John & Zola were my guides

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

Sunday, December 19, 2010


I met John Maxwell sometime in 1973, through my (soon-to-be) wife, Deninee, who, at the time, was a Jamaica Information Service television producer. The Press Association of Jamaica then ran a very popular members' club off Hope Road, and there, nightly, John, Terry Smith and Ben Brodie, mostly held sway, debating the significant news of the day and all other subjects under the sun. Mercilessly, they would quickly join forces and take on all others who dared to invite themselves into the conversation with a contrary viewpoint.

If some business or political executive stopped by, to sound out a new idea, policy or plan, prior to announcing it publicly, as the powers that be often did in those days, they had better have thoroughly done their homework, because John and his cohorts would immediately don the sceptic's mantle. Their grilling was not only rigorous, but John's was often caustic in its sarcasm.

Over the years, I witnessed many a politician and their allies, intellects, academics and company directors, making a quick exit from the Press Club, displaying utter frustration, or worse, exasperation at not being able to sustain their position, in the wake of the battery of statistics and facts that would be reeled off, in rapid fire, from the collective armoury of John and company.

The friendship between John and I grew, and by 1976, our families were spending most Sunday afternoons together in Stony Hill, either at his home (with Mary and two kids), or that of Colin, Elaine Wint-Leslie and their daughter Aliya. The group was sometimes joined by John's cousin, Richard Thelwell and his lovely wife Hope, Elaine (Molly) Wallace, Jean Wilson, Richard and Marlene Daley... and we often plotted to save the world from itself. On one of those afternoons, John said to us, "To truly break the shackles off the Blackman's mind, we have to go beyond teaching him about the injustices of slavery, lift the veil, and expose the hidden truth of our contribution to civilisation on all continents, since the glory days of Egypt."

He introduced me to Ivan Van Sertima, our own JA Rogers, Cheikh Anta Diop, and John G Jackson. In doing so, John Maxwell opened up a new world to me and sent me on a lifelong quest for knowledge of Ancient Africans' real and lasting accomplishments in architecture and the construction of monumental structures that have withstood the ages, astrology, mathematics and physics, medicine, water management and distribution for irrigation and domestic use, agriculture, the original conceptualisation and development of states and democracy. John was convinced (as am I) that Africans traded with Jamaican Tainos, integrated and established settlements here, long before Columbus dockeded on these shores. As physical evidence, he spoke of the existence of a mini-Pyramid, on an old plantation, somewhere in the hills of St Ann, which historians mistakenly assume had been built by the British, because they had incorporated it into other works.

Our archaeologists should research and correct this falsehood, then place a plaque nearby, in John's honour. The last time he and I spoke, he said, "Charles, it looks like we are the only two dinosaurs left in the press, everyone else is running from their past." It was his classic play on words. Was he referring to my smoking (of cigarettes)?

Before completing this article, however, I must also pay tribute to Zola Burse, who although American by birth fell in love with all things Jamaican, and adopted its cultural mores with passion. Sadly, he passed away in Florida on December 14.

More than any other single person, as production manager for many years, Zola was initially responsible for steering the technical transformation of Reggae Sunsplash, from a first rate local production, to a first-world production in a third-world country. As the Synergy executive directly responsible for this area of the festival, I will forever be grateful, not only for his guidance, but his willingness, in good faith, to put his reputation on the line, with suppliers, in the interest of the festival.

In instances that I remember, vital equipment required, in our thrust to employ the latest, cutting-edge technology, would not even have left the USA, had he not taken personal responsibility for the lease thereof. Zola had grown up in the American Pop Music business and he personally knew most of the major suppliers of concert equipment, including stage, light, sound and band-gear. Over time, he willingly introduced these providers to me, as I built my own independent reputation with them.

Zola was also the production manager for the Sunsplash World Tours. In this regard, he effectively taught us all, including Tony Johnson, the technical and organisational principles, tasks, details and sequences essential to producing a successful tour. He was tour manager for Maxi Priest and Beres Hammond for years, right up to this summer's tour season.

Walk good my friends, peace and love.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com


Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/John-and-Zola-were-my-guides_8242043#ixzz18cKJpVga

Cultural Bright Sparks

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

THE festive season in Jamaica has already begun. It is certainly good to see that a significant number of our artistes have obtained bookings for local and international shows. I say this against the background of 2010 having been quite a challenging one for the Jamaican music industry.

There are however, some bright sparks in our cultural landscape that point the way forward and give us reason for continued hope of better days ahead. For example, Gyptian whose international career is literally booming, after some years of it seeming to have reached a plateau, with unfulfilled potential, given his incredible talent, song-writing skills and charisma. Protégé's career too, has experienced a relative transformation from near obscurity to national headlines and successful singles. Queen Ifrica, Etana, Cherine Anderson, Stephen di Genius and Chino all continue to go from strength to strength, while being excellent cultural ambassadors of which the nation can justly be proud.

They have been able to steer their careers, absent of the kind of adverse controversies and publicity, which too often stymie the ability of our artistes to consistently tap into the international tour circuit.

The Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes and Affiliates continues to pursue its mandate with incredible work on behalf of its members; deepening its roots and leadership within the industry. This year, in particular, their shows have led the way in setting new standards for the industry. We all owe Frankie Campbell and his team a debt of gratitude for their unswerving dedication to providing employment opportunities and insurance benefits to that segment of our fraternity.

Over the last two months, Lenworth 'Squeeze' Samuels and Kingsley Cooper have joined together to produce one of the most refreshing weekly dance parties to have hit the circuit in a long time. Called 98/38, it has blasted off with some great oldies in a comfortable, laid-back environment, with excellent service. Each week Squeeze digs into his extensive catalogue and delivers many gems, mixed in his own inimitable style.

On the horizon for this month, there is a new, very innovative addition to the traditional fare. Recently, I was informed by the principals of Nanook Enterprises, that along with The Wright Agency and NSWMA, they will be producing a multi-disciplinary cultural series of events called Half Way Tree Live. This will be staged in the Mandela Park from December 13-19. The programme is family-oriented and geared towards the Christmas holidays.

For the seven days, temporary infrastructure and equipment will be installed, transforming Mandela Park into a cultural mecca. The venue will be used to stage creative dances, drama, music, comedy and other cultural forms. There will be an open-air theatre, a craft, art, jewellery village, and a culture yard, all aimed at the noble cause of assisting to further entrench Jamaica's local culture and heritage in the new generation.

Over the years, this venue has been regretfully, under-utilised. However, it was recently renovated and is beautifully maintained by the NSWMA, under the watchful eyes of that powerful, petite dynamo, Joan Gordon-Webley, who continues to amaze with what she has been able to accomplish island-wide, since taking up that office.

Speaking of which, Dr Michael Barnett has started a campaign, and has already won the active support of the Institute of Jamaica, to extend the official period during which we highlight our heritage, and celebrate our heroes, from one week to the entire month of October. This column wholeheartedly supports this thrust, after all, if we can dedicate a month to annual the celebration of Reggae, certainly our heritage deserves our national focus, for more than a week per year. Off the bat, the thought occurs to me, that so much of our pioneers and standard-bearers remain unsung, while too much of us, especially our youth, are ignorant of critical aspects of Jamaica's contribution to world history.

We could possibly devote a week to Jamaicans in the Diaspora, one week to agriculture, science and technology, one to the arts, and one to social/political achievements. This should certainly be a no-brainer for our legislators to expedite the necessary amendments to the act establishing Heritage Week, in time to implement a programme of activities commencing in 2011, as a build-up to our 50th year of Independence the ensuing year, especially when elections will be in the air.

Email:che.campbell@gmail.com


Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Cultural-bright-sparks_8210860#ixzz17RONphhx

Rastafari complacency

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

Sunday, November 21, 2010


AS I surveyed the artiste fraternity backstage at Gregory Issacs tribute show, held at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre on Thursday, November 18, I couldn't help thinking what a positive force Rastafari has been in channelling the minds of Jamaican youth, especially many of those who have become involved in the cultural industries, since the 1960s.

In our national quest to define who we are as individuals and as a people, inspired by the early Marcus Garvey Movement, a significant number of Jamaicans who felt alienated from the prevailing power structure have rejected Europe as their spiritual centre. Instead, they have looked to Africa, the ancestral homeland of the majority, for a better understanding of our history, folk traditions, art and other cultural forms, and adopted or adapted many of these in their daily lives.



From the late 50s, the emerging potential power of Rastafari to be a countervailing influence on the brightest, more conscious youths began to occupy the minds of the ruling and political classes. During the turbulent decade of the sixties, two parallel trends developed. Simultaneous with the many atrocities being meted out against Rastafari communities across the island, the most famous of these being the Coral Gardens massacre on Black Thursday, the day before Good Friday 1963, and the Back-o-Wall deportations of 1966, on the grassroots level, the movement took on a greater participatory role in cultural, national and geo-political issues, concerning universal peace, love and harmony, race pride and African decolonisation.

