Edna's Stars and Breadbasket Festival

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

FINAL-year performances at the Edna Manley College last week were a breath of fresh air which reinstated my faith in the necessity of training our young, talented entertainers.

This year saw 12 final-year students captivating the audience with their acquired skills and hard work. Each night, from Monday through to Thursday, saw the music auditorium at Edna Manley College packed to capacity and then some. The audiences were blown away by a variety of genres of music — R&B, gospel, pop, reggae and jazz. There were many powerful performances of original compositions put together by the students, many of whom were multi-talented.

The graduates displayed how versatile they were as entertainers; even though they were music students, their performances measured up to international standards and were definitely more entertaining than much of what we've become accustomed to on stages recently.

Karmardo Blake is an excellent bass player whose solo piece was described by his lecturer as being so technical that it's beyond his stage. However, he delivered it seamlessly to his audience. Leuwin Thomas' drum solo piece was also said to be the most technical piece ever performed by an Edna Manley student. He also displayed versatility as a musician with his xylophone medley as well as a vocal piece.

Geneva Williams was the only female performer of the final-year students with most of her songs being originals. She held the audience captive with her rendition of Beyonce's Crazy in Love. Conray Richards electrified the audience with his vocal ability with his rendition of Jamie Foxx's Fall For Your Type and a Ray Charles medley. Bass player Andrew Ayre's duet with Maurice Gordon on guitars gave the audience something to rave about as he displayed a combination of genres and a few electrifying original pieces.

The second bass player, Roel Miller, put on an incredible show for the Edna Manley audience. His duet with Azuri Campbell singing Forever And A Day took top spot in his performance. Vocalist Leon Campbell performed a combination of genres which included a few original pieces. He did an excellent rendition of Alton Ellis's Girl I've Got A Date which would have given Ellis goose pimples.

Kevor Williams started his set with a few early blues pieces which included Rocking Robin and Route 66'which got the audience up and moving to his beats. His originals included a hit song by his band Pentateuch Black Face. Jon-Marc Talbot opened with Stevie Wonder's Lately and a rendition of Ne-Yo's Closer.

Their tutors included Michael 'Ibo' Cooper -- co-ordinator; Derrick Stewart and Ouida Lewis -- percussions; Michael Harris and Lori Burnett -- vocals; Courtney Fadlil, Samuele Vivian and Maurice Gordon -- guitars; Major Joe Williams -- wind instruments; and Orville Hammond -- piano.

Director of music Roger Williams, himself a past student of Edna Manley College, who single-handedly championed the institution of this degree programme, must be very proud of the results. To quote the University Council of Jamaica, "Edna Manley College is an elegant institution with the most qualified faculty especially in the areas of jazz, pop and all the Jamaican genres."

On another topic, for the last 10 years the Calabash Festival had been held at Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth over the Labour Day weekend. Unfortunately, as everyone knows, Calabash is taking a break this year and so the hoteliers, business people, farmers, fisherfolk and residents have come together to launch the Treasure Beach Bread Basket Festival, which will include a Farmers' Market.

The organisers of the festival believe it has been aptly named as it is to be held in St Elizabeth, which is considered the bread basket of the nation because most of the fresh fruits and vegetables consumed by Jamaicans are grown in that parish. In addition, farmers and fisherfolk will have an opportunity to sell their produce and catch to the thousands of patrons who are expected to flock the festival.

The farmers' market gives patrons the option of purchasing vegetables, produce and fruits at Kingfisher Plaza in Treasure Beach.

The Treasure Beach Bread Basket Festival will take place from Friday, May 27 through to Sunday, May 29. It is slated to begin with a Culture Night at Taino Cove hosted by Jamaican storyteller Amina Blackwood-Meeks and will feature Cen'C Love, a singer, songwriter, musician and daughter of the legendary Bunny Wailer; the Grange Hill Jonkunnu Band; the Manchioneal Cultural Group performing Quadrille and Bruckins and Senor Daley of Klassique Disco.

The Talking Trees Literary Fiesta will be held on May 28 at which time there will be a recorded talk at 2 Seasons Guest House before moving into a 'Readings' segment to be headlined by Nigerian author A Igoni Barrett, winner of the 2005 BBC World Service short-story competition and the 2010 Chinua Achebe Centre Fellowship.

An Evening of Song will take place at Frenchman's Reef Restaurant, featuring classical music, Jamaican folk songs, Negro spirituals, show tunes, jazz and more.

Saturday's events conclude with A Night of Great Entertainment at Jack Sprat Restaurant. This event will take the form of a stage show featuring headliners Reggae star Tanya Stephens, Protoje and Rootz Underground.

