Every time I go to St Lucia Jazz, I does feel jealous that dem got a real national jazz festival and we still don’t have one.
Dem people know how to do de ting. Dem does involve de whole country and iffing you don’t have de money, yuh could still see and enjoy jazz ‘cause de Lucians does mek sure that everybody can get to see and hear jazz.
Dem does put on free shows daily in de Derek Walcott Square, top class names, local and international, in de malls.?Hundreds of people cramming in to see and hear names like Ronald “Boo” Hinkson and Arturo Tappin and others. Jazz pun de green at de golf course, jazz in de village, jazz in the south, in Vieux Fort.
And wherever yuh look, yuh does see Bajans! I gone by Gaiety and see nuff faces I know, Peter Harris in he fancy shorts, Aubrey and Sonia Choy – minus de guitar – and plenty women from Bubbadus and all over de Caribbean. Yuh sitting in a restaurant and yuh hear “wha’ happening, gunner?” and it is Sir Charles, or yuh pass by Rodney Bay and Tony Bowen waving at yuh, but then he is now a Lucian, so dat don’t count!
It is a time fuh de Vendor to meet up wid me Lucian family, Mikey and Boo and others.
Real estate men like Tony Bowen would tell yuh: “Market, it is location, location, location, when yuh talking real estate” and St Lucia bless with Pigeon Island. If ever a place was designed to hold a major festival, it is Pigeon Island.?Security does be tight like a pair of spandex I see pun a plus size woman. Everybody polite, even de police! Park-and-ride does work, going and coming and de food does be all over de place.
I meet John Maycock, who went to St Giles Boys’?School wid de Vendor. John tell de Vendor that he wait 46 years to see Diana Ross and he ain’t missing she. Like he, I did in Independence Square in 1966 when dey bring de Supremes in pun a barge to perform in de Careenage fuh Independence.
Imagine Supremes in duh heyday performing free. It never happen ’cause de people in de back did pushing forward to get to de front and de people in front only had de Careenage to go into! Next thing, confusion break out, people riot, Supremes exit via water back to Hilton and all dese years de Vendor and John Maycock never see dem!
Well, at St Lucia Jazz, Diana Ross roll back de years.?Ah had to remind myself dat she is a 68-year-old! De woman perform like she was 25, and still got de voice and performance to match. De massive crowd did eating outa she hands – 46 years is a long time to wait.
Gypsy Kings was massive, and though she ain’t back to full strength wid she voice, Toni Braxton did sweet and look de part! De Vendor booking from now fuh next year.?Best of all, St Lucia Jazz does tek place during mango season. De Vendor eating all types of mango, mango till yuh have de runs!
I, Market Vendor, gone fuh now. You have a blessed and a wonderful day, yuh hear?