This in turn inspired the works of many musicians and artistes, some even adopting the tenets of the movement in guiding their lives. Musicians, beginning with Count Ossie, Don Drummond, Ernie Ranglin and many more; along with Mortimer Planno, the quintessential Guru, spurred a second generation, including Jacob Miller, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Gregory Issacs -- warts and all. While the list is much longer, of course, I have singled out these dreadlocked cultural super-icons to make my point, because since their untimely passing (when any perceived threat to the status quo has been neutralised), each has been embraced, to varying degrees, by the local establishment; at least their prolific musical catalogues.

Now also, high-profile Rastafari abound in almost every sphere of our lives, including media, politics, law, academics, medicine, public/ private bureaucracy/technocracy, engineering and business, as well as the arts, making valuable contributions to our international profile, development and society, in general.

So, I am forced to reflect on the continued prejudice and discrimination experienced by Rastafarians in Jamaica today, and I ask myself, why does this state of affairs still persist in our country?

These are some of the issues that the late Professor Barry Chevannes grappled with in his research, writings and social activism. If we truly want to make his posthumous Order of Jamaica award meaningful, we should begin to legislate against these irrational, outdated public policies. Two examples suffice. Firstly, Rastafari is still not recognised as an official religion in Jamaica, because this requires an act of Parliament, which has not been forthcoming. Secondly, dreadlocked children in our school system are required to wear tams, and their tams can't be knitted with red, green and gold -- the colours of their religion.

If the entire Rastafari community in Jamaica had been united over the years, many of these barriers would have already been smashed, however to quote an elder, speaking at a recent Rastafari Millennium Council press conference, "Fifty years of experience has taught us that disunity has stymied our progress significantly." He adds succinctly, "Comfort made Rasta complacent."

In closing, I wish to express my condolences to Paulette and the kids, while being grateful, and paying respect to Professor Barry Chevannes, who was one of my mentors for most of my adult life. Through the years, he kept me on the straight and narrow, shared his research, insight, and frequently gave me feedback on these columns.

During the last fortnight we also lost Jamaica's pioneer female record producer, Sonia Pottinger, who was honoured by JARIA in 2009, and Keith 'Yellow Bird' Stewart, of 'Enid & Keith' fame. May their works live on in perpetuity.

Email:che.campbell@gmail.com


Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Rastafari-complacency_8173057#ixzz15zdJils0

From Byron to Gregory

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

ALTHOUGH it has been almost two weeks since the transition of Gregory Isaacs, and during that time so much has been written about him, Gregory and his signature 'Lovers Rock' was such a game-changer for Reggae music that, today it is essential to pay my last respects to him.

Some time ago, I had decided to refrain from immediately acknowledging the passing of fraternity members, because suddenly, it seemed to be occurring with such rapidity that my articles could become morbid, as I would be caught in a perpetual focus on this subject. Also, I tend to subscribe to elements of the Buddhist/Hindu principle of karma, and irrationally hoped that by publicly ignoring them, I could somehow slow down the rate of industry persons' demise.


ISAACS... He rebranded, rebounded and rebuilt his career and life so many times, he and us, thought he was invincible

Unfortunately, from the evidence of the past year, this approach has paid paltry dividends. Last Thursday, November 4, makes it two years since Byron Lee — another cultural giant and icon — died. Between then and this moment, we have lost so many other musical pioneers and stalwarts; it should now be clear to everyone, that we are witnessing a generational baton change, not only in Jamaican music, but it's practitioners as well.

I was informed on Saturday, October 23, that Gregory's attending physician had indicated to his family members, that no further treatment could reverse the terminal onslaught of the cancer, and that it was now only a matter of time. I was told that Gregory had made his peace with his Creator, was no longer able to communicate, and was prepared for the inevitable. I thought it would have been good indeed, for all his colleagues, compatriots and fans to send him appropriate messages of appreciation and respect, while he was still alive, but tradition got in the way. As a people, we still hold fast to some very superstitious habits.

As someone who was never afraid to recognise, openly reflect on and address his foibles, I think that, were they to have been received by him while he was on his death bed, Gregory would have cherished the many tributes that have been pouring in since he physically left this world. Gregory had two songs in particular, Hard Drugs and Rumours that openly addressed issues pertinent to his personal life, which were in the public domain.

I remember the first time he performed Hard Drugs on Sunsplash, having been recently released from prison. In his customary fashion, rather than at stage side, he collected the mike in his dressing room, and as the backing band played the musical introduction to his (then) new hit, while making his entry, Gregory adlibbed "tired a de jailhouse, but jail house never tired of me." The immediate applause and outbreak of laughter from the audience, in appreciation of his witty self-depreciating comment, was an awesome display of his ability to connect with the soul of his audience, and still remains for me, one of the most magical moments in Sunsplash history. He also coined a similarly witty phrase to mock the mongers, for when he opened his act with Rumours.

I detect a contradiction in some of our evolving cultural nuances where-in, while we are losing our sense of empathy, we latch on for dear life, to some outmoded rituals in order to preserve, it seems, what little is left of our traditional cultural mores. This has been buttressed by the growing popularity of new age neo-conservatism in our social, religious and political practices.

It would be healthy, if our society used this sad moment to reflect on how we treat and deal with certain Human maladies and frailties, such as mental illnesses and retardations, physical deformities, and drug addiction. To be frank, we tend to treat these people like outcasts, rather than in a more enlightened, embracing, rehabilitative manner. Truly, this approach belongs to the dark ages, and often robs our nation of the fruits of rich, but under-tapped talent, especially in the artistic arena. Before it is too late, we should be doing more to help such awesome talents like Junior Byles and Harold Butler, as we will all be singing praises to their genius, brilliant works and profound impact, long after they have gone.

For years, when many other local promoters abandoned him because of his drug problems, Gregory was a mainstay on the stages of 'De Bus' and 'Bourbon Beach' where' I am told he ultimately did more than a thousand performances. This gave him not only sustenance, but tremendous, sustained, international exposure through the tourists vacationing in Negril.

As a maturing fraternity, and with the wisdom gained through age and the passage of time, we have to admit that for decades, the abuse of hard drugs has had quite a deleterious impact on individual careers, and the entire genre. Furthermore, we have still, to come up with a successful strategy for mitigating against its tragic consequences. Gregory rebranded, rebounded and rebuilt his career and life so many times, he and us, thought he was invincible. We have all been proven wrong. Other similar stories abound. It is imperative that we change our policy of simply turning a blind eye, and hoping it will disappear ... only more icons are in danger of doing so.

While writing, I have been informed of the passing of Professor Barry Chevannes. Another keeper of the faith, whose work we have benefited from over the years.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com

Heroes, icons and youth activism

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

With Jamaica's focus on honouring our heroes and the positive impact of their philosophies, deeds and creative works on our national psyche, fittingly, over the last fortnight, some prime activities executed by the cultural industries of Jamaica amply demonstrated acknowledgement, reaffirmation and provided evidence of the continuity of the potency and visionary role of our industry.

Manifesto/JA's Festival of Art'ical Empowerment, at the Edna Manley College from October 14-17, was, by public perception, unique and uncharacteristic in two dimensions. Firstly, here were some enlightened entertainers and allied professionals from the cultural industries sector demonstrating philanthropy: through vision, vigour and social activism. As far as many members of the society are concerned, our sector doesn't usually practice voluntarism by helping to expose, train and provide opportunities for the less fortunate -- who in many instances are themselves the source of our inspirations and core fan base; and so admire and look up to us for direction. Of greater significance is the fact that the main organisers are all in their 20s.

Youths in entertainment willing to do voluntary social work is a positive aberration!

To quote the founder of the prototype -- Manifesto Festival of Community and Culture, in Toronto Canada — "All live performances of the festival were top notch and carried a strong message of positivity, love and progress.

"The workshops achieved their objectives of empowering and educating community members with knowledge of everything from self-defence, yoga, film-making, the business of culinary arts, dance and more; and it was so beautiful to see that every single room was bursting with full capacity attendance and enthused participation."

The lead-up outreach initiatives to the festival and the volunteer programme engaged young people from various communities to help run the festival, passing on the knowledge, skills and experience for others to create their own dreams. Of significant note: in its inaugural year Manifesto/JA attracted over 25 people from Canada to experience and participate as artistes, documenters, and volunteers. This exemplifies its inherent cross-cultural genesis and impact, as well as its future potential to increasingly contribute to Jamaica's cultural tourism in our drive to attract more Canadian visitors to the island.

Speaking of icons, on Tuesday, October 19, the University of the West Indies held a symposium, titled 'Peter Tosh: The Man, The Music, and the Message: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of a Musical Icon'. In giving his rationale for resurrecting the symposium, Dr Michael Barnett, the chief organiser, says, "He really seems to be one of Jamaica's unsung heroes. Peter Tosh's music resonated so much in South Africa that not only were the black South Africans strengthened in their resolve to fight apartheid, but a Lucky Dube -- unmistakenly inspired by him -- arose out of their midst. It highlighted his pioneering contacts with African liberation movements, as well as the continued relevance and vitality of Peter Tosh's worldview and overarching philosophy, encapsulated in his catalogue of songs and participation in significant anti-imperialist events across the world. Peter's social activism was as strident as his lyrics were uncompromisingly militant.

