Wow! People may really just be born to be couch potatoes! Such is the possible results from recent studies with mice.

It seems they have found genetic indicators that may affect the level of activity the subject is inclined to participate in. This has some serious implications on the health and fitness industry which has for decades proclaimed that everyone can just do it. It may help to explain why some people, despite knowing just how could exercise could be for them, and realizing they need to increase their activity level, just can’t seem to get started.

Now us lazy folks have an excuse.

Of course, on a scary note, can you imagine genetic screening for laziness?

Last week I excitedly phoned and cancelled my other commitments because I had been the lucky recipient of a ticket to the 9th Annual Caribbean Hall of Fame Awards for Excellence. I had seen the ads before but was not planning to go, but with ticket in hand I raced home from work to get all dolled up.

Arriving at the Pegasus I was a little confused when told the event was on the 17th floor - seemed like a smallish venue for what should be a huge event. After all they were presenting awards to 25 persons who had made great contributions in the fields of arts, culture, music and sports.

We were greeted at the entrance to the room by an unassuming red carpet. Due to some miscommunication I had arrived a little early for cocktails but even so someone actually had to send to ask whether people could start serving themselves as it neared seven. The 7 p.m. function finally began at 7:35 p.m. with a fanfare from the Jamaica Constabulary Force Band who had been playing a variety of songs during the cocktail period.

The entertainment pieces sprinkled throughout the programme were well received. The drummers heralded what was sure to be an evening filled with pride in culture. The young children who sang included a JCDC Gospel competition winner - their performances were lauded as a sign of good things to come for the Caribbean.

The biggest disappointment of the evening had to be the printed programme. It was riddled with errors of all kinds - grammatical, spelling, structural, formatting. From a confused order of items to the omission of the names of this year’s awardees, the programme did not present a positive image of the committee behind these awards.

The guest speaker for the night was Kwame Boafo, Director of UNESCO, who spent quite a while (as promised) talking about similarities between Ghana and the Caribbean among other things. The list of 17 awardees (somewhat short of the promised 25) included names such as Judy Mowatt, Asafa Powell, and Ernie Smith.

The night closed with a mini-concert from Carol Gonzales, Richie Stephens, and AJ Brown, all of whom performed tremendously. Particular note must be made of AJ Brown who sang ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ in its original language and with all its classical intonations. Rumour has it that he has been doing voice training among other things during his hiatus from the local scene.

The concept of a Caribbean Hall of Fame is admirable but is still under-developed, especially in terms of non-Jamaican representation in the list of awardees. Hopefully a regular schedule can be developed for these awards (the 8th annual was some years ago) and ways of getting the support from the Caribbean cultural community can be identified. The importance of recognizing our ’stars’ cannot be denied.

Well, having missed it last year, I decided to take in some of the Port Royal Music Festival. I wasn’t really interested in the Celebrity party and the main show on Saturday was not fitting with my calendar, so Sunday’s Jazz on the Harbour was it. I figured it should be nice, open air at Morgan’s Harbour, even though the lineup had not been publicized.

Final assessment? About a B-minus. The overall show was brought up by some strong performances, but the event suffered from some too common Jamaican event ailments. First impression at the gate was positive as we were greeted by barcode scanners to verify our tickets - technology is wonderful. Unfortunately, only a few people would see this as the turnout was very low. Arriving at the venue 20 minutes before showtime of 6pm, we were among the first 10 people there. Not even the sound people were ready yet. And don’t hope for food. The “lovely” hand-written sign listing the menu was a bit misleading as we were informed that the food would be ready when the chef brought it out. Hmm.

At about 6:15, we headed to grab our seats, only to be subjected to about 10 minutes of buzzing, crackling speakers. Finally some music sprung forth from the black towers so we had something to entertain us for the next hour. At about 7:20, a disembodied voice informed us that they would be starting in about ten minutes. By this time soup had appeared to help warm the lonely souls in the audience.

The show began “on time” at 7:30 with the young Esso dancers who ran out to do their jazz thing clad in the silver top hats and coattails. The first act was the Desi Jones band, a collection of excellent musicians. This was spoiled for me by the harsh clang of the solo pannist’s instrument. It is always disappointing to see talented musicians settle for mediocre instruments. I don’t know if there are any other musicians in Jamaica that do this to themselves. Unfortunately for me, he continued to play while the band backed the next couple of artistes.

Strong young female voices followed as Misha of Rocky 5 performed a couple original songs and a cover or two. She was immediately followed (and showed up) by Empress of radio fame who demonstrated her multiple talents. Her performance was vibrant and energetic, involving the crowd in the singing and providing amusement as she fought over “Her Rastaman”. Sliding up the scale, the next performer was Suzanne Couch, the first singer musician of the night. Her rasping voice filled the venue (all the way out to the ocean) as her fingers danced over the keys.

