By Mel Cooke, Freelance WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
THERE WERE noises, as musician and poet M'Bala termed his percussive-laden second piece, and voices from singers Nateesha Stream, Willie Bob and Jeremiah at the Rootz Lounge last Friday night.
'Spoken', attracting a faithful, enthusiastic following in its
second month, presented a mix of the spoken and sung word at ICOWAL Texaco (intersection of Old Hope Road and Mountain View Avenue, St. Andrew). The singing, however, leaned towards the poetic, with guitars and strong, image-filled lyrics the order of the evening.
Imara, using roots reggae tracks, was one of the exceptions, singing his feelings of being Ten Feet Tall with fervour and expression. There was a dramatic switch from recorded music to the live multi-instrument
musicianship of M'bala. Seated in the midst of his instruments, he started with A tribute to all the people who make Jamaica one of the places with the most churches per square mile. With that, to the accompaniment of a tambourine, M'Bala stated Mi cyan get no wuk/hungry a tear off mi shut/Yu know what/Mi a go start a chuch.
The words hit home immediately, even as M'Bala continued: Rope een two bredren/An a whole heap a sistren fi do de wuk/Lick a tambourine/An ketch likkle spirit/And start a chuch, breaking into a chant on the penultimate line. Me no want no wuk/in God me trust/Help me/Help me start a chuch, M'Bala concluded, extending the tambourine like a collection plate.
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL PIECE
Noise followed, then a humourous, figurative autobiographical piece, advising And when you get to all those blank pages/Your imagination will be much more exciting.
Another instrument poem this time blown was announced as 'prelude to wud boom', Wud Boom itself turning his words into missiles. The missiles, however, harm the speaker, as M'Bala concluded An now mi tongue blood up/An mi teet dem crooked/From premature exploding wud. Reaching into a musical treasure bag a black carry all M'Bala continued with Dis A Me, a delight in self-definition without boundaries.
He ended with the drums and Dancing In The Moonlight, the tempo and intensity varying with the mood of the words, as M'Bala looked for and found A piece of grass/Open to the night sky/And that's where you will find me/Dancing in the moonlight, the full house prancing along with him.
TURN OF PHRASE
Singers Nateesha Stream and Willie Bob came between poets, Abebe being next to deliver poetry. He moved the audience with a steady stream of images and exquisite turn of phrase, first exhorting all to action with Yu sleep long enough wise up/Cock done crow/Three times too. Work is worship, Abebe advised.
Modern existence felt the edge of his wit, as Abebe observed TV watching you/Peeping from behind the screen and offered a solution with Watch it/Mek mi wash off yu face with antiseptic verbs. Religion got a cutting blow, as he said Yu a cry to a dog turn backway.
Nutrition was the topic of choice for Abebe's second
poem, which advised on how to Get de limbs dem limber, yet acknowledged laziness with Nuff want fish/No want fishing line.
He ended a very well received stint with a love poem, which described the emotion as Clouds hugging up the mountain/Wrapped up in blue blanket, the delivery being
interrupted by sporadic,
spontaneous bursts of applause. How can I impress someone who is so perfect? Abebe asked,
concluding that he would offer The only treasure I possess/My heart.
JAH CHILDREN'S CONCLUSION
Jah Children, comprising Joel Ellis as poet, Shemai playing guitar and singing, and Hunter as deejay, concluded the night's poetic fare. The singer set the tone and the topic, singing to a special lady You light up my room/Every time you smile/I tell you we can work it out. Ellis picked up on the theme with Hello you/Sexy stringbean you/Glowing in your body so bright/I have to wear shades...
to the delight of the audience. Hunter changed the theme as he deejayed of Jamaica the land of wood and water/Now it has become kill and slaughter, balancing his hardcore delivery with the guitar.
Shemai again started out with the music and the topic, that Jah will be there for me, Ellis following with the observation that Life is like Big Ben without battery, Hunter wrapping up with a series of negative observations around the refrain Dat no soun like we, followed by a series of positive ones (Whe dem see we an we empress around Dat soun like we.
Nateesha Stream held nothing back in doing You Give Good Love, her strong voice conveying the emotions and her body moving from taut to relaxed and back with the varying intensity of the song.
Jeremiah took a look at the proposed U.S. Embassy in Liguanea with The Intrusion of Liguanea, observing that You can't build an embassy/Without a cornerstone of honesty. Psalm 23 was followed by his concluding song of comfort, that There will be wars and rumours of war/So don't be alarmed.
'Spoken' continues this Friday.