For instance, in 1982, when his backing band recoiled from an invitation to tour revolutionary Grenada, Peter doggedly stuck to his commitment and travelled all over the country, playing spontaneous concerts, accompanied only by his guitar. On another occasion, invited to perform in Madison Square Garden at a rally in protest of the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian Lands, Peter made his stage appearance wearing classic Arafat headgear and dressed in Arab raiments, infuriating USA's powerful Jewish minority."

My favourite Peter Tosh story is his response from the dock, when asked by the judge how he pleaded to the charge of possession of ganja. Peter deliberately turned and squarely faced the judge, then responded calmly, "Not guilty, Your Honour. How can one man gang Jah?" Peter's most memorable statement, uttered at the famous Peace Treaty Show at the National Stadium in 1979, was that, "There can be no peace, without equal rights and justice."

Peter was eventually awarded the United Nations peace award, and addressed the General Assembly of the UN.

The Peter Tosh symposium was followed by the Walter Rodney lecture on Friday, October 22. Almost single-handedly, this Caribbean historian and Black Power activist was responsible for raising the political consciousness of the cultural fraternity, Rastafari elders and adherents, dis-enchanted ghetto youths and university students, through his incessant series of 'groundings with my bredrin'. It is as much a blemish on our national conscience to keep his deportation on the books as it is for the USA to retain the conviction and deportation of Marcus Garvey for mail fraud. Without Rodney, Michael Manley's message would have fallen on barren ground.

"Of all our local politicians, Rodney's political philosophy and programme had the most consistent and relevant sense of direction"(Jerry Small -- historian). Long live the works of Walter and Peter, brothers in the struggle for cultural liberation and against eurocentric hegemony.

Email:che.campbell@gmail.com

Reggae Gone Mainstream

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

In the Jamaica Observer of Friday October 1st 2010, Stephen Jackson quoted Jon Baker of Geejam Records, and Manager of the Jolly Boys Mento Band as saying, “We going through a stagnation of creativity in Reggae for the last five years.” As proof of this, he points to the fact that during this period, Reggae music has not achieved an international hit song which successfully crossed- over into the mainstream. It is within this perceived vacuum that Jon attributes the recent commercial success of the Jolly Boys, whose CD Great Expectations was in “the top 10 in nine markets on itunes reggae albums which is the largest online music store” as reported by Stephen Jackson. The same article proceeds to inform us that Baker is not marketing the band as reggae, “in order to avoid restricting the album’s sales potential.” Take note, the reggae charts, now isn’t this an ironic twist?

First of all, I,along with most other Jamaicans, I am sure, celebrate the success of this album and the entré of the Jolly Boys onto the live music circuit in Europe. I have been enjoying their live music, especially at social events in Portland and later, on the Jamaica Festival Programme, since I was a small child. Their commercial breakthrough is a reward richly deserved, and I hope they achieve similar results when the album is released in Japan and North America.

That said however, I have to express my fundamental disagreement with Jon Baker, on his premise for the album and group’s success. Since my participation in WOMEX, The World Music Exposition in Copenhagen Denmark, and even in my most recent commentary for this newspaper on Sunday September 26th 2010, I have been informing our industry and the readers, of a post- modern musical fascination in the European marketplace, with indigenous music from Africa, Asia and the orient; especially music which incorporates the playing of unusual, acoustic instruments.

Many promoters, booking agents and venue operators with whom I spoke during my stay, actually asked me to explore the possibilities of booking Jamaican bands or groups who are creating and performing indigenous/roots or folk music in a raw, unrefined format. Furthermore, promoters in these countries are able to access government funding to bring foreign acts for festivals promoting cultural exchange, hence there has been the inevitable mushrooming of this type of event, since the advent of this public policy.

Yet, everywhere I went in Denmark and France, including hotels, restaurants, night clubs, taxi cabs and even on the airplane as well as public radio, unadulterated reggae music or strains thereof, was being played. What we also need to fully grasp, is that reggae music has so permeated these societies that they now have their own domestic reggae producers, musicians and artistes who command significant pulling power for their live shows.

It is one thing to say, that the sales of recorded reggae music, like all others, have seen a steady decline in recent years, but to categorize it as “niche or specialist” is grossly inaccurate either to describe or analyse its current status and impact. In fact, reggae has never been more mainstream. Strains of its unique rhythm and vocal stylings have become integrally interwoven into other pop genres. Also, authentic reggae is now incorporated into the recorded works and live repertoires of many top flight North and South American, European, African and Asian acts. This list includes such acts as John Legend, Beyonce, Estelle, Jasmine Sutherland and No Doubt.

One of France’s biggest pop acts, Bernard Lavilliers has five reggae songs on his latest album. House of Shem, an act based in New Zealand who plays reggae is tremendously popular in Australia, Europe and North America. They regularly draw crowds of over fifty thousand patrons to their live shows. Madonna included a reggae song on her most recent album, while Shinead O’Connor released an entire album of reggae standards backed by Sly and Robbie. Not to be excluded, Jamaican artistes like Taurus Riley, Queen Ifrica, Etana, Sean Paul, Shaggy, Damian “Jr. Gong Marley, Rootz Underground, Morgan’s Heritage, Uprising Rootz and so many others have displayed a high level of creativity, which has driven their successful careers in the last five years.

These acts bridge the generational divide, while continuing in the great reggae tradition, to give the world excellent music and fly our Jamaican reggae banner high, on the international circuit. While they may not at this moment have a hit song on the high profile charts, their tour schedules are multi-national and extensive. Touring is their main source of income; that’s the structure of the market, so we should not have unrealistic expectations.

What the European person or business entity is unhappy about, is the unethical business practices and unreasonable demands of our Jamaican artistes, their handlers and entourage on tour. We need to urgently, methodically improve our business model, so as to stem the erosion of our market share. In this regard, Jon Baker himself is following in the footsteps of other innovative Jamaican producers and artistes, who have not yet been given their due credit by him or the Jamaican media, for their creativity and business savvy, of which he is a direct beneficiary.

The mento trailblazer, and still the most well known mento artiste in Europe today, even after his death, is Stanley Beckford. Backed by the Blue Glazed mento band, his successful album Stanley Beckford plays Mento was compared in France to Compay Segundo of the Buena Vista social club. This was followed up by Reggaemento, released by Warner in 2004. In 2008, Stephen Stewart and Sam Clayton Jr. produced Sweet Sweet Jamaica, a mento album by Gilzene and the Blue Light Mento Band for Jean Herve Michel of Neuva Onda Productions, a French tour agency and production company. The band was eventually selected to perform at WOMEX in October 2009, making them the first ever Jamaican band to be invited.

They secured a distribution contract with World Village, a sub label of Harmonica Mundi, the world’s largest independent label. Since then, the band has performed at many of Europe’s premier festivals and venues. This summer alone, they performed at WOMAD (UK) where they made three appearances, the Barbican and Shoreditch Park festival in London England, the Sakifo festival in Reunion Island and six appearances in the Radio France festival which saw them performing in six different cities in the south of France. They made several television and radio performances including BBC radio, France Culture, FIT, RFI, Radio 2, RFO (radio and television), Danish and Belgian national radios.

We should be mindful to inform of the historical antecedents, when we are relating the story of our music. Respect should be given to whom it is due. There is no need to tear down everything else, in promoting our own product.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com

Define and Preserve Our Music Genres

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

Sunday, September 26, 2010

I am encouraged by the fact that the debate initiated by Dennis Howard's blog post, Dancehall Is Dead, has continued. A number of other individuals have given more dimensions to the reasoning, with significant contributions coming from Clyde McKenzie Is Dancehall Dead? and Cecelia Campbell-Livingston Dancehall's Redemption in the Sunday Observer of September 19, 2010.

It is high time for us to lead the discussions on these issues of import to our Jamaican music industry, rather than forever reacting or playing catch up to analyses by European/American media, reggae aficionados and academics — with their own cultural prejudices and biases.

McKenzie's commentary addresses the critical need "to ascertain exactly what are the structural components of this...derivative of reggae." In order to get the ball rolling, he proffers the keen observation that "one of the distinguishing features of dancehall is a pattern of vocalisation which seems to have a greater affinity to rhythm than to melody".

I wish to urge Jamaican musicians and producers involved in the creative process of recording dancehall music to complement this with any other major underpinning musical elements, which from their point of view fleshes out a comprehensive definition of the dancehall genre.

For far too long we have allowed foreigners — without the advantage of the cultural context — to define who we are and the resultant products of our innovation and creativity. It was for this reason that during Reggae Month this year, JARIA (Jamaica Reggae Industry Association) launched what we intend to be an annual series of genre-specific events, staged weekly at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. Two of the main objectives of this venture are to educate young people about the background influences that impacted on the history and progression of Jamaican popular music, and to develop for ourselves an accurate definition of all genres of our music.

