As Air Canada Flight 966 touched down at Grantley Adams International airport on my fourth visit to Barbados, I realized that I know Barbados better than I know the suburbs of Toronto. I get homesick for this place, for the long drives through verdant hills and lush valleys, for the flower forest, for the incredible view from atop Farley Hill Park, for miles of sugar cane, green monkeys, the warm turquoise sea, fishcakes with hot sauce and mac pie, flying fish and rum punch. But most of all, I come to enjoy the sites and sounds delivered by the annual Barbados Jazz Festival, held January 14-20 this year. ', 'The festival line-up for this year was as musically diverse as in previous years, featuring such popular headline acts as Dionne Warwick, Dianne Reeves, Rachelle Ferrell, Stanley Jordan, Jonathan Butler, David Sanborn, Freddy Cole, Jesse Cook, Sonny Emory, Pan Masters, Orquesta Enrique Jorrin, with opening acts, Kalabash, Della Manley, Samantha Siva, Joseph Diamone, James Lovell and the Coleridge and Parry School bands.

Historic festival venues once again served to connect Barbados’ distinguished past with it’s present and future. Sunbury Plantation House and Museum hosted the opening night that featured two Canadian acts. First up was six-piece Kalabash presenting an appropriate set fusing Caribbean flavors merged with a smooth layering of jazz rhythms that warmed up the audience for guitar master Jesse Cook’s flamenco/rumba flambé. Cook mesmerized the crowd with his trademark flourishes, performing songs from his highly acclaimed CD’s ‘Tempest’ and ‘Gravity’, to a standing ovation.

Tuesday night’s concert, on the grounds of The Sherbourne Conference Centre, placed budding songstress Della Manley and Grammy winner Diane Reeves under the stars, a crescent moon and a few passing rain clouds that did nothing to deter the embrace of the audience. While Manley is no match for the popular Grammy winner, she did her best to entertain a crowd that was clearly there for Reeves. Unfortunately, ballads interspersed with a couple of slow to mid-tempo reggae hits only served to lull the crowd into a near coma. While Manley’s vocal and guitar talents are questionable at best, had her set included more up tempo tunes and a stronger stage presence, she would have stood a better chance of winning over the sophisticated audience.

Shouts, whistles and wild applause greeted Reeves as she took the stage for her second visit performing at The Barbados Jazz Festival. Beginning with one of her favourite songs to sing, ‘Morning Is Broken’, “It’s like a prayer before we start – it talks about every perfect day is a gift for us,” explained Reeves who followed with Peter Gabriel’s ‘In Your Eyes’, another favorite, “because it’s about being fragile and how you have to reach for things” before continuing with her superfine rendition of ‘Misty’. ‘Fascinating Rhythm’, which Reeves will be performing at The Olympics; is also the song - 4 Time World Figure Skating Champion Kurt Browning has chosen to perform to in this year’s Olympics. “Kurt Browning likes those rhythms, so we’ll see how he skates to it, I’m sure it will be great,” said Reeves.

As most people who are familiar with Reeves know, she is a fan of Sarah Vaughn, and began to define her own style after listening to many of Vaughn’s recordings. During a high school concert choir rendition of Bach, Reeves was reminded of an album Vaughn recorded with trumpeter Clifford Brown where Vaughn performed in a way that sounded kind of like opera. “So, when I heard Sarah, I thought, hummm, I need to put a little of that stuff in this song. When it came time to perform my solo during this beautiful Latin song with a wonderful descending line, I took it… and added a couple of notes. My Mama was in the audience shaking her head, oh no. Every time we did that song, I would add a couple of notes. I finally did do it the right way, but now…I just do my own thing,” she said as crowd roared their approval. “This is the song that kind of inspired it, from the great Clifford Brown,” said Reeves as she broke into ‘Lullaby of Birdland’.

Reeves introduced ‘Nine’ saying, “This is a song of innocence, imagination and wonderment, which I believe exists in all of us no matter what age we are. I also dedicated it to ‘9’ because it’s the last time we are only one number, most of the time we are two numbers and if we are really lucky, we might get to be three numbers.” Reeves concluded the evening by thanking her friend Dionne Warwick, who was in the audience, with a mini-medley of Warwick hits such as: ‘Promises Promises,’ ‘ I’ll Never Fall In Love Again’ and ‘Do You Know The Way To San Jose’.

Wednesday night brought us to the Sir Garfield Sobers Sports Auditorium for an evening with Dionne Warwick. Warwick’s name glistened eloquently on the curtain behind with a single rose underneath. She stepped onto the stage singing ‘What I Do For Love’ and ‘Close To You’ before pausing to say, “Welcome to ‘your’ concert. If you feel the groove, if the spirit should move you and you want to put your hands together or get up and dance, just feel free to do that, it’s quite alright with us, we’ll just stand up here and watch.” As the laughter subsided, it was obvious that the star warmly reciprocated the love emanating from the audience.

