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In The Spotlight, December 2007The season of Christmas in Jamaica means the opportunity to see the best Jamaica reggae artists of the year. The stars that come out at Jamaican Christmas are all on stage doing and giving their best, and there’s hardly a chance for a ‘farriner’ to touch a mike. Starting with Cindy Breakespeare and Rupert Bent’s “Welcome to Jamrock” for ‘uptown’, followed by Sharon Burke’s “Ice Cream” for the North Coast, the season has begun with a bang which this weekend will blaze some fiyah with the much-hyped “STING”. This year ‘STING” assembles a line-up that thankfully has more new than old faces. It’s going to be an interesting night out for lovers of all genres, especially dance hall, but from information on DiMario McDowell’s beautiful STING poster, this year will showcase young artists in “Starlight”, the “Beautiful ladies” divas, the “Pioneers” as well as “Dance Hall’s Finest” headlined by Jah Cure, Bounti and Beenie.
East Fest brings the Morgan Heritage family to the east again, promising a night of roots and culture that should bring out the crowds. December 30 promises the most interesting of all events – the Beres Hammond “A Moment In Time concert presented ‘in-the’round’ with seating around a central, circular stage. It’s going to be an extravaganza of a production, to be filmed for broadcast and DVD sales, and the ticket prices ensure that it will certainly be the red carpet event of the season.
The entire season of shows make a Jamaican Christmas unique, offering all forms of entertainment including theatre, dance and worship music. This is good. Despite the rapid slide towards a Christmas that seems livicated to the god of materialism, rather than the Holy Babe, our music industry is something Jamaica can be proud of and enjoy as our very special Christmas present. See you at the shows!
BIG UPs to all associated with the fund-raising drive to save the Ward Theatre. Ruby Martin must be praised for her steadfast single-mindedness that no matter the decay of Kingston’s capital, the preservation of the landmark building is essential to maintaining the theatrical history encapsulated therein, as well as the city’s prestige.
I remember the theatre at its glory, performing onstage in several Pantomimes, enjoying the world of theatre, working with such greats as Greta Fowler, Ranny Williams, Louise Bennett, Lois Kelly Barrow, Charlie Hyatt, Reggie Carter, Barbara Lewars, Neville Willoughby, the NDTC …. the list is endless of a place that was always in the spotlight.
I see Kingston’s Mayor McKenzie promising an upgrade of Parade with a re-designed park and new bus depot. I hope this happens quickly, as it is now an emergency situation to preserve what remains – not only of the Ward, but the entire historic square.
BigUps also to Fae Ellington for her energetic TV fundraising marathon that netted One Million for the Restoration Fund. May the contributions continue to flow.
Being among the team assisting the Minister responsible for entertainment, ‘Babsy’ Grange, gives me a good opportunity to hear what she’s thinking and doing on the subject. I was therefore interested to hear her speak on the Audiomaxxx piracy at the East Fest launch recently. For those who may not know, Audiomaxxx is a Canadian-based website that sells Jamaican music – especially dancehall – with permission of or payment of royalties to the owners and creators. That’s called piracy.
When asked about it by the Recording Industry Association of Jamaica (RIAJam) the owner of Audiomaxxx responded with an ‘n-word’ expletive that “Jamaicans are too dumb to manage themselves.” Appeals to the Canadian Recording Industry have received little response from locals including Vybz Kartel, who I understand has taken legal action. The fact that the Jamaican Government has entered the picture, gives a new level on which this important issue of electronic piracy can be tackled.
I also heard the Minister speak at the launch of ‘Campfire' on the issue of Payola, which she says is stifling the ambitions of new artists with good music who can’t enter the media without this under-the-table feature of the industry. I certainly don’t envy her task in trying to eradicate it, but she’s asked the Broadcasting Commission to contemplate ways to deal with the problem, when she met with them at a recent retreat.
