Tobago Gourmet Jazz Festival heading for court

Trading under the name Panache Productions, Boyenne told Newsday in an exclusive interview yesterday that he did everything for the event up to two weeks prior to the first show scheduled for August 12. He was then approached by the chief Secretary of the THA Orville london to take a back seat and allow CL Financial to take the lead role.

At that point Boyenne said to avoid the altogether cancellation of the event and after so much money was spent he allowed the show to go on. But what peeved him is that the THA and CL Financial now want to wholly take over the annual event even though he pioneered it.

Producing a copy of the Memorandum of Agreement for the event, Boyenne stated that his company was responsible for the procurement of artistes, talent fees, lighting and stage, airfares for artistes, screens, communication equipment, show tickets, website development, accommodation of artistes and the foreign marketing and sponsorship.

The THA’s role was to see about the toilets, banners, perimeter lighting, generators, police, fire, medical, security, tents, ground transport, insurance (liability), copyright, local advertising, fencing and labour.

That agreement was signed by Boyenne and Barett La Roda from Panache and Michael Keens-Dumas, the Chief Administrator of the THA, with the profits going 20 percent to the THA, 70 percent to Panache and ten percent to La Roda since his role was only to contract the world-renowned R&B artiste Stevie Wonder.

From March 2005, Boyenne hired Patrick Allocco, Managing Partner of All Good Entertainment in New Jersey to book the artistes that he discussed with Allocco since December of 2004.

When Newsday contacted Allocco in New Jersey by telephone, he corroborated that he in fact started sourcing and booking the artistes in March 2005 and two months later they were all contracted to perform at the festival with the exception of Stevie Wonder who had already verbally committed himself to the show in December 2004. Allocco added that one month before the festival all major foreign artistes were paid in full by him and two weeks later, so too was Stevie Wonder. The only artistes that were partly paid up to that point were jazz acts Lina and Ledisi, as well as Najee, Guy and Lalah Hathaway.

However in a letter to Neil Wilson, Secretary of Tourism, THA dated May 20, 2005, Anthony Maharaj, CEO, CL Communications Network wrote in part: "It is agreed that CL Communications and CL Financial would have the first option on this event next year and or any similar events being hosted by the Tobago House of Assembly based on the same exclusive arrangements."

This is when Boyenne started realising that he was being phased out of the show. One week before London approached Boyenne on July 23 to stand back, he stated that he complained to London that THA’s sponsors CL Financial had not been doing sufficient local marketing and promoting as promised and that he was going to seek other local investors. If however CL Financial produced what it promised Boyenne gave the assurance that THA’s profits would be upped 30 percent. But according to Boyenne that was not to be as CL Financial joined up with La Roda in a new partnership where La Roda was promised 20 percent for his contracting of Stevie Wonder, 20 percent for the THA and 60 percent for CL Financial from the event.

Subsequently, he said John Arnold of the THA and Maharaj flew out to Los Angeles where they signed a partnership deal with the La Roda Group which is owned by Barette and his brother Brian who actually walked Wonder on and off the stage at the festival. Meanwhile back home Boyenne said London told him that his role was now one of Chief Consultant to the THA.