/ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/CULTURE-JAMAICA: Jazz, Blues Fest Returns

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Howard Campbell

KINGSTON, Jan 22 2002 (IPS) - Jamaica’s tourism, which has taken a beating in wake of the country’s frightening crime rate and last year’s terrorist attacks in the United States, is gearing up for a period of relief with the return of the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival in Montego Bay.

The festival is scheduled for Feb. 8-10 at the historic Wyndham Rose Hall Estate in the tourist city. It features pop superstar Babyface, gospel performers Yolanda Adams and BeBe Winans; singer Carl Thomas, Rhythm And Blues legend Bobby Blue Bland, and Harry Belafonte. Grammy-nominated reggae singer Beres Hammond, is also in the line-up.

U.S. Black Entertainment Television (BET) is backing this year’s festival, which was launched here Jan. 8. BET has run ads promoting the show in the United States and Europe, a much-needed boost for Jamaica’s image, tarnished by a languid economy, political crises, and a record 1,138 homicides in 2001.

The U.S. terror attacks and their aftermath also hurt: 80 percent of this country’s tourist visitors come from the United States.

According to Josef Forstmayr, the Austria-born president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), the festival’s return after a one-year absence is welcome news for hoteliers.

“These events not only spice up our calendar, they attract a large tourist audience including Jamaicans coming home,” said Forstmayr. “As many highlights we can have to bring people here is good.”

News of the festival’s comeback is good news for tourism interests, who in November stated that the 2001 winter season would be the worst in Jamaica’s history. Several large and small hotels were reporting low occupancy, with administrators reducing their rates to attract clients.

Desperate to restore the country’s image as a leading leisure spot, in December and early January, the Jamaica Tourist Board launched a series of promotional ads for North America featuring actress Jane Seymour and “West Wing” star, Dule Hill, whose parents are Jamaican.

The biggest shot in the arm, however, has been the return of the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival. First held in 1995 at the Rose Hall venue, it consistently drew strong crowds but was switched to the bigger James Bond Beach in the seaside town of Oracabessa three years ago.

Hotels in both locations enjoyed a jump in business, but last year the show was cancelled after principal sponsors, Air Jamaica, said there were few associate partners to underwrite the show’s production costs.

In mid 2001, Allen Chastanet, Air Jamaica’s vice-president of marketing and sales, met with tourism officials to revive the event. Once they agreed on getting it back on track, they approached BET which has had major success working with the St. Lucia Tourist Board on that country’s jazz festival.

Chastanet – one of the conceivers of the Caribbean jazz festival – says getting BET on board was key.

“They have a lot of experience and they bring major outlets for exposure,” said Chastanet. “They also do all our staging, lighting…they hire the artists. That’s what their expertise is in.”

Besides the television ads, BET broadcasted a one-hour special on the festival. The company has plans to air five other hour-long specials of the show later this year.

Ironically, Chastanet says Sept. 11 played a pivotal role in the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival’s resurrection. Because promoters worldwide have had to cancel shows because of the fear of more terrorist attacks, the schedule of high-profile performers has been cut considerably. So when the call came from promoters here, they were only too glad to oblige.

The live-show scene in Jamaica throughout 2001 added to the country’s reputation as a violent location. At least four major shows including Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay were marred by crowd disturbances triggered by outrageous antics by local deejays and U.S. rappers.

Despite the colourful behaviour, these shows pulled in big crowds, many of whom were keen to see the overseas acts. Allen Chastanet and the Jamaica tourist community are banking on the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival to have a similar effect.