Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:

Between the music filtering across the open seaside lands at the venue and the voices of chair vendors in the nearby car park shouting 'Jazz seats, only US$2', the mood at the Aqueduct at Rose Hall, Montego Bay, on Thursday evening was one of readiness.

As the 6 p.m. start time approached, attention quickly switched to the main stage, where the 2009 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival got off to a pleasing start, courtesy of the United States-based Soul Shot Band, which made a bold attempt to capture the attention of the small number of fans who had got into the venue on time.

While the crowd never grew beyond a reasonable size - maybe 5,000 - the quality of the performance steadily improved as the night progressed, as both the big stage, which featured the night's major acts, and the small stage, which featured emerging acts, offered up high-quality music.

Good performances

"I think this is a reasonable start as the size of the crowd is basically our usual Thursday night crowd," said businessman Walter Elmore, the head of TurnKey Productions, the promoters of the annual three-day festival.

As the excitement on the stage intensified, it quickly became apparent that good performances, if not great ones - as was the case with British songbird Estelle - were in the offing.

Hitting centre stage as early as 9:30 p.m., the almost playful Estelle, clad in a head-turning black sequin dress, placed a special sheen on the night's offering, mixing charisma, stagecraft and interaction to captivate the audience, who showed their appreciation with deafening screams at times.

Estelle was all the rage in her reggae-flavoured performance, offering up renowned hits such as Just A Touch, Substitute Lover, Pretty Please, Shine and American Boy, which is primarily responsible for the rave reviews she has been getting in the United States in recent times.

Showing that she had done her homework on Jamaica quite well, Estelle created quite a stir when she invited a male member of the audience to join her onstage, and then proceeded to use him as a guinea pig to demonstrate her proficiency in the ways of the dancehall, unleashing a solid bout of rub-a-dub - 1980s style.

Entertainment circuit

While not as potent as Estelle, the evergreen and extremely gifted R&B icons Ashford and Simpson showed that, despite an exhausting 40-plus years on the entertainment circuit, they have not lost their capacity to capture and control and audience, as they delivered a sparkling set.

With the stage lights enriching Ashford's spanking black outfit and Simpson's eye-catching blue polka dot dress, it was a case of wardrobe and vocal shining together to the delight of the audience, which at times served as both dancers and choir as R&B music ruled supreme.

Picking generously from their 22 gold and platinum records collection, Ashford and Simpson were all the rage for long periods, as they regularly induced screams of delight as they belted out songs like I Wanna Know, I Am Every Woman, Let's Go Get Stoned, Ain't No Mountain High Enough and Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing; all filtered out into the night.

R&B sensation Robin Thicke, and the awesome award-winning Cuban show band Los Van Van, who probably offered up the only real authentic jazz sound for the night, all made indelible marks at the scenic Aqueduct.

Screaming frenzy

With his crisp voice and eye-catching dance moves, Robin Thicke seemed tailor-made for the pleasure of the female patrons, as he had them all but eating out of his hands. It was all excitement as he reeled off songs such as Magic, I Need Love and Don't Stop, and the women went into a wild screaming frenzy.

Los Van Van, with their big band sound, expertly combined wind, brass and string instrument to stunning effect, skilfully crossing the language barrier as, while they sang in Spanish, the audience interpreted their inviting vocals with a full-scale salsa-like party across the venue.

The much-anticipated Jamaica debut of New York-based Jewish singer Matisyahu was lacking in real magic, despite the singer's bold bid to connect with the audience. However, his high energy and use of the stage, coupled with what appeared to be an authentic reggae sound, clearly made his performance slightly above average.

Vantage points

"I like his energy and his soulfulness," said Amber McKenzie, one of the scores of United States visitors who took clear vantage points inside of the stage-bordering VIP section as Matisyahu took the stage. "I think he is going to be the next Bob Marley."

One artiste who must have left the venue extremely satisfied was Gramps of Morgan Heritage, who marked his local solo debut with quite a pleasing set.

Well known for his rousing baritone voice, Gramps was in total command as he unleashed classy renditions of Down by the River, Make Me a Better Man and Still Loving You. He got a one line contribution from his brother Peter, the lead singer for Morgan Heritage, whom he invited to join him on the song Still Loving You.

"I think it was a pretty good night, the performances were quite satisfying," said promoter Elmore. "I think the stage is now firmly set for a fantastic weekend."