By Tanya Batson, Staff Reporter 
The Maurice Gordon Quartet provided jazz-inflected folk and reggae music at Culturefest, presented by the Cari-Folk Singers last weekend at the Little Theatre. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
AS JAMAICANS continue to bemoan the loss of our culture, which we believe is being brutalised by a wave of slackness, lawlessness and cable television, The Cari-folk Singers suggested that all in not lost. Not yet anyway.
Last weekend, the folk group, which has been performing for over 28 years, staged Culturefest.
The event was staged in an attempt by the singers to once more make it to the Choir Olympics, in which they did very well last year. The Choir Olympics are scheduled to take place from October 19 to 28, in Busan, South Korea. Last year, at the first staging, The Cari-folk singers won three medals, one gold and two silver.
To aid in their presentation of Jamaican culture, The Cari-folk Singers invited The Maurice Gordon Quartet, Bello and Blacka, Amina Blackwood-Meeks and The Tony Wilson School of Modern Dance to share the stage. This proved to be a very wise decision. The result was a pleasant evening dedicated to variety.
However, the best thing about the evening was that it did not define culture as a static or, worse yet, dead thing.
This, very much, came clearly across in Amina Blackwood-Meeks' performance. The much respected storyteller delivered two tales. The first told of how man came to be made, the second told about why cockroaches and chickens hate each other, although they used to be best friends.
Interestingly, although the tales are told in the folk tradition, Blackwood-Meeks wove in bits of contemporary information which served to make them even more relevant. Among these was a 'compasionateness' joke as well as that Andrew's Salts ad, wherein Harry had 'too much party last night'.
She also kept the audience's interest by involving them in the telling of the tale, much in the folk tradition. The Nine Night song Cockroach Build A 3 Foot Wall, as well as the work song Manuel Road were also worked into her piece. Both used audience participation.
Comedy was also a feature of the evening with the jokes of Owen 'Blacka' Ellis and Winston 'Bello' Bell. The duo began their routine with Mi Owna Visa, a parody of Mona Lisa, which looks at Jamaicans' desperate need to get their own visas, and their willingness to use fake ones in the meantime. They then went through a few other jokes, including the delivery of the classic pick-up line, "Each time I look at you the bowels of my heart sends forth a diarrhoea of emotions."
They ended their sketch with Bringin in Di Weed.
Dance, jazz and dub poetry were also brought to the stage. In the segment titled 'All That Jazz' the Maurice Gordon Quartet delivered Linstead Market, Jamaica Flora, Three Little Birds and Moving With Your Love. Young students from the Tony Wilson School of Modern Dance then moved the house with three dances, including a solo piece. Dub poetry was provided by Black X.
The Cari-folk Singers performed in three segments. Their first performance was titled 'Tenament Woes' which dealt with all the issues that arise out of the shared housing or 'big yard' phenomenon. In this segment they performed Dry Wedda House, Hog Inna Mi Coco, Missa Potta, Dandy Shandy, Bad Madan Law and Buggy Bruk.
The second set of folk songs which the group performed, which came after the intermission, was titled 'Market Day'. In this segment, Market Day, Solas Market, Balancey O, Breadfruit, Boysie, Murder in the Market and One Han Caan Clap were performed.
The singers then closed the evening's performances with a segment titled 'We Da Rock So'. In this segment, The Cari-folk Singers turned their attention to the issue of romance and other relationship issues. This segment featured Charley Marley, Bilban, One Solja Man, Fan Mi Solja Man, Banyan Tree and Matilda.
The Cari-folk Singers have managed to still make the songs come across as interesting, even though many of them have been heard countless times. Of course, they sound nothing like the way they do when most persons are introduced to them in school. However, given that your average child was possibly more interested in making noise and having fun, that should not be surprising. Additionally, there were just sufficient injections of drama to bring the songs to life, often highlighting their humorous undertones.