Although her vocals were not quite as strong as in her younger years, small changes in song arrangements made it possible for Warwick to go through her incredible repertoire of past hits, starting with her very first recording in 1962, ‘Don’t Make Me Over’, until the last song ended, with the crowd in the palm of her hand. The audience sang along, cheering and clapping as memories were triggered by hits such as, ‘Walk On By’, to ‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’, ‘A House Is Not A Home’, ‘Ill Never Fall In Love Again’, ‘Say A Little Prayer’, ‘Look Of Love’, ‘What’s It All About Alfie’, ‘Heartbreaker’, and ‘I’ll Never Love This Way Again’, before changing pace to a few Bossa Nova songs that Represented her adopted homeland of Brazil.

The crowd grew silent when Warwick stopped to talk about something that was close to all our hearts. “I was told something by an interviewer yesterday that made my heart feel so full and so proud. I was told that we are celebrating this evening with some very, very special people, people who have endured a great deal of sorrow and pain, because of your generosity here in Barbados, the generosity of the airlines and hotels – those of you who have tried to make it better. The interviewer asked me what I would say if I had an opportunity to speak to these wonderful, wonderful families who are seated here tonight, the words that came immediately were…………..

“I thank you for allowing me to share your space, thank you for allowing my music to be just a part of the healing – that’s what music is about, it does heal, it does give you an opportunity to smile and reflect. I certainly do hope that some of the songs – if not all of the songs – at least one, has been able to bathe you in such a fashion that you feel uplifted and inspired to go on – we must go on. And I do thank you from the bottom of my heart for that opportunity. This next song happens to be one of my favourite songs that I want to share with you and I want you to keep it with you because it’s absolutely true.” As Warwick began to sing ‘What The World Needs Now’ the audience once again joined in. Warwick ended the evening with a heartfelt rendition of ‘That’s What Friends Are For’, to thundering applause.

Thursday and Friday nights took us on a long drive through acres of tall, whispering sugar cane fields to The Foursquare Plantation Rum Factory and Heritage Park. Heritage Park, located adjacent to the factory, houses the Cane Pit Amphitheatre that once served as a loading bay for the sugar mill. This lovely venue was a perfect setting for two nights of concerts by Samantha Siva and Joseph Diamone, Sonny Emory and Freddy Cole, Nat ‘King’ Cole’s younger brother. Cole’s own versions of familiar hits such as, ‘Fly Me To The Moon’, ‘LOVE’, ‘Poinciana’, ‘Mona Lisa’, ‘Unforgettable’, ‘I\'m Not My Brother, I\'m Me’, plus ‘Straighten Up And Fly Right’ and ‘Rio de Janeiro Blue’ gave us a chance to sit back, relax and enjoy the smooth, resonant sounds of this fine vocalist.

Friday night’s headliner, dynamic drummer Sonny Emory and his stellar band which included, percussion wizard Lenny Castro, brother-Darien Emory on saxophone, Sam Sims on bass, Darryl Smith on keyboards, Rick Jordan on drums and Derrick Scott on guitar, took the stage after a lackluster smooth jazz set by New Yorker, Joseph Diamone. Diamone spent too much time groveling to Festival organizers for having him on the bill, when he could have thanked them in a more efficient way by playing his songs with passion and energy.

Excitement filled the air as Sonny Emory’s arsenal of drums, percussion, more drums, keyboards and yet another set of drums, began to cover the stage complimented by candles and incense. The name of this man’s game is ‘Hypnofunk’, which is also the title of his first CD. As an unabashed and declared Earth, Wind and Fire fan, with whom Emory played for 13 years, it was no disappointment to me that their entire set consisted of a few long and fabulously executed songs such as ‘Free My Soul’, ‘Hypnofunk’ and a sizzling arrangement of well known Mingus hit, ‘Goodbye Pork Pie Hat’.

Drum solos, duet drum solos, percussion, bass, guitar and keyboard solos, twirling sticks and high kicks merged into the energy of a nuclear rhythm explosion. The crowd went wild. Emory would be a great addition to the Farley Hill line-up next time around, especially since Earth, Wind and Fire songs are staples on the hill in-between sets.

