Jamaica's Artistic Genius On Display

On the ultimate day of Kingston On The Edge- the two year old urban arts festival- held from June 20 through to June 28, two female artists successfully collaborated on an innovative mural project which set an example worth repeating all over Jamaica.

The aim of Red Rubberband, consisting of Allison Perkins and Keisha Castello, is to be bold with their social commentary, give voice to their expressions "outside the Eurocentric settings of our galleries and go beyond the focus on the traditional use of medium and shed more light on process, while getting the community involved".

Peace in our neighbourhoods

The project painted three murals in the Kingston metropolis- 79 East Street, the junction of Duke and Port Royal Street and the junction of North Avenue and Swallowfield Road. Everyone was invited to come with their brush and paints, just to express themselves. Keisha says, "We begged paints, bought paints, brushes, etc, persons from uptown, as well as residents from the local communities, turned up with paints, the interactions and energy of the day was amazing and now we running with the vibes that overflow, the project will continue until we done all the walls that can be done." I encourage everyone to visit one or all three of these murals and take note of the central messages coming through the participants calling for justice, protecting our women and children and peace in our neighbourhoods.

On June 24, Christopher's Jazz Bar and Maurice Gordon presented the Harold Butler Trio live. The patrons who attended this jam session will long remember it for the sheer brilliance of Harold's artistry on the keyboards. The trio consisting of Gordon on bass, Chris Tyrell on drums and Butler ended the first set with Satin Doll and an extended, jazzed up version of Push Come To Shove.

In the second set, Mfumbasi replaced Gordon as Bulter shook of the inhibitions, becoming more relaxed and expressive with his unique stylings on 'A' Train, Feel Like Making Love, I Wanna Love You. By the time he started playing Summertime Butler was well into his stew, keeping his audience riveted, fully attentive and eating it all up.

On the third set, the trio started with a soulful Cynthia Schloss hit, Love Me Forever. Butler proceeded to milk all the emotions inherent in the tune, to the point where tears began rolling down Winston Blake's cheeks. They gave us Oh Sweet Sensations, Napoleon's Solo, You Don't Know What It Means To Be Loved, Big Ship and Green Dolphin Street, in that order. Without a doubt, Harold Butler is the genuine stuff and we witnessed live, a true master at work. Butler is one of Jamaica's finest keyboardists and the coupling of him with musicians at least 25 years his junior was superb.

Over the years, Jamaica has produced its fair share of musical child prodigies. Vocalist Ana Strachan is one such. In 2002, having won the Jamaica leg of Hal Jackson's Talented Teens International Competition, she placed third in the international leg held in New York.

In 2003, she teamed with her younger sister Samantha, earning eight gold medals, two trophies, a plaque and the title of grand champion performers of the world at the World Championships of the Performing Arts, held in Burbank, California. Subsequently, Ana was honoured with the Prime Minister's Youth Award for excellence in the arts. This was followed in 2004 by Choices Magazine's young achiever of the year award.

She has already performed two opera and song recitals in Jamaica and a 'Mozart to Marley' concert, along with her sister in California, to rave reviews. In 2007, Ana sang at the seating of the California State Senate in Sacramento.

Ana is determined to hone her special gift to become an accomplished classical singer, but she needs philanthropic support. She is currently training in dance, acting as well as voice. Recently, she was accepted to a number of universities in the US. She has chosen to attend Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Georgia, beginning in fall 2008, majoring in music. I would urge some local public and private person or institution to endorse and support Ana in her quest and contribute to our cultural evolution.

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