By Tanya Batson-Savage, Staff ReporterTHE 'JAMAICA Ocho Rios Jazz Festival' had its first installation on Sunday afternoon with a 'Jazz Brunch' at Boon Hall Oasis. The Oasis is nestled in the hills of St. Andrew and was the perfect setting for Jazz and a little 'bickle' on a Sunday afternoon.
The bandstand was under a grove of trees with a rivulet in the background and the clamour of June bugs providing its own music whenever there was a break in the jazz. It was the perfect setting in which one could forget frightening ideas like the addition of General Consumption Tax to books in a country with high level of illiteracy.
The live entertainment segment of the day got underway after noon, at which point Sonny Bradshaw, the leader of the Jamaica Big Band and organiser of the jazz festival, took over the microphone. "Today's operation is quite different," said Sonny Bradshaw. "It is not a jam session." Instead the plan was for the artistes to perform a few pieces, every hour.
In a pleasant twist of fate, however, they were unable to stick with the plan and something quite akin to a jam session resulted. The change was due to the late start of the entertainment part of the event. The entertainment was scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m., but according to Bradshaw, the absence of an audience dictated the late start.
PERFORMANCES
By 12:30, however, the dining space beneath the quaint zinc-roofed shed was beginning to be filled and the musicians were ready to get underway. The afternoon saw performances by Marjorie Whylie on drums and keyboard; Sonny Bradshaw on trumpet; Byard Lancaster on flute and tenor saxophone; Nambo Robinson on trombone; Desi Jones on congo drums; Dean Fraser on saxophone; Vivian Scott on trumpet; Harold Davis on keyboard and Calvin Mitchell and Noel Seale on percussions.
As such, the afternoon featured largely instrumental performances. Songs such as Satamassagana, Somewhere Over The Rainbow and Ain't No Sunshine wafted through the air.
Vocals were provided by Myrna Hague, Sonny
Bradshaw and Nambo Robinson. Hague performed Misty while Bradshaw mixed his trumpet performance with My Little Red Top. Robinson performed one of the shortest sets and mixed his trombone contributions with his single vocal performance, It's Only A Paper Moon.
The musicians performed in a series of combinations which almost seemed haphazard but which blended in perfect timing and harmony. They performed as solos, duets, trios and as many combinations as there were performers.
The jazz festival officially starts next Sunday at the Jazz Village, Almond Tree Hibiscus Lodge in Ocho Rios, St. Ann. Even before the official opening day festivities, there will be another event, however.
Next Saturday will feature a 'Jazz Motorcade' from Faith's Pen through to Tower Isle for the 'Jazz Dinner' featuring Mr. C and Trudy Pitts at Glen's Jazz Club. From then a series of activities will take place across the island. As Bradshaw explained to the audience, Ocho Rios is the base, but the festival will meander across the island. Along with the major concerts which are scheduled to take place in Kingston, Ocho Rios, and Montego Bay, St. James, there will also be daily free concerts at the Island Village Centre in Ocho Rios.
The performers from the 'Jazz Brunch' will be engaging in other performances during the festival. The brunch was a good start to the 13th renewal of the festival.
