One Love | One Passion – Reggae Reflection features top quality Reggae Photos & Reggae News Items relevant to the current music scene. Reggae Reflection highlights key artists and notable events of interest from around the Globe.
A two hour Sly and Robbie Taxi Gang set found them opening with an extended riddim medley, featuring the piercing saxophone of Guillaume Stepper Briard. After two vocals from Junior Natural the sweet voice of Bitty McLean delivered “In and Out of Love”, the Melodians’ “Too Young To Fall in Love” and Bread’s “Make It With You.” In honor of Marcus Garvey’s Earthstrong there was “Redemption Song” before Bitty handed the mic to Robbie Shakespeare who sang the Uniques’ “Queen Majesty.”
Yellowman then bounded on stage with “Nobody Move” and never let up during an athletic segment that found him doing push-ups on stage. The dancehall king seemed especially thrilled to be working with a full horn section.
Few could follow such excitement but Johnny Osbourne was more than up to the task as he ran through his classics, including an extended “Ice Cream Sound/Ice Cream Love.” He brought back Bitty for their combination “Jahovia”, before the set ended with Robbie by himself playing bass and singing “Sorry.”
Despite being one of the reggae world’s most famous ambassadors, Jimmy Cliff humbly started his show by joining several of his musicians on the nyabinghi drums. At 70 Cliff’s voice remains as soulful as always. While any reggae fan knows his selections from the “Harder They Come” soundtrack it was clear that many of the younger audience members were just as familiar with “Hakuna Matata” from the Lion King soundtrack. A nice surprise was “Let Your Yeah Be Yeah,” a big UK hit that Cliff wrote for the pioneers.”
It was a good night for ska fans, with Cliff dipping back to ‘62 and ‘63 for “Miss Jamaica” and “King of Kings.” Crowds can be small in front of the Lion Stage but British singer Alpheus had no trouble drawing a big audience as he sang excellent ska and rocksteady originals backed by his crack Mighty Megatones and gave some ska dance instructions to boot. Six hours laterDukeNeville and Patrick Matics were spinning non-stop Jamaican ska 45s in the Caribbean Uptempo tent.
There will be a lot more ska tonight as the Skatalites with trombone legend Vin Gordon back not just their original singer Doreen Shaffer but also ska king Derrick Morgan. It’ll be broadcast at Rototom.TV.
“Who Jump the Gun? – Violence in Contemporary Jamaica”
While reggae fans party in Benicasim it’s easy to forget that there’s a serious situation happening with violence in Jamaica. That was the topic of a lively panel earlier in the afternoon called “Who jump the gun? – Violence in contemporary Jamaica.” UWI Professor Sonjah Stanley Niaah detailed the factors that have led to violence like a colonial structure built on violence, the relationships between politicians and dons, and the states of emergencies that have been periodically called in Jamaica, and said that the music was speaking about the violence, not causing it.
IF you want to change the lyrics you better think about changing something in Jamaica,” agreed Maria Carla Gulotta of Stand Up for Jamaica who works with prisoners on the island.
“Citizens express themselves through articulate artists who say this is what we’ve created,” said Niaah, noting that efforts to suppress sound system dances are titled “noise abatement acts. “Why are we in Jamaica calling it noise?” she asked about the music that is known throughout the world.
Much of the talk centered around the role of guns, violence and music with men, but in response to a question from an audience member Niaah said she also wasn’t letting women off the hook. “Women are covering up bloody clothes and hiding guns,” she said. I hold women responsible for many of the things that occur because many single mothers, many who are under-employed and have very few sources of income, depend on some of these men perpetuating crimes. Their association with criminal activity is intimate.”
