Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
Singer Cezar (foreground) is soulful at the microphone as he performs at Cezar in Concert, held at Redbones Blues Café, Braemar Avenue, on Friday night, June 29.Right: Singer Marcus I performs at Cezar in Concert. - photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
On its last night of live performances the 2007 Kingston on the Edge (KOTE) Festival went reggae-soul with Cezar and undiluted rockers with Marcus I at Redbones Blues Café, Braemar Avenue, New Kingston, on Friday.
The mix did not go as intended, though, with Cezar apologising for an extremely late start and explaining to the large audience that "we were waiting on a brethren who was supposed to open the show".
That meant no real intermission, as Marcus I and his accompanying musicians played during Cezar's break. And that meant no break for two musicians, as bass player Jeffrey Moss-Solomon and saxophonist Tafane Buchsaecab were the musical common denominators with both outfits.
Strong evening on music
It was a strong evening on music but low on the overt enthusiasm required for an explosive concert ("uptown people don't skank," Cezar commented at one point), with Cezar stepping front and centre with his guitar after a brief warm-up from the band.
"This is what we call reggae-soul. The mission is to rock you, make you dance, make you think. Is just positive vibe we bringing," he said, as he went slow after the opening uptempo rockers to examine One Way Love. Tafane and Wayne McGregor on guitar made the first of many combinations for the night before McGregor did a solo to end.
Cezar introduced many of his songs for the night, saying he would normally dedicate the next song to his mothe she was not there.
A hail from the back indicated that she was and the dedication of You're Beautiful, done reggae style, was duly made and it ended to cheers from an audience that was stiff in the legs but limber in the vocal chords.
First-time performance
A disclaimer ("my girlfriend is in the audience") came before a song about why men cheat, being performed for the first time it was written many years ago. A saxophone solo led off Untrue Reflection and Cezar sang "it is just the way that I am made" and promising "even when I play around, you are the only one I love without a doubt".
Cezar went for head space next, singing that "in the real world, if you can't swim, you drown", before going to what should have been intermission on an uptempo note with an ode to a lady who has "got me feeling butterflies" and "hopelessly infatuated", at one point stepping back from the microphone for the band to rock it, then coming back with the vocals, eyes closed.
Marcus I apologised for the delay, explaining that he was coming from Montego Bay, before going into the rockers of the Good Vibes. Also playing guitar he went into Cocaine and Mango, which explored the extreme contrasts of Jamaica, Flea rattling up a storm on drums as Marcus I went into a bit of Burning Spear. Live Up ("straight into little herb, yu know") came before the close with Marcus I, joined by his infant daughter who happily sang "worldwide recognition" along with him, to the delight of the audience.
There was another bundle of musicians on the small stage for the change-over, Cezar asking "will you be there" in music. He hit one of his higher notes for the eveningon Lost That Feeling before removing the microphone from the stand to deliver a set of songs that he really wanted to get across.
"A lot of these songs are really about persevering, being grateful for the gifts you have," he said. The first was Shoulder to the Wheel, Cezar going into deejay format to comment: "Jah a expose dem, so I know I will dispose dem."
He started the next song on a high note and his voice was in especially good nick as he sang "this world turns in one direction/and there is no reversing one section that is past".
He honoured Steel Pulse with Your House and introduced the band, which also included Lonnie Jones and Mario Jones on harmony and Alex Martin-Blanken on keyboards, before closing with the lyrically very strong Keep On.
