Daz Nelson (left), Bunny Nelson (second left), Syrona Ma'rie (second right) and Mary Nelson make it a family affair at the Grog Shoppe, Devon House, St Andrew, last Thursday evening. - Photo by Mel Cooke

Mother gave a background to meeting her husband in Jamaica before she presented her book Shackles and Webs; daughter swayed in her long red dress as she delivered songs from her CD This Is Reality; father and son played the drums together initially, then with the band that played for the official album release.

It was a family affair at the Grog Shoppe, Devon House, St Andrew, last Thursday night as Mary Nelson and Syrona Ma'rie, mother and daughter, respectively, presented the written and sung word. The close bonds were obvious, not only because father, Bunny Nelson, and son, Daz (who form Bunda Beat) played the drums together, but also through their constant interaction before, during and after the official proceedings.

As family get-togethers tend to go, though, it was at points a meandering affair.

It was also clear that it was not an exclusionary family set-up, the Baggadito duo (Bagga Case and Ras Mandito) delivering the Blues Busters' Behold to good effect and drummer Bongo Herman heavily involved in getting Bunda Beat into the studio as well as last Thursday night's live performance.

And Mary Nelson had another family involved in her presentation of Shackles and Webs, as the sister and brother pair of Kefelwe Henry and Kamahu Liu Henry read the poems Rahtid and Corrected, respectively.

Scottish and Welsh heritage

Nelson pointed out that her heritage is Scottish and Welsh, not English, and when she was growing up in Bristol, England, she knew a lot of Jamaican children. She said that Welsh history was not taught in schools and she found that the Jamaican children were also in a similar situation. Later, she taught at Wolmer's Prep and, in the process of researching her own history, decided that she had to do something about the deficiency in children's knowledge of their heritage.

"The Purpose (of Shackles and Webs) is to establish links across the Diaspora, to encourage knowledge of our history," Nelson said.

"My biggest partner in this was Anancy. Is me and Anancy write the book. The shackles were there in the past and, unfortunately, they are still here in the present," she said, indicating her head.

Nelson said that, in Shackles and Webs, Anancy works very creatively. "He says Tiger tiefin' him stories again. He plays his biggest trick on Tiger to take back his stories," she said.

And Nelson also read from her book, speaking of Anancy as "changing from a spider to a man as it suits the occasion", before closing with the poem Remnants.

A full band, including a horn section, provided music for Syrona Mar'ie as she sang from This is Reality. She sang well, but showed a marked lack of engagement with her audience through eye contact as she went through Don't Ring My Bell and Blame Game.

I Can, a delightful ska number, be featured on This is Reality.

And when she was finished, Syrona Ma'rie said thanks all around.

The duo Baggadito performing last Thursday at the Grog Shoppe, Devon House, St Andrew. - Photo by Mel Cooke