Steps at 135 Orange Street going up to a dilapidated wooden building where musicians like Dennis Brown and Augustus Pablo used to gather. - Anthony Minott/Freelance Photographer

Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

The Downtown Kingston Reggae Music Heritage Tour was translated into dollars, cents and a sense of pride, after the inaugural run on Tuesday afternoon, asit was officially launched at the Kaieteure Restaurant.

With the Sounds and Pressure Committee's Colin Leslie hosting the function, Patrick Wong of the Kingston City Centre Improvement Committee (KCIC) said "This step that has been taken is the first step towards developing downtown Kingston." He said that the development of downtown Kingston rested on four areas: heritage (both music and history), culture, entertainment and business. "Music has put Jamaica on the map. We have not showcased it, we have not benefited from it. We want to make a music and cultural village in downtown Kingston," he said.

"Hopefully, we will make other steps and we will have a successful product at the end of it," Wong said.

New approach for people

The Kingston Restoration Company's (KRC) Morin Seymour said the tour "gives a fresh, new approach for the people of Kingston," while Tourism, Culture and Entertainment Minister Aloun Assamba said "We have a great city. We have a city that is vibrant. What I saw is that millions of dollars pass hands on a daily basis in Kingston."

"I think that this Sounds and Pressure tour is the catalyst," she said of future development of downtown Kingston, noting that there have been previous initiatives, but "this time it is coming from the ground up. It is not being imposed on the people who live here." There was applause from the gathering.

"As I walked up there the people kept saying you are safe. I knew I was safe. I felt safe," Assamba said, adding that people want to see opportunities and "I know they will protect the tour." Earlier, it had been pointed out that among the tour guides will be people from the areas that the tour will go through, Manny, a first-hand witness to much of the music's development, being already a part of the tour.

However, Olivia Grange, representing Opposition Leader Bruce Golding, pointed out the short-comings of the tour, as it did not include places like Chocomo Lawn and Arthur 'Duke' Reid's former Bond Street studio, also pointing out that Edward Seaga's role as a pioneering producer was left out.

"There is a lot to capture that I know you will capture. I commend you for starting," Grange said.

Later, she was assured by Sounds and Pressure's Kingsley Goodison, who gave the vote of thanks, that "we plan to go to the west."

He also said "There is space for other people to start a tour. As you know, nobody own the music. Let us work together. This is bigger than all of us."