In her piece, Cecelia Campbell-Livingston directed us towards the incipient solution to "the crude, violent and derogatory lyrics permeating the market". She rightly refers to a new crop of emerging artistes, aiming to inject positive energy and messages into the genre, by writing and performing social commentary, "to uplift Jamaica and the world itself" (Khago) in the rich tradition of its progenitor: reggae music.

I myself have observed and previously written about this new crop of artistes in my column. The local media, for their own perverse purposes, remain, it seems, transfixed in a mode of continued focus on the fiendish behaviour and stereotypical lyrics of the dinosaurs of the dancehall. This is a major source of dancehall's problem. Just like the plethora of live music events mushrooming at many restaurants and other venues all over Kingston and St Andrew, so too are these acts given little exposure and publicity by the Jamaican entertainment media.

After my review of his blog post, I had a long discussion with Dennis Howard in which he emphasised the point that the international marketing of dancehall music was being severely stymied by all the accumulative, negative antics and publicity which now seems almost synonymous with the genre. There is no gainsaying the fact that, due to this reputation, all Jamaican acts are being lumped into one basket so that the benefits from the popularity of the genres are accruing disproportionately to non- Jamaican reggae and dancehall artistes/musicians. While this is happening, the new fad in Europe has embraced indigenous roots music and acoustic, unique/uncommon instruments. As a consequence of this, some of the more successful tours of this summer were those of our foundation reggae artistes, like Earl 'Chinna' Smith and his Inna Di Yaad Crew, and the Jolly Brothers Mento Band, who themselves are riding the crest of the waves generated by the success of Gilzene and Blue Light Mento Band in Europe since 2009.

From a marketing standpoint, therefore, Dennis' proposal for a new name to connote a clean break in the recent past is an excellent idea.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com

Dancehall's Metamorphosis

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

"Dancehall is dead" declares Dennis Howard in his most recent blog entry on Monday, September 6, 2010. He rationalises this bold statement by accurately drawing our attention to the fact that "the music which has been produced over the last 10 years, hardly bears any resemblance to the original sound of dancehall." From knowledge gained through his own integral, intimate involvement, Dennis explains how and why this has evolved.

He says that during the 90s, Jamaican music was transformed "into a fusion sound, mixing dancehall, rock steady, ska and reggae with, hip hop, soul, salsa, meringue, bhangra, rock and R&B to create some of the big international hits of the period." He supplies us with an impressive list of international chart-topping songs which exemplify this mold, including, among others: Murder She Wrote by Chakka Demus & Pliers, House Call by Shabba Ranks, Boombastic and Oh Carolina by Shaggy and Close To You by Maxi Priest.

Dennis attributes this trend to a renewed interest in Jamaican talent and sound by major record companies in the United States who believed that this fusion was imperative to winning crossover appeal and hence the critical mass base, necessary for international success of the product. This period, Dennis posits, "marks the end of the dancehall era as the most dominant genre of Jamaican music." He claims that straight, hardcore dancehall music and artistes have not had any significant success outside of Jamaica. He suggests that even within Jamaica, their songs enjoyed only fleeting attention due mainly to media hype, and never attained the kind of sustained mainstream popularity of Reggae and fusion songs like Rock Away, Lord Give Me Strength, Fire Pon Rome, and Not An Easy Road, among others.

Concluding his argument by analysing the current Jamaican music trend Dennis says: "In Kingston the fusions of the 90s continue in the 21st Century and what has emerged is a new sound lead by producers such as Sly & Robbie, Steven McGregor, Skatta Burrell, Daseca and Don Bennett, who have all forged a new mixture of hip hop, pop, soul, electronica, techno, reggae and dancehall to create the new sound of 'one beat' ... the drums taking centre stage."

While I have attempted here to reproduce the main elements of Dennis Howard's thesis, it is such an excellent piece, well researched and thus providing us with substantial examples and evidence to back up his analysis, that everyone who has even a nominal interest in Jamaican music and culture should read it in its entirety. In fact, I think this literary piece is going to be seminal, given the current flux within our local music fraternity.

To introduce my views on the issues raised, I have to admit that my interpretation of our musical history is somewhat different. For instance, while we carried it to a different level, by creating four musical genre, in 10 years, it was not unique to have had a flowering, of our creativity and cultural manifestations on the eve of, and decade following our independence in 1962.

History has ample proof, that when a people move to a more advanced political and social system, this is normative. Jamaicans entered the decade of the 60s with a lot of hope, aspirations, creativity and innovative energy pent up for over 300 years. I think our dynamic musical legacy at the dawn of our independence must be seen in this context.

Secondly, our modern music has always borrowed and adopted from many other popular music genres. To some extent, this is what has always made it so dynamic; helping to define our cosmopolitan sensibilities.

Thirdly, economic imperatives have always driven our musical trends. As Dennis himself always emphasises, the unique characteristic of our music industry is the sound system at its base. Demands from this sector is what filters through to the mainstream and not vice versa.

There were many times in the past when significant changes in instrumentation, musical structure and technology, were introduced by musicians, artistes and producers, precipitating accusations by some of their fans of cultural dilution and sell out. I distinctly remember such groups as Third World and Bob Marley prominent among such groups having to defend similar criticisms. In his book Marley & Me, Don Taylor addresses the reaction in Jamaica to Bob Marley's Kaya album, which was produced in London in 1977. "Many felt that he needed to return to Jamaica, as soon as possible, so that he could get back the special edge to his music."

In summary while Dennis' description of one of the current music trends is quite accurate, with its overwhelming emphasis on the drums, I am not quite sure that this music does not still fall under the rubric of dancehall reggae. Not having a new name, in no way minimises its creativity. Reggae music has so many streams that it is little wonder that some seemingly bear no resemblance to the original works. That's the core of its dynamism, so there is no need to fossilise one genre to create another.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com

Ambassador Bounty Killer?

Groundins

By: Charles H.E.Campbell

The summer is practically over and I can now happily report that, during the performances at most events, we detected a significant reduction in lyrics glorifying the gun and violence from the major dancehall artistes. Even the usually constant diet of graphic, crude, vulgar lyrics and subject matter seems to have been less on display.

I believe that a number of factors precipitated this positive turn of events. Firstly, the Broadcasting Commission must be congratulated for resolutely sticking to its policy of cleaning up the airwaves. This has forced the artistes, songwriters and producers to become more creative and discerning in their choice of issues and words, because they all wish to have their music played on radio in Jamaica.




Secondly, the dancehall artiste fraternity has been hard-hit by the series of USA visa revocations, and entry or working visa denials for European and even Caribbean countries. As I have previously stated in these columns there is absolutely no use in having a hit song in Barbados, Germany, or the USA, for example, if the artiste cannot benefit from touring those countries, because this is the primary source of income in today's digitised world.

The third reason, of course, is the determination of some criminal elements on the one hand, and the security forces on the other, to target artistes, and the consequences of these interactions — notwithstanding the dissimilar motivations since the start of the year and the State of Emergency.

Many people question the sincerity of actions like the recent truce to their long standing public feud declared by Bounty Killer and Beenie Man at Fully Loaded. I, however, am quite prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt. Even before the onset of summer, Bounty had already begun to utter some public pronouncements hinting at a more mature, forward-looking disposition and mindset. His reported statements from the Sumfest stage, calling for a state of urgency in addressing some of the social ills of inner-city youths urging support for the security forces, and non-interference by the politicians in the work of the police were very powerful indeed. A reformed Bounty Killer could be such a good ambassador for civility, decency and peace in the dancehall, helping to guide the reimaging necessary to stem the erosion of our international market share.

Addressing another significant development during the last fortnight, the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Rastafari Millennium Council ultimately could not resolve their differences and so they simultaneously held separate conferences on Rastafari. No matter the attempts to gloss over the reasons behind this failure and even with all the finger pointing, the University's haughty approach, the presumption of a pre-eminence of scholarship above conviction, and an initial disregard for authentic, indigenous grass-roots organisations fostered the suspicions and eventual discord. Needless to say, these were manipulated by elements within the millennium council, seemingly interested only in their own self-projection.

From all reports, however, both conferences facilitated the presentation of some excellent research findings and position papers, therefore the organisers should be given due credit. I do have some outstanding questions that I would appreciate answers to. Is there a difference between a Rasta academic and an academic Rasta? Secondly, I gather that elements within the University are equating Dudus to Leonard Howell. I would like to know the perceived nexus between both.

It is precisely for this reason — to guard against these revisionist theories — that the university and the society as a whole are better served when the university works alongside authentic organisation and proponents, rather than attempting to lead the process without a proper 'groundation'.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com

Revamp Sumfest venue

Groundins

By:Charles H.E. Campbell


Time and again, in my commentaries, I have been obliged to return to the vexed issue of the total lack of appropriate venues for large stage shows and open-air concerts in Jamaica. The latest casualty of this deficiency was Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay, this past July.

Sydney Reid, the Summerfest productions director who manages the venue for the festival each year, told me that this staging was the most challenging for him so far, because of the adverse effects to the venue resulting from weeks of rainfall.

