By Mel Cooke, Freelance WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
LIVE MUSIC and poetry blended to warm a chilly Weekenz Bistro and Bar on Constant Spring Road, St. Andrew, on Tuesday night.
The Pocket band from Washington DC effectively brought the night to an end with a very good musical blend, with thumping bass and pounding drums dominating for a reggae beat. They tipped a poem into the mix as well, but the bulk of the night's spoken word input was left to Glen 'La Pluma Negra' Laughton, who put his 'pornographic memory' on display.
A 'resident poet', as hostess Connie Bell, introduced him, set the pace with three poems, the penultimate ending with the refrain 'We are one' and the last celebrating the fact that 'I'm so free, free like I want to be.'
Laughton read a piece about poetry events, commenting intermittently that 'poets rush the microphone', then went on to a new piece celebrating the carnal. Hi, my name is Glen/And I have a pornographic memory, he stated. His poetic self-concept was that I see myself as the invisible man/king of the flies on the wall' and he saw the world through pupils which are 'students of lust/working hard at their masters.
The bonfire crackled even as the chill settled over a gathering that was not quite a crowd, yet more than sufficient to be called a decent audience. They were attentive as well, as Laughton read I Am in which he stated "I won't apologise for I an' I, Gemini'. The cold obviously did not affect Laughton, as he turned up the lyrical blaze with a poetic comment that "I feel Ta-Ta tonight.' He restrained his appetite, though, as 'I have resolved not to take you from your flesh/I am still fasting.'
SEAMLESS TRANSFER
With that he ended and gave way to Mutabaruka, who played a Shaggy ode to the ladies with the Coca-Cola bottle shape, even as The Pocket band put the finishing touches on their sound. There was a seamless transfer from record to live music, as the drummer picked up perfectly on the beat and, the tuning complete, it was time to bring them on.
Some big names were mentioned in their introduction Paul Simon, Beenie Man, Luciano - but when the lead singer and one of two guitarists opened the first lines of Satisfy My Soul it was clear that they needed no props to rest upon. "My soul is older than the Dead Sea Scrolls/Don't care if you are driving a Benz or a Rolls," lead singer Omar sang in his distinctive voice and all sat up and took notice. Especially when they mixed down the music and Omar 'rode it' like a veteran.
The reggae influence was immediately obvious, but there was more than a hint of what is loosely called 'world music'.
Let Go of the Ghetto in Soweto was written from an experience travelling through South Africa around the time apartheid was officially ending. Omar put down his guitar, leaving the Jamaican born Big T to handle the strumming alone, as he settled into the song on a wicked reggae bassline. "They come from England and they think that they are pure/Land their ship on the Cape of Good Hope" Omar sang of the invaders.
They segued into the Willie Williams classic Armageddeon and Weekenz rocked along.
Rise Up, with references to places like Mozambique and Tibet, followed, then a swerve into R&B came with the start of We Will Never Be Unhappy Again - then came rock style guitars.
The sole poetic piece was The Second Half of My Life, in which "my crossover dribble/will be played by Iverson" and The Pocket Band stayed in the same vein with Headers. The anti-suicide song declared "Not go take no headers/not go jump off no bridge" in an unplugged style, most of the band taking a break as Big T supplied the music.
R&B segued into reggae on Lila Rose and a touching song done for Omar's sister's wedding followed. The audience listened carefully as they took it down and down on the refrain 'everything is OK', then applauded enthusiastically as the song ended.
The Pocket Band ended a very good set with Medicine, a ballad of lost love featuring an excellent guitar solo from Big T and two young ladies gave them a well deserved standing ovation.
Most of the audience left after the band, but those who remained enjoyed a slew of Sizzla selections by Mutabaruka.
