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.
Rototom wraps with eclectic finale by Noah Schaffer for Reggae Reflection. While Rototom Sunsplash last three nights had plenty of reggae giants on the Main Stage, there were also many unusual delights in the other areas of the festival.
Anyone used to the commotion that erupts whenever Beres Hammond graces an American or Caribbean stage might have been surprised that his audience was respectable but a bit smaller than the crowds that grew for the artists who would follow him on Monday night. If there weren’t quite as many forwards as usual, it put the attention back on the man and his unparalleled catalog of songs, coming one after another as the sun set over the nearby mountains. There was an especially soulful “Full Attention” and the band got to stretch out on “Putting Up Resistance.” “Rockaway” was poignant with its reference to the recently departed Aretha Franklin, before Beres finished with “Rise and Shine.”
While the set largely consisted of his massive hits from past years, those seeking more current Beres got to hear a brand new cut during David Rodigan’s entertaining DJ set in the Dancehall which spanned the years from Bob Andy to the latest singles.
Back on the Main Stage Protoje drew about as many fans as any act of the week. He torched the stage, drawing heavily on his new LP “A Matter of Time” including the lilting “Like This.”
In a post-festival press conference he told journalist Chiara LaPame Nacchia about the inspiration for the album. He also revealed how his mother and manager, Lorna Bennett, makes sure her son doesn’t have music business experience she encountered when she saw little remuneration from her 70’s smash “Breakfast in Bed.”
Alborosie with special guests Duane Stephenson, Kabaka Pyramid & The Wailers
Before any more questions could be asked Protoje excused himself to bound on stage and dance while Italian reggae star Alborosie did a dub segment. Alborosie’s epic set also included cameos from Duane Stephenson, Kabaka Pyramid, and Wailers Tyrone Downie, Junior Marvin and Aston Barrett Jr. The next night Alborosie went head to head with iconic producer/sound man King Jammy for a pure rub-a-dub session at the Dub Academy. Jammy also spun his old-time magic at the Dancehall on Monday, and at both sessions he nicely deployed Wayne Smith’s “Time’s A Moment in Space.”
One can miss new discoveries staying at the Main Stage all night so on Tuesday I devoted my day and evening to the smaller stages. The festival runs frequent buses to a nearby beach where sound systems and dancehall lessons take place. Any camper will attest to the fact that once the Spanish sun starts to rise one feels the urgent need to escape one’s sweltering tent and go for a dip. I got back in time for a relaxing yoga lesson. Rototom goers do love to smoke, and there was even someone enjoying a cigarette next to me at the yoga session!
Reggae University at Rototom 2018
Reggae University wrapped up six days of engaging panels with a look at the current state of the Jamaican music industry. Booking agent Jerome Hamilton of Headline Entertainment said the market for reggae has grown with Jamaican artists getting good gigs in other countries in the Caribbean as well as emerging music markets like Eastern Europe. “But the product is not what it should be,” lamented Hamilton. “The standard is not the strongest. You need to remember the importance of repeat value: You’ll get another booking based on how you present yourself on and offstage and that has worked against us.”
UWI Professor Sonjah Stanley Niaah was one of several panelists who agreed that the sprawling, multi-faceted Rototom could offer Jamaican promoters and tourism officials an idea of how to make a music event be more than a stage show. “The context for shows is not a good one. You have ten artists in a night and each can do five minutes — that’s not a proper opportunity for them to showcase themselves.”
Veteran producer Gussie Clarke praised the new generation of artists who have thoughtfully developed meaningful careers. “You need to think about your career first, not just making money,” he reasoned. “When you focus on your career it opens up possibilities you wouldn’t know about. Chronixx invests in himself today his legacy will stand up.”
Although non-Jamaican reggae artists may be highly present on the charts and at festivals, Billboard Magazine reggae correspondent Patricia Meschino vowed to keep on highlighting Jamaican artists, and in particular the female artists who are so often underrepresented despite their talent. On the topic of mainstream artists using reggae in their hits, Meshino said music journalists have a role to play in educating the public. “It’s not for Drake and Rihanna to identify the music, that’s our job!”
While the panel was wrapping up, the African Village was in full swing with a fashion show and modern African dance showcase. Later that night the beautiful kora playing of Nino Galissa rang out with the Kumar Sublevao Beat adding some drive behind him. Nearby the Rasta Village had nightly nyabinghi drumming and reasoning on topics ranging from charity farms to “The Healing Powers of Ital Livity.” Other evening offerings included a Spanish circus and a vegan tapas cooking lesson.
Dusk meant music time and the Dub Academy was rocking with the Copra Records Showcase, a crew not just of selectors and deejays but also several live musicians including a haunting violinist. Many of the dancers were tempting hearing loss by standing right in front of the giant speakers, while under a small tent there was a mess of cables, wires, effects units, turntables and other gadgets as one dub sound system set up while another played.
Over at the Dancehall, another large uncovered outdoor area surrounded by speakers, a group of Jamaican dancers were offering dancehall lessons, jumping into the audience to demonstrate their creativity moves.
From those up-to-the-second dance moves I then went way back to the pre-ska era where Jamaican artists put their spin on New Orleans rhythm and blues. The Uppertones, a piano/trombone/drums trio, covered the Lloyd Price and Willie Dixon 45s one would have heard at a Jamaican dance in the late 50’s or early 60’s. They were followed by the impressive vocals of cultural artist Samory I who did his own material as well as the Syl Johnson-penned “Is It Because I’m Black?” which reggae fans will know from Ken Boothe’s cover.
Earlier in the week Gussie Clarke had spoken about the lesson he learned when he was unable to see any compensation when the Mighty Diamonds’ “Pass the Kouchie” was turned into Musical Youth’s “Pass the Dutchie.” The original rang out during Wednesday’s opening set by the Mighty Diamonds, a stellar performance by Tubby and Judge plus a third singer temporarily replacing Bunny and a horn section to boot.
Those veterans weren’t the only harmony trio of the night. Spain’s Emeterians are one of the only young reggae harmony groups in the world that I’m aware of. The ensemble were an artist in residence at Rototom, offering a family acoustic concert, a group harmony workshop, and a session by the beach. They finished with their impressive debut as a dub system. Kudos to the group for keeping the earthereal sound of reggae harmony alive.
“I am representing dancehall,” declared Konshens on the Main Stage, and he did it well with a high-energy set whose crowd participation and big-limbed dancer never took away from his lyrical skills. He reappeared later on as a guest of Tarrus Riley for their “Simple Blessings.” Riley’s spirited set also included the world premier of a new song based on “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?”
At the Dancehall General Zooz and dancer Ms. Sheriff represented India’s Reggae Rajahs in a set that found him both performing originals like “Mumbai Gyal” and playing a Chronixx dubplate.
The crowds were a bit smaller Wednesday night — some attendees had to go home while others were likely trying to recover from the prior six late nights — but they swelled for Main Stage closer Orishas, a long-running Cuban hip-hop group who deftly mixed Afro-Cuban rhythms with multiple rappers. It made for a lively finale to a week that saw all corners of the reggae universe well represented.