This year’s festival brought concertgoers to Farley Hill National Park for a full weekend of great music, great food, fine crafts by local artisans, and a few torrential downpours. What a pleasure to have local bands from the Coleridge and Parry School’s perform, it was an opportunity to witness the young musician’s who may one day share the stage as headliners, such as Barbadian drummer James Lovell did on Saturday. Lovell, turned in a fine performance that featured a vocalist, pan player, and two young, spirited African dancers who joined the group onstage, much to the delight of the audience.

David Sanborn proved that blending musical genres can be a good thing. Improvising with jazz, R&B and a bit of funk thrown in. Sanborn says, “I’m an old hippie, I come from the sensibility that we are all part of the same species – we’re all human beings and music is a way to communicate outside of geographic boundaries; it’s a way for people to come together, I think everybody should be playing with everybody all the time.” Back when Sanborn’s show Night Music was on, he would have acts such as, Leonard Cohen, Was Not Was and Sonny Rollins all performing together, he even booked Al Green and Sun Ra, which Sanborn admits ‘really pushed the limit’, but it reflects his passion for taking musical risks. Risks, obviously worth taking, as Sanborn has proved throughout his 25-year career. What did David Sanborn have to say about Barbados? “It’s very beautiful, I can’t imagine a more perfect place, it’s like Eden, and I love the people, the people are great, they’re so friendly. As a New Yorker, I’m a little cynical, so it takes a few days to realize that people here are genuinely nice.”

The personal highlight of ‘my’ Barbados Jazz experience was the one and only Rachelle Ferrell. This woman didn’t just sing, she brought the rain down from the sky - a few times. Stalking the stage in jeans, barefeet and big hair, Ferrell is intense, animated, sassy and funny. From her first stunning notes, songs like the title track of her sophomore CD, ‘Individuality (Can I Be Me?)’, soulful ‘Sista’, ‘Satisfied’, and ‘Will You Remember Me’, kept people glued to their spots, some had umbrellas, jackets or plastic to cover them in the downpours, but most just stood in the rain crowded around the front of the stage to witness the excellence that is Rachelle Ferrell. The audience screamed, clapped, hooted and testified, no one could get enough. Someone should have the good sense to record Ferrell’s ‘live’ CD soon.

The Parry School band opened Sunday’s show with a lively big band set, followed by Trinidadian favourites, Pan Masters, featuring well-known bassist Michael Boothman, with ‘professor’ Ken Fillmore playing the pans. The Pan Masters, who are no strangers to the island, had quite a few hardcore fans in the crowd for which they performed familiar hits such as ‘Now That We Found Love’, ‘Mr. Magic’ and Earth, Wind and Fire favourite, Let’s Groove Tonight’.

Next up was legendary Cuban ensemble, Orquesta Enrique Jorrin, who has enjoyed nearly 60 years in existence, continuing to survive long after Jorrin\'s death in 1987. Jorrin invented the cha cha in 1951. The cha-cha is a mambo, three times slowed down. Mambo is a fusion of jazz and Latin rhythms that was exquisitely performed by this 12 piece incarnation of the former Orquesta Aragon that featured seasoned musicians lead by three smiling, dancing and charismatic, singers who’s fancy footwork lead the crowd into a merengue, mambo, cha cha frenzy.

Stanley Jordan’s riveting solo concert at last year’s festival was enhanced with a trio this time around, featuring brothers Charnett Moffett on bass and Codaryl Moffett on drums and percussion. Song’s like Jimi Hendrix’s ‘1983 A Mermaid I Should Turn To Be’, ‘Autumn Leaves’, ‘Lady In My Life’, along with Stevie Wonder hit ‘Superstitious’ gave the audience a taste of Jordan’s diversity as both a player and music lover. “I like to play songs that I truly love, songs that are really special and unique. I also like to play songs that have meaning to me, when choosing what to play in a particular concert, it could be for a number of reasons, but there has to be some reason, there has to be a good reason because I feel that every moment is precious, every song you play, every thought you think is precious and I don’t want to waste it.” Confessed Jordan.

South African guitarist/singer Jonathan Butler, the youngest of seventeen children, was a great choice to close this year’s festival. Butler’s intensely soulful vocals on songs like, ‘Do You Love Me’, Song For Elizabeth’, ‘The Way You Look Tonight’, ‘Dancing On The Shore’ and ‘Sing Me A Love Song’, brought shouts of joy as the crowd screamed out requests. Butler, along with the very talented saxophonist Mindy Abair and bassist Ronnie Garrett played off each other like a set of triplets, each assured of where the other was going. Butler often let the other musicians share the spotlight as when Garrett stepped forward and announced he was going to give us some ‘old school’ and began thumping his bass into familiar funk lines, the crowd took the cue, turning the area in front of the stage into a funkadelic festival until the last note faded into the night.

