From Berne, Switzerland, to Bombay, India, from Canada and Cheltenham, England, to Chicago and Copenhagen, from New York and New Orleans to Norway, from San Francisco to South Africa, and, just about everywhere else in-between, annual jazz festivals lasting several days and nights have become the norm.
Here in Jamaica, the promoters of two of our annual festivals, All that Heritage and Jazz and the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, have yet to announce any festival dates for this year.
This clearly left the way clear for the annual Jamaica Ocho Rios Jazz Festival which has major events in Ocho Rios, Kingston and Montego Bay. This is the festival's 11th consecutive year of operation.
Promoters of the Ochi festival have established an enviable reputation by managing to attract some of the best and most influential jazz musicians from the United States and other countries around the world despite the handicap of a meagre budget. How they manage to accomplish this is a well- guarded secret, but, says Sonny Bradshaw, "This year is more of the same; Jamaican jazz fans deserve the very best."
Headliners for Festival 2001 includes the likes of trumpeter Terrence Blanchard, recently voted Trumpet Player and Artist of the Year (65th annual Down Beat readers poll, 12/2000). His latest album Wondering Moon was also voted Jazz Album of the Year. Back in 1982, Blanchard became a member of the legendary Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and remained with the Messengers for four years before leaving to form his own group. He has also written some 30 film scores including Spike Lee's Jungle Fever, Malcolm X, and Clockers. Also appearing are organist Joey DeFrancesco, runner-up to Jimmy Smith (Annual Down Beat Critics Poll 8/2000), Legends of the Bandstand, a group comprising saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman, trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Louis Hayes. Blues singer Irene Reid with Charles Earland's Band are back for an encore, as is Lou Donaldson. Well-known Jamaican singer, Buddy Ilgner, currently residing in Toronto, Canada, featured on the opening night at the Little Theatre in Kingston with the Jamaica Big Band and the Buck Ram Platters.
Given the high visibility of jazz and jazz musicians worldwide, including some of our own Jamaicans, it is indeed surprising that our local radio stations continue to ignore this music and, instead, opt to play daily what can only charitably be described as music by the less talented. There are, for example, a number of Jamaican musicians who have spent years perfecting their craft and can hold their own in the best of company at the international level. Ernest Ranglin was recently featured in two international publications, the February 2001 issue of the British magazine Jazz Wise, and the March 2001 issue of the music magazine Down Beat. Monty Alexander, another son of Jamaica, is easily one of the most recognised and sought-after jazz pianists worldwide; so is the British saxophonist Courtney Pine, who also has Jamaican roots.
Then there are others like Sonny Bradshaw, Maurice Gordon, Dean Fraser, Desi Jones, Marjorie Whylie, Harold Butler, singers Myrna Hague, Susan Couch, Della Manley, Mickey Hanson and many others. All have albums to their credit but you would never know it by listening to local radio. In other words, a, substantial segment of the listening audience and, in particular, young listeners are not being introduced to quality Jamaican music.
In the meantime, those of us who prefer quality music can look forward to the rest of the 11th Jamaican Ocho Rios Jazz Festival.
Editor's note: The 2001 Ocho Rios Jazz Festival started on Saturday June 9 and ends Sunday, June 17.