Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor
My daahlings, talk about coming of age! Well, after 10 years, the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival has, and in the process, emerged as the second city's premier music festival, and how!
Luvs, no competition here, the festival packs the cachet, style and international power acts, making it not just one fine music festival, but also a family friendly festival, unlike most of the others.
And then there is the celebrity and profiling component! Doves, it is the place to be and be seen as this is not your regular run-of-the-mill outing, but here, it is all about the rich and powerful, the quoted and the promoted; the bold and the beautiful; the young and charming; the photographed; the fashionable the chic, the glamorous and the fabulous; and yes, the glitterati and the literati!
Sophisticated audience
Not to put too fine a point to it - the festival is definitely (and thankfully) very high-brow, as we are talking top-drawer here, and nothing but!
Honeys, we are talking (for the most part) about a sophisticated audience here, the kind with a keen ear and appreciation for fab music and an even greater appreciation for the different genres that contribute to the rich musical menu, from which we all make our individual diet!
Anyway, precious angels, it was all about Montego Bay last week, but more so over the three-day weekend offering some of the finest musical talents ever to grace a stage anywhere.
And so it was, that last weekend Kingstonians did pack kit, bag and caboodle, and along with their trophy wives, hubbies and/or companions, motored over to Montego Bay in their high-priced luxury imports, where they commandeered the preferred resorts on the outskirts of the famed city, for three days of fun sun and music.
Now, for its 10th staging, the organisers decided on changing the venue from its preferred Cinnamon Hill location, across the road really, to the Aqueduct. Now, make no bones about it, the change of venue mattered nary one bit, as the fab were out to enjoy the festival, its ambience, the music, and the
laa-de-dahing.
And be it at Cinnamon Hill or the Aqueduct, all of this would still be on offer, but luvs, what no one bargained for was the simply horrendous state of the roadways in the vicinity of the venue, and the god-awful manners of the motorists traversing this strip of the highway!
And then again, even this assault on the sensibilities of patrons was not enough to mar their outing, as with the preferred resort being the Half Moon Resort Golf, Tennis and Beach Club, y'all know that it would take more than swirling dust bin and or ill-tempered, ill-equipped and decidedly coarse drivers, to ruin a foray into what promised to be one fine musical and social odyssey!
Well, my daahlings, what the organisers promised, they delivered!
The Aqueduct is really one fabulous venue, taking patrons that much closer to the Beaches of Rose Hall and done-up as it was to capture the essence of a musical village, with encircling marquees and kiosks providing a parade ground of sorts, or even a courtyard, if you will, as the main promenade for guests to strut their stuff, and pumpkins, strut they did!
Oh honeys, it was the only social event!
Did someone say music? What music?
To be sure, we did spot the mucho-talented and fabulously gifted Shaggy! And luvs, church heathen, is simply the hottest Shaggy since Shaggy! The music video - a fabulous whopper!
And Sean Paul was definitely in his musical ackee! Michael Bolton thrilled! Kenny Rogers inspired! And the Earth and Wind was there, but the 'fire' was most definitely missing!
My daahlings, it was all about the marquees and their faultless hospitality suites that saw them entertaining in the finest mettle, offering up premium libations and memorable finger-delectables.
The Bank of Nova Scotia, definitely coming out on top with its cozy suite, off-stage performances and some to-die-for mixed drinks!
Then there was Margaritaville! Oh my word, oh for a whole year of jazz and blues - oh so fine chocolate margarita!
The Air Jamaica den of suites offered a glimpse, and liberally so, of its much vaunted airborne service.
Walter Elmore was decidedly in his element, and then some!
Among those out and sharing in the art of music were: Hon. Portia Simpson Miller; Security Minister Dr. Peter Phillips; Technology Minister Phillip Paulwell; Tourism Minister Aloun Asamba; Opposition Leader Bruce and Lorna Golding; Opposition MPs Mike Henry and his lovely wife, Dawn Chambers Henry, Audley Shaw, Babsy Grange and Ed Bartlett; Kingston's Mayor, Desmond McKenzie; Tourism Director Basil Smith; Director General Carole Guntley.
Also out were DCP Mark Shields; Tony and Sheila Hart; Canadian Jamaican multimillionaire Raymond Chang and his companion, the lovely Donette Chin Loy; hotel tycoon Gordon 'Butch; Stewart, his son, Adam; security conglomateur Kenny Benjamin; famed hotelier Heinz Simonitsch; the esteemed Michelle Rollins; Capt. Mike and Thalia Lyn; the fabulous Cecile Levee; Herman McLarty and wife Dorothy Pine McLarty;Mark Hart; Jackie Bird; Robert Russell; Brian and Shelagh Jardim; his parents, Mr and Mrs. Max Jardim.
Also out, Leroy 'Duggo' Dunkley; Air Jamaica's VP Paul and Dorothy Pennicook; Digicel's David and Liz Hall; Digicel's marketing guru, Harry Smith;Ed Khouri; Trevor Lyn; his estranged wife, the fabulous Sandra Kennedy Lyn,Hubert Chin and wife Jean Lowrie-Chin; the devastatingly gorgeous April Parchment Knight; Rajiv Bakshi; Tanya HoShue; Anthony and Erin Chang; Donovan Perkins; former Miss World Lisa Hanna; Denny and Veena Chandiram; Rivi and Maggie Gardner; Parsha Buddo; Mike Willacy; Sandrea Faulkner; Kathy Pike; Robert Haughton; Stacy Gabbidon;Mike Ogletree; the lovely Donna Harpaul; the fab looking Louise Finnegan in from Haiti; Ricky Skerritt, in from St. Kits and Nevis and several (several) scores more.