To give some background to this issue, phase one of the Catherine Hall venue was hurriedly constructed by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) in 1993. This was to facilitate the first staging of Reggae Sumfest by some very enterprising Montego Bay businessmen.

Consequently, some essential features of the venue were poorly thought-out and designed. So, for instance, one set of public bathroom facilities was near the front of the audience. This is very impractical, in relation to crowd control and the convenience of patrons who wish to use these facilities during an event. In a thick crowd, access to and from the restrooms is very difficult, time-consuming and even treacherous, especially given the present impolite disposition of a segment of our local audiences.

The Bob Marley Centre had initially been established in 1983 for the production of the world music festival. The stage was originally located at the extreme tip of the peninsular, to allow for audiences upwards of 100,000 people. However, the long, narrow shape of the land necessitated a massive amount of equipment to fill this large area of over 11 acres with adequate sound. When Sunsplash returned to the park in 1987, we decided to use only two-thirds of the venue as the main concert area. In its original design, therefore, the public sanitary facilities were located about equal distant from the back or front of the park.

However, although we had relocated the production area, since these facilities were already in place we continued make use of the existing bathrooms, although they were quite close to the stage. During the peak hours of the 1987 festival, its impracticality became very obvious to us, as traffic slowed tremendously, while (mostly) men resorted to urinating on the perimeter verges, and in the sea. By the following year, therefore, we were compelled to construct additional facilities at the back of the park, to ameliorate this inconvenience and public health problem.

Without accurate knowledge of this history, the UDC simply proceeded to perpetuate this health and crowd control hazard into the design and construction of the new Catherine Hall venue. To make matters worse, since phase one, the UDC has not continued to envisage further development of the Catherine Hall Centre, except for the misguided laying of top soil. For the first year of Sumfest, the developers had surfaced the venue with marl, and Sydney Reid tells me that, then, the water drained off within five minutes, even after a very heavy shower of rain. The problem, of course, was that the marl surface was not conducive to a high comfort level of patrons. The addition of top soil was the next logical step, therefore, for a tropical outdoor venue. To do this correctly would have required the prior installation of a proper irrigation and drainage system, so as to maintain the grass and effectively manage our seasonal flood waters.

By the second night this year, the top soil became eight soggy inches of pure mud. Under the circumstances, the traditional solution of using sawdust to sop up the excess water was of no use whatsoever. Instead, Sydney said he tried some rather novel approaches to mitigate the problem. Daily, he pumped more than 170,000 gallons of water out of the venue using various means, but this process had to be halted each day when patrons began entering the park. Numerous truckloads of crushed stones were also used in an attempt to displace some of the mud. This no doubt helped to ease the adverse conditions somewhat, but this problem now needs a long-term solution by the appropriate authorities.

The total design, layout and construction of the Catherine Hall Centre has to be revamped given the experiences of the festival over the last 17 years. In so doing, the upgraded centre must include an adequate parking area, specially prepared and constructed primarily for that purpose.

It is not coincidental that Montego Bay has been staging most of Jamaica's largest festivals annually since Sunsplash began there in 1978. It is the most suitable location in Jamaica for this type of event, because of the pre-existing essential features, facilities, amenities, and public services. These include the largest stock of hotel rooms; an international airport and wharf; a public transportation system; public utilities such as electricity (including its own generating plant as a major component of the grid) and potable water; a significant contingent of security forces; a wide array of restaurants, shopping malls, night clubs; also, most importantly, it has a public garbage collection system and an integrated public sanitary disposal system. This is complemented by numerous businesses, such as tour bus operators and motor vehicle rental companies, and many tourist attractions in Montego Bay proper and all along the north coast.

If, indeed we are serious about exploiting the competitive advantage bequeathed to us by the popularity of Reggae music, we need to redouble our efforts to further tap into the niche market of patronage to international live events. This will certainly enhance our present tourism product. Within this context, Montego Bay deserves a proper entertainment park, with facilities which would also include a theatre for the performing arts.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com

Is the music industry ready for change?

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

On July 22, 2010 Leahcim Semaj hosted on his Facebook newsfeed, a summary and the link to www.fastcompany.com. The article primarily referenced and reported the contents of a joint address at the new music seminar in New York City, by Tom Silverman, founder of Tommy Boy Records and Eric Garland CEO of Big Champagne, on the state of the International Music Industry.

These two gentlemen revealed some grim, startling statistics, as it relates to sales of albums released in 2009. Combining physical and digital sales, "Of the some hundred thousand albums released last year, seventeen thousand of them sold only one copy; more than eighty one thousand albums sold fewer than one hundred copies. In fact, just thirteen hundred albums sold over ten thousand copies."

Eric Garland claims that for physical sales alone, "Only two percent of new albums on sound scan sold over five thousand copies." Austin Kerr, the author of the article adds the comment "That's a sky diver's plummet from the golden era of the music industry."

While singles sales tapered off between the years 2000 and 2003, since then, there has been an almost eight fold cumulative increase in sales up to 2009. This is attributed to the fact that a higher percentage of the world's populations now ply this trade either as an amateur or professional.

Among the reasons given for the precipitous fall in album sales is that the traditional business model which centered on production and release of albums is outmoded and presently counter intuitive to the cultural disposition of contemporary music aficionados who mostly listen to compilations or a collection of songs.

Another reason cited, is that, this phenomenon is a direct by-product of a deliberate business strategy employed by iTunes to sell every song, as a single, for ninety nine cents; as opposed to a cost closer to one dollar ninety nine. The implication is that this would have encouraged higher album sales. Here is a good example how even with the impact of globalisation and the worldwide reach and impact of information technology, the music distribution trade continues to be skewed towards serving the interests of a few monopolistic trans-nationals, based mostly in North America and Europe.

In terms of future trends, Eric Garland made a telling statement that music consumers are using YouTube as their first option, and informs that it currently has the largest catalogue of on-demand music on the internet. The article concludes with the deduction that "traditional music media is going away", but ponders whether the music industry is ready for the change.

This unvarnished information gleaned, now warrants urgent, widespread analysis and debate within our local entertainment industry. Whereas, since the birth of our modern popular music, from Duke Reid and Clement Dodd in the sixties, through Sly and Robbie in the eighties, to the present, with companies like Jet Star and VP Records, our artistes and producers have challenged the status quo and bucked the commercial trends, in what was, back then, somewhat of an intuitive revolution in the business of marketing music. Now, finally, the rest of the world is catching up, as has been admitted in the comments above, by two big movers and shakers at the pinnacle of the industry. The promotion and sales of singles and compilations, as a main component of revenue intake for their sustenance, has always been a core feature of the Jamaican recording industry. In today's world, with universal access and growing popularity of iTunes and YouTube, the gross sales of physical CDs have been totally decimated, along with the record/manufacturing sector.

In order to compensate for this major loss of income, live performances, concerts and tours, have now become the predominant source of income for most prominent artistes and musicians. In this sense, the music industry has come full circle to the era which predates the invention of the phonogram and the manufacturing of records and tapes. But, that's a simplistic view, because during that time, the only means of hearing or seeing and artiste/ musician was through live performances. While the old music media is probably moribund, the new emerging media, made possible by the web-including YouTube and iTunes, gives most artistes, musicians and producers a much enhanced, dynamic advantage.

In this new dispensation, we must examine our state of readiness to maximize on our competitive advantage and potential, in the areas of online sales and performance touring. The industry has been turned on its head. Historically, tours were used mainly as a marketing tool to promote the sales of records. Today, released recordings are mainly to promote concert tours. With the enormous market penetration of the new media however, songs become an instant hit in many markets simultaneously; opening up new touring opportunities for our artistes in far flung places where traditional media might not have penetrated.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com

Innovation and Preservation

Groundins

By:Charles H.E. Campbell


I was a patron at the Little Ochi Seafood Festival, last week Sunday (July 11), held annually on the Fisherman's Beach in Alligator Pond, South Manchester. Since its inception, this event has grown to become one of Jamaica's better-known and more successful integrated festivals, promoting the cuisine for which that area is popular, as well as other cultural elements.

By interfacing with people present, I discovered that many of the patrons were, in fact, regular customers to the restaurants that are permanent establishments on the beach and within the Alligator Pond town itself. I was very impressed by the turnout of the Manchester and St Elizabeth residents, in support of this home-grown event.



Innovation and preservation

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These patrons accounted for approximately 50% of the demographics of the crowd numbering over 3,000 adults and children, enjoying the wide fare of seafood and the excellent entertainment presented from the stage and elsewhere. The remaining proportion of the audience came from diverse communities across Jamaica; a substantial contingent of returning residents; and visitors from Europe and America who were introduced to this festival by various sources.

Over the last 10 years, these indigenous food festivals -- including the Portland Jerk Festival, arguably the most famous -- have sprung up and evolved to significantly broaden our annual cultural landscape and calendar. By so doing, they have carved out their own niche in targeting the family through concept and marketing thrust.

