Cliff
Barbara Ellington, Senior Gleaner Writer
WHO WOULD have thought that the
country boy who left Somerton, St. James, to attend Kingston Technical High School (KTHS), would over 40 years later have one Grammy statuette to his name and his fourth nomination to boot?
Not many, perhaps, but that is part of the fabric of singer/songwriter Jimmy Cliff's colourful life.
Cliff remembers that many of the mathematical concepts he learnt in the one year he spent at KTHS, as well as well as the earlier lessons from his father, have made him an astute businessman today. But he left the formal schoolroom to pursue his musical passions, and the result is 23 albums and countless hits.
LYRICAL GENIUS
His lyrical genius is also favoured by many of the music industry's most famous names, including Bruce Springsteen, Cher and Annie Lennox.
Cliff spoke with The Sunday Gleaner about his latest CD, Black Magic, and gave his heartfelt feelings on the prestigious Grammy nomination.
"This is my fourth nomination; I got one for Power and the Glory; one for Cliffhanger (the one he won)," he said. He does not display the statuette.
Cliff makes no bones about the fact that Jamaican music has become a force to be reckoned with in the world, and he is a part of that force but, he says, "the Grammy is supposed to be about honour and, if they are really honouring us, they should show us on television like everyone else. Even though it carries commercial and other value, (from the nomination to the win), the essence of it is not truly there until reggae winners are shown to the world like all other artistes. That's how I feel".
He said the statuette is usually collected by a representative of the artiste's record company. Cliff further stated that other categories get the same treatment like reggae and he thinks it's because the Grammys have huge commercial appeal. What sells most are pop, rock and roll, rhythm and blues and now rap music. The latter was not included in the early days but it has now become such a big commercial force that there is a Grammy for it.
OUR OWN INT'L AWARDS
Does Cliff think that like Country Music Awards and the Latin Grammy Awards, we need our own international awards?
"With the available technology, we should be able to do it; our music is a force that has come and will not go away. It's one art form that is indigenous to Jamaica and it will only get stronger. We created it and, with the advent of dancehall, it keeps expanding and adding a new dimension to it," he said.
Nominations for Grammys are put forward by the artistes' record companies, but this one was a surprise for Cliff. Black Magic was released in the United States last August giving it enough time to make this year's cut.
An early favourite, Love Comes, features singer Annie Lennox. It is one of many duets on the CD. Cliff admits he does not do many love songs and this cut is not only about one-to-one love, but of love that comes to the rescue in many forms.
"That song came to me in 30 minutes. I was in the studio with Dave Stewart and the CD needed another song. He started to play, I started to sing and that was it. I love when songs come spontaneously, because those are usually some of the greatest," Cliff told The Sunday Gleaner.
Another Stewart/Cliff collaboration on the CD, Jamaica Time, was also a spontaneous creation and came about the first time he met the Englishman. Cliff says though from different cultures, many foreign musicians study Jamaican music and know a great deal about our history. The song just speaks to the uniquely Jamaican pace at which we do everything.
This writer's favourite, The City, utilises a haunting melody in which the singer's tones echo those heard on Many Rivers to Cross, Sitting Here in Limbo and Bongo Man. It has a haunting quality that pulls the listener in.
In his words, this song speaks to what the city Kingston means to Jimmy Cliff and turns into homage to and respect for other cities seen on his travels or in his imagination. "A city is a city; city vibes can be hard or inspiring for me. Kingston was both for me. This is my personal tribute to Kingston," Cliff said.
SEPTEMBER 11
Why did Cliff choose such a tragic event as 9/11 as the subject for Terror?
He admits to being warned against it, but felt the need to comment on the subject. "It's a major thing in the 21st Century; the song says exactly how I felt watching the scene unfold on television. I really thought it was a movie when the planes hit the building and I went to thinking that a superhero would come and save the day," he said reliving the moments with the emotions swelling in his voice.
But when he sat down to write, the serious aspect of the song came from the Bible's book of Revelation and, being an avid reader of that book, he made a connection between events occurring in heaven and on earth.
Over the Border holds special meaning for Cliff , who teamed up with Joe Strummer, founder of the English group 'The Clash', and who was inspired by reggae.
Fantastic Plastic People is self-explanatory and the singer stresses that it came out of his observations that in today's society, it is not very easy to be oneself. The lyrics spell out all the effects of the craze to alter various physical and other attributes.
The World is Yours took some time to complete, but Cliff admits that some albums can take only six months from concept to completion while others can take longer, depending on how the juices are flowing.
THE FUTURE
Ideas are already there for the next CD. For now, a DVD is at the forefront of his thoughts, as well as two music videos. But Cliff also plans to write a book on his life in the music industry. On Friday, February 4, he opened the first in a series of fund-raising concerts for the University of the West Indies (UWI).
Black Magic is getting positive response from fans in the United States and Cliff hopes it will gain momentum in the spring and summer. It has longevity and the record company feels positive about it. It will be repackaged and launched in England next month and Cliff will go on
a six-week American tour, starting mid-February.
He does not target any one audience, but has an appeal across the borders of music genres. For the February concert, he hopes to do more than three new songs from the new CD because he was gratified that the Jamaican audience responded as if they knew the three cuts he did.
And in response to those who marvel at his ability to perform for over two hours without wilting, Cliff says he will go on as long as the audience is feeling him and vice-versa. "I could do another two hours. I am a professional. This is my career and I must have learnt something. I am not a yesterday man or Johnny-come-lately; it's experience, discipline, how much you have learnt your craft and how much you still enjoy what you do," he said.
He said if a singer is on stage or doing it for economics, people will pick it up. If the artiste knows what his purpose is and if it's a higher calling, it motivates that artiste to do his best.
Cliff said he's at a turning point and a building stage in Jamaica, and will make decisions to perform based on what comes up.