The Treasure Beach Bread Basket Festival culminates on Sunday, May 29 with the Sunset Resort Bread Basket Brunch offering a fare of the finest products of St Elizabeth, together with live entertainment.

The Treasure Beach Bread Basket Festival's final event will be a Fashion and Art Show at Calabash House, featuring the launch of the Masai line of Caribbean fashions by Jackie Cohen of Mutamba, and Art Wearables by Elizabeth Eyre Seltzer, fabric artist and designer. The art exhibition will showcase several Jamaican artists, including some from the Treasure Beach community.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Edna-s-stars-and-Breadbasket-Festival_8846169#ixzz1NDX6LdpK

Politicians fixated on bricks and mortar

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

MY last article generated some valuable feedback, encouraging me to continue this week to highlight some of the structural deficiencies inhibiting the development and growth of the entertainment sector.

One response in particular from Ramesh Chaitoo addresses the inaction of regional governments over the years, in putting in place the necessary national superstructures as well as infrastructure, required to take better opportunities of the obvious comparative advantages in our creative sectors; so that we can better trade and compete in the international marketplace. It reads, in part, as follows:



Dear Mr Campbell:

"I read your article on rebel music and the establishment in the Jamaica Observer on April 24, 2011. I am very much interested in obtaining your paper that was presented at the International Reggae Studies Conference on February 19, 2010 entitled, 'European Penetration Requires New Strategies'.

I moved from Canada in 2003 to the CRNM to head their Services Trade Unit in Barbados and immediately started to promote the creative sector as a potential engine of growth to policy makers in the Caribbean and spoke to politicians on several occasions. I also commissioned research on the sector and held several regional consultations with industry representatives and made recommendations to the decision-makers on what is needed to stimulate the development of the creative sector, in particular, entertainment. I am still convinced that it can become a major export sector for all of CARICOM if the right policy measures and incentives are put in place.

I attacked the perversely high tariffs on all inputs to the cultural industries but in vain. Nevertheless, I was one of the Caribbean negotiators who ensured that the trade agreement (EPA) between the Caribbean and EU included significant provisions and market access for the entertainment sector. However, since the Economic Partnership Agreement was signed, practically nothing has been done on the Caribbean end to start to take advantage of the facilities in it for entertainers or creative persons in general. I am now based in Brussels and doing other things, but still trying to see how to change that.

"I appreciated your argument in the Observer article. Caribbean politicians seemed fixated on 'bricks and mortar' approaches to economic development."

Ramesh Chaitoo, Trade and Development Consultant, Brussels.

Given that as a background, I was not very surprised to read Mr Seaga's pronouncement, made during his recent UTech address, that we are 'a supermarket, not a factory', and therefore the European Partnership Agreement (EPA) will not benefit us. As it relates to the Jamaican music industry however, I beg to disagree. That prognosis does not apply at all. In fact, over the last 50 years, with too few of the necessary policy measures and incentives being in place, Jamaica has still been able to become one of the largest 'factories' in the world, for producing a genre of pop music that has literally taken the international markets by storm; to the point where, as it now stands, many other states and nationalities are greatly benefiting, at our expense, because our succeeding governments have largely failed to legislate and institute the measures necessary for protecting and preserving the music and the industry that has evolved with it.

Charles M Blow, describing the world's current pop musical forms, in the New York Times on April 22, 2011 stated, "It further enshrines the destructive pop culture dogma that fame and fortune grant moral wiggle room to flout the rules and obscure the truth". Reggae is the exception to this general rule of promoting narcissism; hence its unique, enormous, continuing appeal to the more enlightened segments of the world's populations. Reggae has developed a very loyal fan base in too many countries to list here. Our problem is that it is so successful, our classic catalogues have been bought, our music and culture adopted and adapted and now, we are losing market share to these musicians and artistes domiciled in those marketplaces, and they have much stronger lobby groups, much more pragmatic governments, who have taken the necessary legislative action to enhance their growing dominance in an area where traditionally we held sway.

If the Jamaican public and private sectors would only become more proactive, analytical, united and determined in its efforts to pass the necessary legislation to stimulate the local entertainment industry before it is too late, our local artistes and musicians, with their superior creativity, will still be able to make sufficient in-roads in a process of reclaiming our rightful pole position with this great music which we have bequeath to the world, and in so doing, increase the economic benefits accruing to the Jamaican society.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Politicians-fixated-on-bricks-and-mortar_8768884#ixzz1LuElP58I