Rebel Salute 2011

Rebel Salute 2011 was a night of stellar performances. The cool St. Elizabeth breeze chilled the night air as show time nears. Blessed with a shower of liquid sunshine, the unmistakable bass begins to reverberate through you from the massive stacks of speakers. Meanwhile as the crowd begins to build the usual patrons know to set out their chairs from early and enjoy their dinner- but no meat please! For this is Rebel- not Sumfest, not Jazz but a rebel with a cause- no meat, no alcohol, no drugs (but herbs are welcome) policy is strictly enforced.

 

The red, green and gold of flags and signs have led your way as you drove down to Port Kaiser and filled the venue creating a vibrant backdrop on stage.

 

Now 18 years old, the Rebel Salute is full grown. Not only in sponsors ranging from Pepsi, Lime and Grace but also in its impressive lineup that encompassed: the one and only Tony Rebel- in celebration of his Earth Strong (birthday) that this festival began; Beres Hammond, Toots and the Maytals, Tarrus Riley and Dean Fraser, Queen Ifrica, I-Octane, David Brooks (Mavado), Romain Virgo, Dennis Alcapone, Carl Dawkins, Professor Nuts, AJ Brown, Hopeton James, Little John, Ken Boothe, Lone Ranger, Fantan Mojah, Chuck Fenda, Roland Burrell, Nadine Sutherland, Stevie Face, Spanner Banner, Junior X, Binghi Fyah, Abatao, Cushunta, Trista Palma, Qshan Deya, Jah Cuta, Major Lloyd, Okunku, Jah Brilliant, Fyah Dancer, I-Noah, Sky Juice and more special appearances. If we have but one recommendation it would be to see a greater presence from the female reggae artists not that Queen Ifrica needed assistance in any shape or form.

 

The show kicked off at 7:40pm.

Gargamel Music, Inc. is extremely pleased to confirm that international Reggae star Buju Banton will make his long-awaited return to the stage at the highly anticipated Before The Dawn Concert taking place in South Florida during Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend. Banton, who is currently out on bail and awaiting retrial in February, has not performed live in over a year.

Produced by Rocker's Island Entertainment, the Buju Banton & Friends Before The Dawn Concertwill also feature performances by some of Jamaican music's elite: Stephen Marley, Wayne Wonder, Sly & Robbie, Gramps Morgan, Shaggy and Freddie McGregor, with even more names to be announced in the next few weeks.

"The concept is to reunite with the fans and thank them personally for the tremendous level of support they have shown to me during these turbulent times," explains Buju. "I look forward to touching the stage once more and coming together with the masses in a spirit of togetherness, harmony, unification and solidarity."

First of all, on behalf of GMR International Tours Inc., the producers of the Barbados Jazz Festival let me formally place on record our sincere appreciation for the support which it has received from all sponsors during the 18 years of its existence. As you may recall, it was in 1993 that the first Barbados Jazz Festival made its debut as a tourism product designed primarily to attract visitors and diversify the product offering to visitors.

In both of these objectives the evidence shows that the Festival has been successful. Over the years it has grown from an event over the Martin Luther King weekend to a cultural experience that fed and nurtured the art form at the local level. Layered to meet all tastes in jazz, from the purist to the general music lover, the Festival also supported the Barbados Jazz Academy (children’s workshops given by some of the most renowned jazz masters) to the promotion of “young jazz” where junior jazz musicians, mainly pulled from school incubators, were given the opportunity to share a stage with some of the genre’s best.

It is because of this role that the Festival has come to play in the Barbados economic and cultural life that, in spite of rising costs and eventually raging recession, the producers have continued to juggle the almost impossible task to keep the Festival intact and at its expected quality, offering and billing.

One can therefore imagine the heaviness of heart with which we announce that as a result of the prevailing environment we will not be able to stage the Barbados Jazz Festival 2011 as we had sincerely hoped. Our delay in making this announcement is rooted in the fact that we were exploring all possibilities which may have resulted in our being able to produce the festival for 2011 especially at this time when our nation requires all assistance possible with regards to tourism related events.

Unfortunately this was not to be and after much internal discussion and other consultations, it is with much regret that we must now advise that GMR International Tours Inc. as the producers of the Barbados Jazz Festival will not be in a position to mount the Festival this year. We have not totally abandoned the concept of the Festival and hope that in the coming months we may be able to sow the seeds of its early return.

"The foundation begins with soul," explains 22-year-old singer/songwriter/producer Laura Izibor of her passionate, piano-guided songs. On her forthcoming debut album, Izibor continues the lineage set out by artists like Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott; artists who combine a reverence for the traditions of early R&B with a thoroughly modern sensibility. After one listen to the powerful, honey-tinged vocals on Let The Truth Be Told, one thing is for sure. For Laura Izibor, it's got to be real.