I am very concerned about the longevity of this one in particular, because of the unusual phenomenon which is presently occurring on the Alligator Pond Beach, where during the last year this site has lost some 40 feet of shoreline to the sea. This is a matter that will not only affect the festival, but the ongoing livelihood of the fishermen, vendors and restaurants that ply their trade on this location. For this reason, I was very happy to be informed that environmental scientists are investigating the reason for and source of this problem to see if and how the adverse effects may be mitigated. For example, is it caused by global warming and a general rise in sea levels? As one traverses along our southern coast it is easy to observe that many other beaches have similarly lost a perilous amount of beach front. Is the encroachment of the sea, therefore, an irreversible process?

Spending the weekend in St Elizabeth was a very pleasant respite from Kingston & St Andrew, with all the tension of the last two months. For me, it was also a vivid reminder of how enterprising the majority of residents of that parish are. It was a picturesque site as we drove along to see almost every house with its own home garden growing fruits, vegetables, ground provisions, spices, herbs and seasoning. What is of equal significance is that everyone exuded a friendly demeanour, and took the time to great you with pleasantries. Upon the moment of your departure, it was customary to be offered "a likkle sup'm" to take back to the city from their "grung". The Jamaican society would be a far better place to live, and our economy would be in a less precarious state, if more Jamaicans took a leaf out of the true St Elizabeth Jamaican people's book; both in terms of their hospitality and their industrious nature.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Innovation-and-preservation_7806344

On International Reggae Day and Reggae Sumfest

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

Sunday, July 04, 2010


Earlier in the year, I read comments from Johnny Gourzong, executive director of Reggae Sumfest, indicating that this year the festival might have to scale back on overseas acts due to a shortfall in sponsorship. Based on the line-up announced at the launch last Friday, however, it seems that, with the return of Red Stripe as a platinum sponsor, at least to some extent, the hurdle has been overcome. The inclusion of Chris Brown on Friday, July 23 and Usher on Saturday, July 24 has certainly enhanced the two international nights of Sumfest this year.

The re-entry of Red Stripe as a sponsor of stage shows is not only symbolic but a well-needed boost to the pool of funds dedicated to marketing events in Jamaica. Two years ago, when the company withdrew from supporting live music events — "in protest of the increasingly sexual, explicit and violent content of the lyrics" — I wrote that, in my view, this was a tactical error in their marketing strategy. No doubt, it was also a major fallout for the entertainment sector.




Unfortunately, it was a twin-edged sword. As it turned out, the fallout in their sales was very significant — reportedly a reduction in the region of between 30 - 40% of product sales. Red Stripe, for the first time in its history, actually lost market dominance to Heineken, in Jamaica.

For a long time, Red Stripe has been a major perennial sponsor of live shows and festivals. When Red Stripe decided to make a determined push in marketing their brand internationally, they joined forces with the Sunsplash World Tour to promote the product in North America. There are many other such examples. As brand manager Safia Cooper puts it, "The brand and company has been and remains integral to the development of the music and entertainment industries."

Simultaneously, the Digicel Sumfest marketing strategy and campaign, using the Next Generation produced by Demarco and featuring Agent Sasco (a more conscious Assassin) and I-Octane, is a very novel approach which should provide a fillip to the promotion of the festival.

Sumfest is very important in the cultural life of Jamaica. For this reason, I sincerely wish for the organisers a very successful year. Having stayed with this through the thick and the thin for 18 long years, they deserve it and so does the economy of Montego Bay. Coincidentally, Sumfest is being staged the weekend after the limited state of emergency ends in Kingston and St Andrew and St Catherine. I am looking forward to and anticipating some incisive lyrics, especially from our dancehall artistes, in reference to this, and other developments in Jamaica and the music industry.

This brings me to this year's theme for International Reggae Day (IRD), which was celebrated on Thursday, July 1. It was titled 'The Role, Power and Responsibility of Music and Media to Change Jamaica and the World'. This could not have come at a more opportune time in Jamaica. Recently, the media has been doing a very good job of coalescing and promoting a nascent national movement against public corruption and the nexus between politics and criminality. The music fraternity must now take the baton and run with it. As Dr Michael Barnett urged, the music "should be utilised as a positive force in Jamaica, and indeed the whole world".

Founder and producer of IRD, Andrea Davis, summed it up best when she said in 1994, "The violence and instability that have plagued and rocked the nation recently, has left the country struggling to find peace, purpose and hope. Reggae music is one of the few Jamaican resources that can be used to quell the anxiety that has gripped the nation." International Reggae Day was an excellent precursor to a summer of live events and festivals in Jamaica and across the world in which the reggae genre is fully integrated. The content of the performances of our reggae and dancehall artistes will tell us if we have truly closed a chapter and turned a page in the history of our country and music.

Email:che.campbell@gmail.com

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/Entertainment/On-International-Reggae-Day-and-Reggae-Sumfest_7770731

'We De People'

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

There are a few statistics that starkly define our current social environment. When he was head of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), I once heard Dr Wesley Hughes say that, an estimated 60% of Jamaica's economic activity and gross domestic product is not captured by official statistics. That means that the underground economy plays a significant role in providing employment and social mobility. I give you three guesses as to the main means of production.

In Jamaica, the lives of over 750 people have already been snuffed out this year; some in the most barbaric ways. It reminds one of the Poll Pot and Idi Amin regimes. Our national murder rate averages more than 62 per hundred thousand. The weapon of choice used to commit 80% of these killings was the gun. The police further inform us, 80% of these fatal confrontations are gang related.

This situation did not mysteriously descend upon us, like the plague of locusts (God's Army), in the biblical book of Joel. We have all watched as it slowly devolved to this. Too frightened, too tribal, too complicit, too benefited to do anything about it -- until now -- now, when it envelopes all our social activities and threatens our very survival.

Now don't get me wrong, I whole heartedly support any effort to rid of us this mobster rule and return Jamaica to more peaceful times. The security forces have shown more resolve than ever before and we have already begun to see positive results from the brave, onerous efforts on our behalf. Whereas, in the past, I doubted their capacity and ability to take decisive, effective, prolonged action, I now believe that, given the support and perseverance of civil society, they can, to a large extent, rid of us this spectre.

The problems we face have to be attacked on other layers as well. Three questions immediately arise. Even if the police and soldiers are reasonably successful in purging our communities of this crop of terrorist/criminals, with the drug trade being an economic imperative, won't a new set of goons just replace them, as we have continually seen occur, over the decades since the 1970s?

How do we substitute the income and reorient the minds, especially of our youth, from the violent and mendicant mentality, that tribal politics and easy drug money have inculcated in them? What are we going to do about the widespread, brazen, corrupt practices by our political leadership, which created and fosters the atmosphere that breeds and engenders this backward cultural manifestation?

Over 30 years ago, Ernie Smith asked some potent questions in his song, We the People/ The Power and the Glory, and they still go a begging for answers: We de people want fi know/Just where we're going/Right now we hands are tied/Tied behind we back while certain people/If and buttin'/Where do we stand?/We have too far to go/Not to really know/Just how we're getting there/And if we getting anywhere/We have too much to change/Not to know the range/Of possibility/And changeability/Violence and crime are common place/Within this said times/No man walk free/Prophecy come closer to fulfilment/In these dread times/Why should this be?/And as we fight one another/Fi de power and de glory/Jah Kingdom goes to waste.

Although spurred by the unfortunate shooting death of Voicemail's O'Neil Edwards and the gun wounding of Mad Cobra, the recent activism of the dancehall fraternity in the cause of peace and against criminality, is a welcome turn of events. Marcus Garvey did warn us that "til our backs are against the wall, will we not know ourselves". I hope that the postponed peace march -- planned by them -- which is to proceed from the Police Officers Club on Hope Road to National Heroes Circle will still take place, soon after the lifting of the state of emergency.

The music industry in Jamaica will have an important part to play if we are going to succeed in taking back Jamaica. We have to clean up our own act, and also hold the feet of the politicians firmly to the fire, this time. More than any other sector of civil society, we have the ears and hearts of everyday persons. Through our songs, talks and social interaction, we can motivate and mobilise them to lend support to the united cause of civil society, in pressing for the transformation required in the social architecture of our communities; and of the political superstructure, in a clearly defined, committed and reasonable time-frame. No more "if and buttin", while Jah Kingdom goes to waste.

While most other business sectors have regained relative normality, the entertainment sector continues to bleed, and will do so for some time still. Our sector has suffered the main brunt of the current security operations. As a consequence, there has been a drastic fall-off in business for all those concerned: from the recording studios that have lost significant bookings from overseas customers, who have cancelled their trips to Jamaica; to live concerts, the night clubs and other places of entertainment, activities have been postponed, scaled back or cancelled. Most entrepreneurs' income streams have either ground to a screeching halt or all but dried up. [In the national interest (pun intended)] we have to reverse this recurring decimal, once and for all, before we are totally decimated.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/-We-de-people-_7726279

Cyaan Ketch Quakuh...

