Fire! Fire! at Jazz Festival

A SMALL crowd turned up for the first night of the Annual Plymouth Jazz Festival at the Plymouth Recreation Grounds Friday night. The attendance was said to be relatively poor compared to the turnout on the opening night of the inaugural event last year.

In the spotlight were American entertainers Diddy and Doug E Fresh, along with local artistes Maximus Dan, Rita Jones, lead singer with Roy Cape All Stars and Tobago-born soca superstar Shurwayne Winchester who performed on the island for the first time since being crowned 2006 Soca Monarch.

The show got going 45 minutes after its advertised start time of 7 pm, with Roy Cape All Stars as the opening act, followed by Maximus Dan who got the crowd to move with his popular tribute to the Soca Warriors.

However it was the performance by Tobagonian stars Calypso Rose and Shurwayne Winchester that brought the lukewarm crowd to its feet.

Winchester, the reigning Soca Monarch, appeared on stage in a flurry of confetti and fireworks. However, three minutes into his performance, he and his band members scampered off-stage when a minor electrical fire broke out. The problem was quickly rectified and the silky-voiced Winchester returned to the stage for an hour-long performance during which he sang several hits, along with several other reggae, R&B and soca favourites.

However, the high point was when Winchester and Rose got together to sing their remake of her calypso classic, “Tempo.”

MC Doug E Fresh, who followed Winchester, took patrons on a trip down memory lane.

Patrons were disappointed, however, when the night’s headliner, Diddy finally appeared onstage around midnight and performed for approximately 15 minutes before closing off the show.

The star and his large entourage reportedly arrived by private jet at Crown Point International Airport around 9.15 pm after rescheduling several times. Following a VIP reception at the airport, where he met with Senator Rennie Dumas, Diddy was rushed to the Plymouth venue for his performance.

Diddy appeared on stage with Doug E Fresh. However, his short performance left the audience unfulfilled and heaping praises on the local artistes. He left the island shortly before 8 am yesterday.

This year promoters managed to eradicate the ticket and traffic problems which plagued the inaugural event. Unlike last year, when hustlers were selling tickets at the venue for as little as $10, this time around persons wishing to attend the show had to purchase tickets from booths strategically set up near the entrance.

A shuttle service provided transportation to and from the venue, since motorists were asked to use a car park at the Plymouth junction. There was also a heavy police presence in and around the venue.

Maharaj told Sunday Newsday he was satisfied with Friday’s turnout since “all things considered, it was a Friday night and most people would have been tired from work.” He said the show was geared towards attracting “young people” and he felt it had reached its target market as they comprised a large percentage of the audience.

Last night’s headliners included Patti LaBelle, Natalie Cole, Johnny Gill, Toni Braxton and Destra with Atlantik.

The Plymouth Jazz festival climaxes today with a show featuring Sting, Vanessa Williams, Barrington Levy, Najee, Machel Montano and H2O Phlo, which starts at 4 pm.