The heavy injection of emerging acts into the line-up of the just-concluded Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival is something the organisers are extremely proud of.

The festival’s co-executive producer Marcia McDonnough noted that over the years the event has always had a vested interest in unearthing and showcasing young talent. This was first executed via the talent stage which was a separate stage on which young acts would perform during the breaks on the main stage.

This year, there was Band Quest. Under this initiative, there was an open call for emerging acts to audition to perform on the virtual festival and the final decision was based on votes by fans.

“That’s one of the things I think we can be most proud about. Me personally, I’ve always been involved in the talent stage. When we had it physically we used to go around and have auditions in various places around the island. It has always been a pleasure to see the artistes and see them grow, especially if they come on the stage and get noticed. That’s always great. So I am really and truly pleased with what we have achieved this year in terms of that, and also one of the advantages of being virtual and online is that the exposure is greater because the numbers are greater. We would not have been able to physically have so many people in the stadium. And it’s not only Jamaica, it’s all over,” said McDonnough.

McDonnough told the Jamaica Observer that her team is pleased with the festival as transpired from March 4 to 6. She added that to date there have been about 200,000 views of the festival on the various YouTube platforms.

“The truth is we really were looking at the views at one week later to be in the region of 300,000 views. Right now we are almost there just a few days after the festival so we are pleased, as we could definitely hit our target, so it’s not looking bad at all… we are pleased,” she said.

And of the festival in general? McDonnough, who has been associated with the festival in various capacities since its inception in 1996, noted that while she knew what was planned and what they hoped for, watching everything come together as a package was a highlight for her.

“It’s absolutely fabulous. We are so thrilled. This has been a long road, and at a point we didn’t know if we would get to the end of the road, but here we are. It has been so satisfying. Hearing the comments, seeing how everybody has been enjoying themselves, just seeing the performances come together as one thing and really shining out there. We are overwhelmed… we are grateful,” said McDonnough.

The Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival returned after a five-year break. This year’s event was licensed to McDonnough and her co-executive producer Adrian Allen by event owner Walter Elmore, who staged the festival for a number of years.

This year’s event which was staged virtually, due to restrictions to stem the spread the novel strain of the coronavirus, saw strong performances from local, regional and international acts, and was a delicate mix of emerging and established artistes.

Thursday’s opening night was a full slate of emerging acts and saw strong performances from Joe Davis, 8 the Band, Keturah “Soul Flautist” Grey, Iron Kyte and Roots Percussionist. Night two was all about the ladies, with memorable performances from Lila Ike, Jah9, and Moon. Mortimer, and Eye of the Brainstorm also put in strong showings. On the final night, it was all about Sevana who presented a delightful set, which had the virtual audience abuzz. Richie Stephens, Jon Secada, and regional invitees Teddyson John Project from St Lucia and Trinidad’s Freetown Collective also put in strong showings.

McDonnough is hopeful that the strong performances and the overall success of this inaugural virtual staging of the festival will augur well for sponsorship in the years to come.

“One of the words a lot of people have been using to describe the festival is ‘fresh’. So [I] hope that this will translate to our ability to attract sponsorship in the coming years, as sponsors will see that we can produce a high-quality event. Attracting sponsorship this year was rough. The truth is virtual is new and so not a lot of people know how to embrace and get the best out of it. Then there is COVID and everybody is watching their budget. So for the sponsors who came on board we are extremely thankful, as you helped us to showcase what we always knew was possible,” said McDonnough.

Over the years, the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival has seen performances by a plethora of local and international stars. Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Ziggy Marley, Diana Ross, John Legend, Alicia Keys, India.Arie, Norah Jones, The Pointer Sisters, Beres Hammond, Marion Hall and Toni Braxton are among the acts who have taken to the event’s stage.