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

“IF yu cyaan ketch Quakuh, you ketch im shut” is a very well-known Jamaican proverb. I am reasonably sure, however, that if a survey was conducted, very few would be able to tell who Quakuh really was. Yet, he was someone who played a most significant role in the early history of our people’s struggle against foreign domination by the Spanish, followed by the British colonisers.

Quao (kwao) was the military strategist for the Windward Maroons. Without his brilliance, the legend of Nanny, our national heroine, would not burn as brightly, as it still does. Maroon folklore teaches us that Quao was called the invisible hunter and warrior. The many raids he planned, orchestrated and executed on the British army encampments during the Maroon war, were not only unsuspicious, but also very daring. They were implemented with such speed, precision and efficiency that they were totally effective in decimating the ranks of the British soldiers, and demoralising the resolve of the surviving British troops, remaining in the theatre of battle.

It was he who masterminded the strategy for the entrapment and defeat of the British at the Spanish River in 1739. Although most British soldiers died, applying sophisticated tactics of psychological warfare, a few were allowed to escape, to communicate the disastrous results of the battle to British military headquarters in Port Antonio. Quao’s objective, of course, was to create shock and awe amongst the rank and file of the British troops. It was also to drive further fear and despondency into the hearts of the local British population, about the seemingly inevitable consequences for them, of a continuation of the war against the Windward Maroons. Conversely, history records that at the conclusion of that seminal battle, the only injury that the Maroons suffered was when a musket ball — fired from the rifle of a British soldier — struck Quao’s rifle and a fragment ricocheted into his face.

Quao’s strategy was so successful that it forced the British to sue for peace with the Windward Maroons. This led to the signing of the peace treaty between the British and the Windward Maroon community on June 23, 1739; the British having previously signed a similar treaty with Kojo and the Leeward Maroons.

To quote Colonel Frank Lumsden, the current leader of the Charles Town Maroons, “Until Jamaica understands that the spirit of the Maroons is the ground of Jamaica’s being; that which gives its being meaning, we will not have the strong cultural identity to give us the clarity to guide, lead or manage — by ourselves — our own destiny. And so, we will continue to flounder; in search of values of the past.”

The main original settlement of the Windward Maroons was in the hilly hinterland of Portland, at a place called Old Crawford Town. Access to and from this village was treacherous for friend and foe alike. More importantly, its terrain did not allow for extensive cultivation, farming, animal husbandry or the establishment of a permanent, sustainable economy and community.

Soon after the treaty was signed, therefore, Nanny and some of her followers established a new community in Moore Town, closer to Port Antonio. Sometime after, another group of Maroons left the main village and founded a distant one at Scotts Hall in St Mary; of which Tacky became their most famous inhabitant.

Quao and his followers initially moved to New Crawford Town for approximately seven years. Subsequently, in 1747 Charles Town was established as a major Maroon village by Quao and his followers. This allowed them extensive stretches of arable land, and easier access to markets and the coast, for trading purposes. They even created and have continuously maintained, the oldest known public park in Jamaica, called Quao’s Village.

Every year, on June 23, the Maroons of Charles Town commemorate Quao and the peace treaty. In 2009, they staged the first international Maroon conference, hosted by the Jamaican Maroon community. It was titled “Maroons in the Americas,” and had participants from Suriname, Mexico, North America and Jamaica. This year the Maroons’ council has organised the second international Maroon convention, titled “Meet me in the Circle”. This event will proceed from Monday, June 21 to Wednesday, June 23. The four main panels will cover the following areas: African backgrounds, Maroon resistance, Global Maroons, and Maroon identities.

This inter- and multi-disciplinary conference seeks to explore representations of Maroon culture in literature, art, music, film, theatre, and history.

The conference strives to increase awareness of Maroon contributions to contemporary societies, bringing together Maroons with scholars interested in Maroon heritage and indigenous cultures. In addition to exploring Maroon history and culture, the various events aim to develop strategies for sustainable development and wealth creation in Maroon communities.

With the theme, “Meet me in the Circle,” the conference aims to establish a “Maroon Connection” beyond Jamaica, reaching out to communities in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, South America, and Africa.

The conference will host cultural events to commemorate the Annual Quao’s Victory Day (June 23).This includes the following: Drumming from Accompong, Scotts Hall, Moore Town, Maroon Communities, Dance of Fanna - Charles Town Maroon Community, Afrocentric Fashion Show & Art Fair, Capero - Brazilian Dance/Martial Arts, Dance & Drumming - Moore Town, Halifax - Canadian Conscious Rapper, Museum Tour, River Bathing, Tour of the 1800th Century Coffee Plantation, Introduction to Sambo Hill, Bammy Making demonstration/Expo, Pork Cooked Maroon Style, Food & Beverage Stalls, Art & Craft Booths, Ring Games, Marbles, Gigs, Storytelling, Donkey Kart Shuttle/Ride, and Kite Flying.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com
www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Caan-Ketch-Quakuh

Dancehall and the political/gangster underworld

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell


The Council of Presidents of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), in their recent call for a specific timetable to achieve commitments given by the prime minister in his national address in which he was contrite and apologetic, urged citizens to "speak out and actively contribute to the political, economic and social transformation of the country".

In a radio interview on Friday, May 14, preceding the prime minister's address to the nation, I was asked if I supported the calls from various organisations and commentators for his resignation. My response was that whilst this would be a step in the right direction, the environment that led to this debacle had its roots in the very capture of the state and all its various organs by 'narco criminals' and this is the fundamental problem that has to be addressed. I also expressed my doubts that any of our current parliamentarians, on either side of the political divide, could lead the process of dismantling the garrison features of our communities, that provided safe havens for these criminals.

In his well researched article, in the latest issue of the Jamaica Journal, Dennis Howard states that "I am of the opinion that dancehall has been a major political force with all its attending biases and partisan elements, and that the glorification of gun violence is not merely metaphorical or a theoretical pose." Further in his article, he goes on to say that "in all music centres island-wide, there existed alliances of music and politics". Dennis's article details the embryonic and symbiotic links between dancehall, politics and the gangster underworld.

By highlighting the various roles of the Don in the entertainment industry -- by the use of well known examples -- he adequately demonstrates the influence and power which they leverage and have wielded, over the last 30 years; as owners of sound systems, show and dance promoters and music producers. Dennis concludes this section of his article, with the statement that "artistes who live in these areas invariably have no choice but to become the mouthpieces of the area Dons and, by extension, their political representatives".

The truth is that in order for us to extricate ourselves from the mire in which we have found ourselves, and to begin to re-orient the lyrics and behaviour of our dancehall culture, we first have to acknowledge the significant influence on the industry, of political tribalism and gangsterism in the warping of our values and norms. What is even more debilitating is the effect this has on well thinking people.

Even within the entertainment industry, where people are so wont to demand and protect their rights for freedom of expression, without acknowledging it, we are in fact, intimidated from speaking out publicly against the corruption of the various organs of the Jamaican state for fear of victimisation or retribution. Unfortunately, it is not possible to develop effective counter-measures, without a comprehensive understanding of the social, cultural, political constructs of our communities, and a concerted attempt to arrest these negative features.

I believe though, that, the country now finds itself with a golden opportunity (no pun intended) to begin to dismantle the garrison features of our communities. This, in and of itself will go a far way in liberating the minds of our youths; to explore more constructive issues and horizons in their lyrics and lifestyle. But we must hold our politicians to their promises and demand a realistic time frame for their implementation.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com
Host: Jamaica Observer

Dancehall Music's Catharsis

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

Sunday, May 09, 2010

CLYDE McKenzie wrote an excellent piece in last week's Sunday Observer, and it goes without saying, I endorse his main prescriptions for correcting the dire predicament in which the Jamaican music industry finds itself presently.

As it regards the issue of self-regulation, I wish to go a step further than my colleague did, in proposing that members of the industry devise and collectively agree to adopt and publish a code of ethics and standards, which governs the professional conduct of all representatives of the music industry.

The Jamaican Federation of Musicians already has one such in existence, and probably in the interim, if we find it universally compatible, we could adopt this as an industry-wide standard, until a new multi-disciplinary one is drafted and approved, by other disciplines and professional structures within the fraternity.

While I believe that this is an ideal, I do not think it is absolutely necessary for this to be the only approach to self-regulation. It could also take the form of appropriate professional registration and standards, applied to each discipline within the industry. Because, let's face it, in the present scenario, even if all the active organisations within the industry currently, were to unite in promulgating such a code of behaviour, the bulk of the players would remain outside of their membership or direct ambit of influence.

Most players within the industry are averse to formally joining any organisation or institution. At best, they are sceptical and at worse suspicious of the motives of all such bodies, but thereby remain beyond formal regulation. Therefore, formal registration to operate and do business in this sector is objectively a prerequisite for self-regulation really to be effective. One may ask, how would this improve the current business and external environment?

Using the dancehall dilemma, let's examine the structure of the industry, to gain a better understanding of the collective responsibility for the offending lyrics and deviant behaviour, of some popular dancehall artistes, which are currently threatening the very prosperity of the industry.

