By Tanya Batson, Staff Reporter
Mark Stevenson thrills the audience at The Ruins in Ocho Rios with a virtuoso violin performance last Wednesday and Nadz goes through her energetic rap stylings as she boasts about 'taking on the world'. – Photos By Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
THE START of the Caribbean Music Expo (CME) 2002, at The Ruins in Ocho Rios on Wednesday night, featured mainly burgeoning Jamaican acts. The non-Jamaican acts were Patrick Walker (who is a Jamerican as he is of Jamaican parentage) and the Barbadian reggae group Courage. Nonetheless, the night's performances were extremely varied since each act used a completely different style from their predecessor.
The turn-out was quite low, but those who were there seemed intent on having a good time. While most persons were simply either standing or sitting around as the show began, at around 10:30 p.m., by the end of the night, at least a few were dancing.
The duty of opening act fell to Mark Stevenson, who has been consistently thrilling audiences with his skills on the violin.
Backed by the Skool band, he gave a fabulous performance as he continues to amaze with the way the trills from the violin so easily blend with the reggae baselines, adding wonderful depth and breadth to the tunes he chooses to interpret with the violin. With true showmanship, Stevenson refused to relegate his performance to the stage, giving a momentary serenade to a member of the audience. Despite the presence of bass and rhythm guitars, keyboards and drums as back-up instruments, the violin dominated the entire performance, providing impressive riffs and improvisations on the well-known song How Can We Go On Living This Way.
The show then underwent a rather drastic change as the vocal stylings of Patrick Walker then took the stage. The music shifted from reggae to alternative. Walker was rather interesting to watch simply because his movements and music seemed to be from two separate schools. The vocals and rhythms evoked mainly rock, however, his boppings and bounces across the stage were incontestably from either the school of dancehall or hip-hop. He later informed the paper that it was a reflection of his background.
He pointed out that he has Caribbean influences, as both his parents are Jamaica. Furthermore, he grew up in the Bronx, yet he went to a private school, which brought in the rock inflections.
Marcus I then took control of the microphone, showing the way 'Forward to the Basics', with the tunes from his recently launched album of that name. Armed with his skills on the guitar and a voice that rips right through you the first time you hear it, Marcus I brought with him powerful messages that he wished to deliver. However, this was no boring sermon. He first rocked with Call to Order then chanted about the importance of the small things with the introduction, "Every likkle leaf mek a tree," a statement which caused a few raised eyebrows and some applause. Interestingly, Marcus I was the only act present with displayed signage. Marcus I continued his teachings with Skinhead and then finished off with A Righteous Man Seeking to Do Something Good for his Land. His performance was energetic,varied and seemed to go over very well with the audience.
Rap music then took its turn at the microphone, ably brought forward by Nadz. Interestingly, while her backing was almost entirely male, it also produced a rarity in female drummer Ariane Wint. Nadz' rap stylings were ably blended with and backed by Titus Whittle (who did very well on guitar) Camar Doyles, Kenneth Bartley, Conroy Walker, Matanya 'Sambo' Samuels, Jeff Williams and Steven 'Phatmac' Ventura (who helped to increase the rap 'flava' by providing 'scratchings' on a turntable).
Her performance was well-delivered and energetic. Furthermore, as with Marcus I, there was message to the music. Her lyrics are distinct to the Jamaican experience even if the general meaning can transcend the Jamaican specifics. She was not all about preaching 'consciousness' however. One track, in true rap style, contained lyrical boasting as she stated 'You probably never hear of the girl who be taking on the world'. Her final piece was a complete change of pace. Moving from her energetic revolutionary bravado, she closed off the performance with a romantic rap ballad. After another band change, the final act for the night was brought on. It was the group Courage, coming out of Barbados. They were the second non-Jamaican act for the night. Courage's performance was very energetic and varied.
They started out with very afrocentric beats, inclusive of cow bells, which they attributed to Jonkunnu. Most of the performance, however, was reggae. Of course, they ended their performance with a tribute to Bob Marley.