Recently signed to Warner Brothers Records, Butler has a CD scheduled for an April release. He now only gets home to South Africa once or twice every two years. “My whole thing in South Africa is working with communities. In America, I’m just trying to keep South African music alive. A lot of my peers, that came before us, who taught us everything we know about our culture, our history, our music, suffered a lot to express that. From Miriam Mekeba, Hugh Masakela and others, I feel like there is this light in me, that their music is a part of me. I wish I could be there everyday. When I am able to go home and actually take American musicians with me and put them on stage together with South African musicians, it’s an amazing thing when that happens,” remarked Butler.

This year’s Barbados Jazz Festival was an absolutely delightful array of diverse talents and genres that kept each day interesting and entertaining. Congratulations to Mr. Gilbert Rowe and GMR International Tours and Barbados Tourism. Thank you, for once again, inviting me to take part in watching this splendid festival mature into a world-class event. For anyone who has not yet had an opportunity to attend the Barbados Jazz Festival, keep a close eye on their website to find out dates and line-up for next year’s 10th anniversary celebrations.

I also wish to thank our host hotel, The Bougainvillea Beach Resort for their gracious hospitality. Owned by Gordon and Maria-Nancy Seale and Chris McHale, the hotel was named after Maria-Nancy’s favourite flower, the bougainvillea that cascades in multi-coloured blossoms from the balconies and gardens throughout the property. “The hotel was designed so that when you stand in the lobby and look down, you can see (and hear) the numerous waterfalls and pools, you can see the lush gardens, you can see the ocean. We wanted to bring everything Caribbean to our guests in the first glance.” Offers Sharon Hugh-White, marketing and sales manager of the hotel.

Located in Christ Church Parish on the southern coast, just 5 miles from the airport, the Bougainvillea Beach Resort began building in 1995 when sister hotel The Sand Acres, situated next door, found the demand was so great that they were always sold out. Each room or suite at The Bougainvillea has views towards the ocean, garden and pool area. Another thing I liked about this hotel is that it has made a commitment to do its part to help keep Barbados free from pollutants such as cake soaps and harsh detergents. Awarded ‘The Green Globe Certification’, at the World Travel Market in London, England, in October 2001, the hotel also has ‘Green Globe Certified’ workers on property who maintain their ecological commitment.

Our deluxe one bedroom suite, was spacious, bright, and spotless. The bedroom was furnished with a comfortable king-sized bed, sturdy end tables, a double dresser, plenty of closet space and French doors that opened out to the garden below. The bathroom was larger than my last office and equipped with liquid soaps, shampoos and conditioners provided in dispensers on the wall. The fully equipped kitchen, dinning area and living room were decorated in soothing peach, green and cream tones. The balcony from which the hotel’s namesake, bougainvillea bloomed profusely each day, provided a view of the sea, the pools, gardens and waterfalls. Not big fans of air conditioning, we left the doors open, allowing the warm wind to circulate the fragrant night air with sounds of the surf and gentle ‘tweet’ of the tree frogs from all sides, lulling us into a deep and restful sleep.

If you’re lucky, you can get one of the five ground floor suites that have private miniature pools that flow into the waterfalls and down into the pools at no additional charge. They are available on a first come, first serve basis. “If we have honeymooners or someone celebrating a special occasion, we will try to put them in one of these special rooms.” “Another great service offered at the Bougainvillea is, you can hire a cook to prepare an authentic “Bajan” meal in the comfort of your room. For as little as $20.00 US per couple, they will arrange for a cook to prepare a shopping list (based on the guests requirements), do the shopping, cook and serve the meal and best of all – do the washing up. It’s our attention to detail; every small detail is a part of the whole service that we instill in those who work for us. If we pay attention to the small details, the big ones take cares of themselves.” Adds Hugh-White.

And last but not least, I want to add that in my continuous quest for fishcakes, I have to declare that Zilma, who heads up the cart at ‘Time Out At the Gap’ serves soft, golden, spicy fishcakes that are, without a doubt, the very best on the island. If you are in need of a fishcake fix, stop by and see Zilma. Tell her I sent you!

I would especially like to thank Gail Stewart and Barbados Board Of Tourism in Toronto along with Olivia, Ryan, Jackie and all of our hosts from the Barbados Tourism offices on the island, who once again provided interesting, historical and entertaining day trips, delicious Bajan lunches, and extended themselves above and beyond the call of duty ensuring all another memorable trip.

Visitors Website information: The Barbados Jazz Festival: http://www.barbadosjazzonline.com The Bougainvilea Beach Resort: http://barbados.org/hotels/bougainvillea/index.htm

Barbados Tourism: http://www.barbados.org

Kris King kris.king@sympatico.ca

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