Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Rupert Bent and Cindy Breakspeare - FILE
THE JAMAICA Ocho Rios Jazz Festival started its celebration of Jazz Month, as June has been dubbed, with a free community jazz concert in Emancipation Park on Wednesday, the first of the month. This year, the 15th annual staging, the festival operates under the theme 'History of Jazz' with the tagline, 'straight no chaser'.
The evening included a tribute to the festival's founder, Sonny Bradshaw, including a citation read by Marjorie Whylie. The Friends of Jazz also paid homage to Bradshaw who was missing as he was in the United Kingdom with his ailing wife Myrna Hague.
There were also performances by the Brown's Town High School Big Band, the Jose Marti Technical High School band, Dr. Kathy Brown, Maurice Gordon Jazz, Desi Jones and Friends, Dwight Richards, and Houston Person.
The main events of the festival takes place over nine days, starting Saturday, June 11 with another community free concert, this time at Faiths Pen food stop at 4:00 p.m. A jazz and classical music concert is also scheduled for Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios at 5:00 p.m.
The first main event for the festival opens on Sunday, June 12 at its regular home the Almond Tree Hibiscus Lounge with Opening Jazz Day. The all-inclusive event will feature a wives and lovers segment seeing the musical coupling of Rupert Bent and Cindy Breakspeare, Peter Ashbourne and Rosina Moder, Karen Smith and Jackie Jackson and Susan and Peter Couch.
Opening day will also feature the return of the Ska Revival, this time featuring the Unique Vision band. Performances by Ginetta's Vendetta Quartet, Konig Quartet, The Jamaica Big Band, Barbara Cadet, and Diamara Neil are also scheduled.
Events are scheduled for each day throughout the week in both Kingston and Ocho Rios. In Ocho Rios there will be daily free concerts combined with Jazz in the Market at Barbara's bar, Entertainment Manager's Cocktails at Almond Tree- Hibiscus Lodge, and Gospel and Jazz at Almond Tree.
Kingston's events include Poetry and Jazz at Weekenz Bistro, Jazz Lunch at Star Apples restaurant, the UTECH Blues Concert, a Night at Redbones Blues Café and the JAVA Jazz session. The South Coast Jazz dinner, Treasure Beach, also returns.
The festival culminates on Father's Day at Almond Tree Hibiscus Lounge with a mixture of jazz, ska and blues. The Eric Alexander Quartet, Dr. Kathy Brown and Friends, the Antelope Valley Big Band, and the Idan Raichel Project Israel bring jazz. Errol Lee and the Bare Essentials will be in charge of the day's ska revival while Barbara Walker, Mark Pritchett will come armed with the blues.