The truth is, while the blame is mostly focused on DJs and sound system selectors, dancehall songs could neither be produced, promoted nor marketed without the active participation of diverse professionals operating within the sector and the mass media. Generally, in the dancehall subsector, when a sound track, popularly called "riddim" is recorded, the producer then goes out seeking "name brand" artistes to perform songs on this track. In this case, the producer has the ability and professional prerogative to determine what kind of lyrics accompany this tune. Like all other music genres, dancehall music also has its fair share of professional songwriters. They are responsible for penning many, if not most, of the popular songs for which our artistes are credited.

Oftentimes, they are literally the ones putting words into the artistes mouths -- words which the artistes themselves may foolishly think they have to live up to -- warping the lines between their public and private personas, in an attempt to be consistent.

The next step in the process involves publishing and distribution of the works, areas which again employ other professionals, working in conjunction with the artist. While these professionals should never be found guilty of censorship, nevertheless they do owe the public some responsibility for ensuring proper categorising and labelling of their products. Furthermore, there are some moral boundaries which bind us together as a society, beyond which we should not allow our good names and reputations to be associated.

The next set of professionals that get involved in the process at this stage, are usually operatives within the mass media, including sound systems. They play a very significant role, being ultimately responsible for what is broadcast and published to the general public, whether printed electronically or live. Unfortunately, some managers of these media and sound systems have allowed too much latitude to ZJs (as they are now called) and selectors in determining what is played. That freedom has been so abused, that a significant percentage of this cohort have essentially become informal publicity agents for special artistes or producers. In this role they earn far more than their official salary, by collecting payola in one form or another, to promote specific producers, artistes or songs without any measurable criteria, or governing standards. This is not a new phenomena, or even unique to Jamaica. The geniuses that we are, however, have allowed us to carry this anomaly to even deeper lows.

Of course the next links in the chain of professional structures that make up the music sector are the event promoters, venue and club owners/managers, especially those that produce live shows and festivals. Whereas attempts may have been made in the past to develop rules and standards governing the behaviour of these professionals, none have ever received broad based endorsement or withstood the test of time, and the onslaught of the overly materialistic hustling mentality. This has led to the prevailing "free for all" approach to the promotion of many events and the management of some of these establishments.

All the above sub-sectors are critical to the successful functioning of the Jamaican music industry and the continued popularity of its music. Given the rapid expansion and internationalisation of popular Jamaican music over the last three decades, and the positive impact it has had on the lives of many Jamaicans, including giving us a discernable national brand worldwide, the recent counter actions from external forces to stymie its continued growth, naturally has arrested the attention of the entire nation. From Europe through the Americas and the Caribbean, many countries are taking action to minimise the perceived negative impact that some dancehall songs and artistes are having on sections of their societies.

It behoves all of us within the sector to now, before it is too late, take a serious appraisal of where we are coming from, of how and what got us thus far, and design and implement corrective measures, that will serve our economic interests, in the long term. From this perspective, booking agents and public relations professional will also have to devise their own ethics and standards, in guiding their activities, as well as uniting in a concerted effort to rebrand this great patrimony called Jamaican reggae.

The dancehall genre is not dying. That's only wishful thinking on the part of some. To the contrary, for instance, look how popular and integrated the musical form has become for gospel songs, and in the churches of Jamaica. Yes, there is no doubt that dancehall music is currently going through a catharsis, but happily, as Worrell King of Western Consciousness agrees, the tide is beginning to change. Today, more and more talented young artistes of this genre, have rejected the use of these stereotypically negative and base lyrics as a career path. This augurs well for dancehall music's future. Worrell King has been around long enough to witness the pendulum swinging both ways.

In the meantime, he has been one of a rare breed of show promoters who has been steadfast in his principle of self-regulation for 20 years; putting principle above expediency, in his consistent promotion of good, clean, conscious music at his events. He richly deserves our sincere commendations and the western consciousness concerts merit better sponsorship support from the large commercial enterprises in Jamaica, whose executives so loudly pontificate from public platforms against the perversion of our societal norms in the dancehall and many of its songs.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com

Cacophony Versus Symphony

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

The warm and friendly disposition of the average Jamaican, for which we are internationally famous historically, is no accident- nor does it derive from a servile instinct as some tend to think. In fact, the source is quite the opposite. Because of the unique geographical location of the island, for the last six hundred years or more, Jamaica has been in pole position as it regards world trade and the resultant cross-fertilisation of races and nationalities.

Although predominantly African, our relatively young nation by world standards has been such a successful melting pot of diverse world cultures, that our creative manifestations and lifestyle are authentic distillations, readily identified with by citizens from disparate regions of the world. Back in the heyday of Black nationalism, my African and Afro-American colleagues would ask me time and time again, to explain why Rastafari songs and our oral anecdotes tended to glorify Zion- which they identified with Jews/Israel contrasted with a persistent and strong admonition of Pharoah and Egypt- the pinnacle of Black civilisation and culture in ancient times- seemingly in sharp contradiction of their uncompromising stand and pivotal role in the struggle against European colonialism, which they all so admired.
Unfortunately, that is not a subject we can explore deeper today, because I wish to keep the focus on the gift of nature and historical phenomena that has literally propelled us to the forefront of a universal psychic connection between peoples and contemporary civilisations.

For centuries, Jamaica has been on every sea lane for commerce. Traffic going from north to south and east to west pass through our ports. Up to the present period we continue to be the main door through which trade and migration is passed on the way to Central and South America. Coupled with this, is the fact that our history of occupying this country is relatively recent. All of our forefathers came from elsewhere and the majority of us identify our ancestral roots- depending on our racial mix- in regions far from Jamaica, be it Africa, Asia, Europe or the Orient.

From the very beginning of our history in Jamaica, our forefathers have in various waves, continuously migrated and populated Panama, Costa Rica, Cuba, Honduras, Nicaragua, North America, the UK, Europe, Japan, China, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana among other states. As a consequence, Jamaicans see life in Jamaica as a sojourn. This confluence of geography and history has served us well, but often produces an unfortunate flipside to our cosmopolitan instinct. We tend to have a very unorthodox, transient philosophical worldview, caused to a significant degree by split loyalties to heritage, country, community, family, profession, job and even religion.

Although it might sound convoluted and definitely there are big gaping holes in this short historical description of who – as a people- we are, this context is essential in understanding some of our most prominent cultural features and why people of all races and cultures somehow identify in our works, kindred spirits. I have posited it here, in proceeding to broaden the discussion which I began last week, and to which I have had an overwhelming amount of responses. In fact, it’s one of the few times I have only received positive responses to my Observer column and blog. But that does not sit well with me, because some of my respondents have gone so far as to blame Dancehall for all of Jamaica’s ills.

As I have often said, whereas I totally abhor those Dancehall lyrics which glorify violence, we must acknowledge that society continues to provide the social cradle for these lyrics, plus decadence and violent behaviour exhibited in the Dancehall. Now, don’t get me wrong. The music industry desperately needs to sever all links with criminals and criminality.

However, please let’s not delude ourselves. With very little state or private sector support, the industry may not have survived the 1980’s were it not for them. Since this time, the production of many events, records and cds have been financed by tainted money from this source. This is inevitable in a country where it is estimated that 60% of our gross national product is generated by the underground economy. That’s prettying up the fact that we have largely become a major drug transhipment centre, governed by drug dons.

Furthermore, the frustration levels in Jamaica are multi-layered. Recession, drought, distrust of public sector- including politicians and their links with drug dons, suspicions of nefarious deals and deeds in collusion with criminals by large private sector companies and organisations, high levels of crime- over 400 murders so far this year, along with a significant increase in burglaries and larcenies, joblessness, no social or economic prospects for poor people from our ghettos, are all putting us on the brink of a complete breakdown of the social order.

The sounds coming from the streets sound more like a cacophony than a symphony. To quote Mark Wignall (Sunday Observer, April 18, 2010), “the investment of our mainstream politics in the street elements who were once controlled by the politicians has spun around in a most dangerous manner, to the extent that much of the governance that the people are entitled to is being clogged up by seamy politics which has risen up like a walking, talking phantasm to haunt the […] administration.”

Orville Plummer, in the letter of the week (Sunday Herald, April 18) says more poignantly, “for […] thousand of Jamaicans in several communities across Jamaica, their dons are next to God because traditional values, the established social order and legitimate leadership are crumbling before our eyes…parenting and family life remain weak, churches and pastors remain indifferent and irrelevant, civil society remains dormant and political parties and their leaders remain visionless and uninspiring.” He goes on to express the fear that if we continue to cede parcels of the country to strong men and outsource law and order to others than the police force and the courts, then all Jamaica will soon be forced to worship at the altar of lawlessness and criminality”.

The two quotes above encapsulate sufficiently the greater sources of Jamaica’s social dilemma. Dancehall simply compounds it. But we must remember that the artistes are influenced by the coarsening of society plus all other factors discussed above. We are all cut from the same cloth. Also our politicians and sections of the media especially, are equally complicit.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com

Host: Jamaica Observer

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