Photos by Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
LEFT: Claudette Kenlock, Dwight Moore, Rowena Minott and Dollis Campbell enjoy the moment at the relaunch of the Jonkanoo Lounge oldies night at the Hilton Kingston hotel on Tuesday, August 19.
RIGHT: Heather Blanco has Kenny Benjaminin deep thought.

Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor

In its heyday, it was simply the hottest spot in the Corporate Area.

We are talking fashionably hot here as it was the meeting place of St Andrew socialites, the playground of the young, and in the jargon of the day - definitely the most frequented glam-hang of the era!

To be sure, Kingston is a city given to seasonal entertainment hot spots. And over the years, it has proven quite a hard taskmaster, in that it has the tendency to swallow up and then spew out would-be hot spots that have had the temerity to proclaim themselves, king of the heap. Curiously, however, the city of Kingston has maintained a love affair with the Jonkanoo Lounge, located in the upper lobby of the Hilton Kingston hotel, located on the city's hip strip, right in the middle of the commercial and business district.

To be sure, the Jonkanoo Lounge has undergone many a change. The hotel itself has been rebranded many times over. In all of this however, the Jonkanoo Lounge has remained one of the Corporate Area's preferred spots, as alluring and as beguiling as ever.

Strong leadership

Well, it's been a decade since international hotelier, philanthropist and patron of the arts, Frank Roshuevel, assumed the mantle of leadership of the hotel. And since then, the almost-shy Roshuevel and his team have been quite busy transforming the hotel from just another landmark to the city's premier hotel.

In the 10 years of the Hilton, the Jonkanoo Lounge has had mixed reviews, in that, it has undergone many facelifts and other changes as it searched for its own new niche, in the ever-evolving world of night-time entertainment.

Well, after many incarnations the Jonkanoo Lounge has been given a new lease on life - it is now and to be, Kingston's very first oldies club!

Luvs, talking about breaking new ground by going back to yesteryear!

Well my dears, this is exactly what Frank Roshuevel and his team have proposed as the new niche for it and dears, on the face of it, this represents a winning formula as Kingston is sadly bereft at the moment of that mature alternative when it comes to entertainment. Most of what is available caters solely to the young-at-heart or the "dancehall taste" leaving those, not inclined to indulge, with very little choice, if any at all.

New venue

The new venue has found a new lease on life and should find favour with the mature audience and those not given to the noise factor.

And so it was, that the 'new' Jonkanoo Lounge was rolled out in a laid-back cocktail do two Tuesday evenings ago, with a shortlist of specially invited guests in attendance, and luvs, it made for a fab little outing.

Dears, it was style perfect for an unveiling. No speeches! No fanfare! No drama or long-winded presentations by the pompous. This, my dears, was a charming little affair that saw Roshuevel and his team socialising with their guests over premium libations, some delightful finger foods, and a most auspicious janga soup.

Rare Groovers Disco set the musical pace and symbolically so as the music of yesteryear filtered out from alcoves and hidden speakers to tease as guests drank up the ambience and promise of things to come!

Among the notables out were Argentinean Ambassador HE Jose Pino; security conglomateur and Honorary Consul of the Ukraine, Kenny Benjamin; Honorary Consul of the Netherlands, Robert Cartade; Carmen Patterson; Dwight Moore; Ann Taylor; Dr David McBean; the gorgeous Rowena Minott; Ted Samuels; Audrey Anderson; Claudette Kenlock; Heather Blanco; Charise Kong; the fab Barbara Hyde; the lovely Fern Proctor; Trisha Thompson; Pauline Edie; Dollis Campbell; Christine Bell; Kenesha Linton; Lloyd Patterson; Melanie Thompson; Albert and Maria Benbow, plus a number of others.