Jamaica Jazz Festival: Day 1 - For the Cool in You!

Kenneth ''Babyface' Edmonds brought the house down last night with a performance on the opening night of the 2010 Jamaica Jazz Festival that has set the bar high....VERY high for those yet to grace the stage at this new venue. The R&B crooner dipped into his tremendous catalog of hits both from his previous albums and from the many many singers who he has written for in the past. His sound was crisp and true and his rapport with the audience (including his requisite 'Yeah Mon's') was engaging and genuine. He was looking as fit as ever and had the women in the audience weak in the knees.....from one song to the other he led them (and many of the men) as they all sang along- word for work and line for line.

Also notable was a splendid set by Joss Stone who kept the audience thoroughly entertained with her rich and powerful voice. That voice simply does not match her diminutive frame and quirky sense of humour. Her passion for her music and pride in her craft were both clearly on display to a Jamaican audience who seemed to thoroughly enjoy her performance.

The Whispers closed the night. That was an unfortunate choice by the promoters. My otherwise 'fond' memories of their (couple of) hits in the 1980s were undermined by the performance.

The decision to relocate the show to Trelawny Multipurpose Venue - despite its less than elegant name - seems to have been sound. There was a nice ambiance for this first night and one awaits with baited breath the acts yet to come. Of course with Erykah Badu there's always the 'X' factor in terms of which EB will show and then I am also very curious to see how the Jazz audience receives Soca Star Machel Montano who is also on the bill for this Friday night.