IN an effort to satisfy its Montego Bay patrons, organisers of Tracks Live Sessions will be taking the series to the Second City this year.

According to Gary Matalon, CEO of the KLE Group, the series will be alternated between Kingston and Montego Bay. No definitive date was given for the MoBay jaunt.

“We have the entire year planned out and we will release the dates in due course as well as the artiste line-up; we’re still sorting through the contracts and all of that right now. It was important to introduce it to MoBay because (Usain Bolt’s) Tracks and Records is about an elevated, entertainment experience. When we built Tracks and Records, we wanted to be a platform for reggae music and provide opportunities for young artistes to get exposure and showcase their material,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

The last Tracks Live Sessions was held on December 12. It was headlined by Tanya Stephens and also featured dancehall deejay Serani and up-and-coming singer Jamila Falak.

It was a homecoming performance for Stephens who opened at the first live show series held at the Market Place eatery back in 2012. Matalon says his team had to reintroduce her to their latest live series.

“Tanya is in a class by herself. She epitomises reggae/dancehall and she has a legendary catalogue of work; you could tell from the way the patrons responded to her while she was on stage. That is the type of performance that we’re looking for at Tracks Live Sessions,” he said.

Her near 90-minute performance was a mixture of rendering some of her most popular hits, telling anecdotes, and interacting with the packed audience. She was especially successful in connecting with the females in attendance who sang along to every verse of What’s Your story, It’s A Pity, After You and Can’t Breathe. Upon request from an audience member, she also performed Way Back and These Streets.

Matalon expressed delight about the continued success of the series.

“It was another successful staging. All artistes were diverse and unique. The vibe and the energy were up to standard. This one was different from the first staging (in September) because of the energy that each artiste brought; Tanya with her storytelling and humour and Lila (Ike) with her twist, even Serani… Many people have been reaching out about Jamila Falak, asking where they can get her music and so on; Tracks Live Sessions was a great platform for her to showcase her talent,” he said.

Matalon said the support for Tracks Live Sessions so far has been overwhelming.

“Many people have expressed their gratitude that we brought back a live performance show. Patrons love that they are able to connect with some of their favourite artistes. When we built Tracks and Records we really had a vision to provide a space where there could be more intimate performances; patrons are able to see the facial expressions of the artistes and just have that connection,” he said.