sammy Dead Oh, Never You Change, Pain In My Belly, Dog War, Badaration and Wings of A Dove which had the moderate gathering dancing. Along with the hornsmen, the playing entire assemblage including Grub Cooper on drums, guitarists Glenroy Samuels and Frankie Campbell, Donovan Palmer and Sydney Thorpe on keyboards, displayed a sophisticated harmonic sense of a shrewd musical intelligence.

Their stint was the highlight of the afternoon, so much so, Sonny Bradshaw who was invited along with other horn players by Frankie Campbell for a grand finale, declined saying, "No one comes after Fab Five."

It was a fitting end to the afternoon fete which got off to a slow start from a dull performance by the Polish Max Klezmer Band, before the hard-working San Francisco, California-based Trisha Chamberlain, who was at her best with Don't Get Around Much Anymore and The Lady Is A Tramp. Then steadily gained momentum with the appearance of the Philadelphia artiste Lisa Chavous who will be remembered for wooeing the gathering like she did a few nights before at the Redbones Blues Cafe, with the Etta James' immortal hit jazz standard At Last.

Other performances came from the Sonny Bradshaw's led Jamaica Big Band which gave a tamed performace when compared to its customarily high standard. A musical outfit comprising announcers from the Miami radio station WDNA 88.9FM which specialises in jazz music, managed to raise a few eyebrows with their appetising blend of music.

Also making a musical impact on the closing day of this year's staging of the event dubbed as "the only pure jazz festival of Caribbean", were newcomer from London Wayne Marshall (not to be confused with Jamaica's dancehall sensation) and seasoned campaigner Junior Soul.

With his rendition of A Change Gonna Come, Wayne Marshall (in this instance the vocalist) proved to be a star in the making and left one to ponder what change is he implying gonna come. Is there a controversy, at best, or at worst, a confusion, is brewing. For if he continues on this vein, what is going to happen when he begins to get billing alongside the high-riding deejay of the same name?
Junior Soul's stint of Everything I Own, Stand By Me, Penny For Your Song and Second Chance, constituted some of the enjoyable moments of the event.

Entertaining also was the showcasing of the finalists in the Community School Band competition won by Brown's Town High School, with runners-up Tacky High School and third Joy Music from Swallowfield in Kingston.

If you were to grade Derick Latibeaudiere's performance over his 13 years as Bank of Jamaica governor, what grade would he get?
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