Following a long-awaited intermission (those white plastic chairs are not designed for hours of sitting), we were again treated to the Esso dancers before welcoming Della Manley to the stage. Though I enjoy her singing, I don’t find her to be a particularly engaging performer. I think she needs to sit on a stool and play her guitar - it would go with her vibe. But her set was enthusiastically received with calls for “Book of Rules” as an encore. The final act for the night was Dr. Kathy Brown. By this time it was almost eleven and I couldn’t stay to see all of her set, so her magic fingers escorted us out.

While I question, as always, the definition of jazz at these events, the night though long was enjoyable for those of us that attended. But the event execution leaves a lot to be desired and the organizers have a way to go before the Port Royal Music Festival can be held in high esteem with other music and jazz festivals in Jamaica.

Well, we have done it again! Panfest 2007 was a huge success. After all the stress and exhaustion, we managed to pull it together and put on an amazing show. At least, so I am told by those who saw it.

The combination of the production with the music and the vibe saw us playing to an almost full house at the last show. I’m sure some of that was from word-of-mouth from the previous shows.

No reviews in the papers yet, but fingers crossed that someone will write something. On my part, this was not my favourite concert that we have done but I had fun nonetheless. I am glad that it is over finally and life can resume some level of normalcy. For all those of you that have been waiting to hear from me, I will now be catching up on email.

Following a recent fire at the S.O.S. Children’s Village which claimed the life of two children, the appeals went out. A musical evening at Red Bones Cafe last night was pulled together with the proceeds all going to S.O.S.. The event was organized largely by the waiters of Red Bones, many of whom grew up at S.O.S.

Audience members were asked to contribute whatever they could and bring a wrapped gift for a child if possible. The small venue was packed to the hilt with the Christmas spirit. For music lovers, the night presented an collection of artistes that had volunteered their time to perform. We were treated to Della Manley, Kai and members of Rootz underground among others.

The highlight of the show, however, was the children of S.O.S. who had prepared a variety of items - poetry, songs, skits. Despite the destruction of their costumes in the fire, their modernized, Jamaicanized story of the Nativity was one of the great moments, with several of the children hamming it up for the audience.

The spirit of these children was evident in their gleaming smiles and the enthusiasm with which they took to the stage. A moment of silence was held for the two children lost in the fire, and many praises heaped upon the young man who had attempted to save the children from the fire, which happened while he was visiting the Village. This night served as a reminder that there are always those who need our help, not just at Christmas but all year long.

Tuesday night, myself and a few friends took in ‘Best of TNL’ at Village Cafe. We were drawn by the bigger names on the lineup, Airplai and Rootz Underground. Showtime was set for 8:00 p.m. which sounded good but was definitely too good to be true. Having arrived just before 10 p.m. to see no sign of a show, we quietly waited until around 11 p.m. for the first act, the members of which walked thru the door just prior to starting.

Once the show was underway, a flow developed. A patient audience had to sit thru band changes after almost every act but the wait was not too long in most cases. Most of the artistes kept their set to 3 pieces, with the occasional brawta being thrown in. Given that the show was drawing from the year’s TNL line up, an interesting mix of material was presented from Katherine’s acoustic alternative style, to Ganja and Sage with poetry, on to Gas Money with straight out rock. Rootz Underground was well worth the wait. Their easy flowing reggae style had the entire place rocking.

Though I did not stay till the end, the biggest problem I had with the show was the organisation. Some of the artistes billed to perform were no longer on the lineup with no announcement given. And when will Jamaican organisers learn? If they consistently start their shows on time, instead of waiting for a crowd, the audience will learn that they will miss out and change their behaviour accordingly. One of the things that we lack is the ability to set and stick to standards. But the TNL programme was a great addition to the live music scene in Jamaica so I am looking forward to what they have in store for 2007.

Besides Live on Stage on Saturday, I also attended a performance of the Immaculate Conception High School’s Performing Arts department at the Ward Theatre. The first half of the show was set in an activity period led by an enthusiastic teacher with P.E. clad students sitting around being entertained by their fellow students.

The two and a half hour show received a standing ovation from the audience which, although comprised largely of family and friends of the students, was awarded a show well-worth their money. The night’s programme of solo, duet and chorale voice pieces, lively dances, entertaining poems and beautiful instrumental items stirred up thunderous applause at every opportunity.

After a particularly strong solo voice piece, the teacher declared “Yu tink yu can buy vice like dat a shop? Yu tink yu can buy it a street? Ah only Immaculate yu can come buy it!” I have to admit I was very impressed with the level of performances presented. Immaculate has invested a lot in developing the performing arts at their institution. One example is their music department which houses practice rooms, classrooms for theory lessons and a large performance space.

Notwithstanding, Immaculate still has work to do to create an all-round top-class performing arts curriculum. Right now their orchestra is at the top of the hierarchy, led by their artist-in-residence, Stephen Woodham. The others areas (such as dance and theatre) do not seem to be at the same level. And of course, my personal cause, the steelband is in desperate need of some direct attention.

I have had a cultural weekend, attending shows on both Saturday and Sunday evenings. The first of these was the brainchild of MG, who is soon to depart our land to attend the Berklee College of Music as he follows his passion. Live on Stage, as the show was titled, brought together a fabulous array of young Jamaican artistes, many of whom MG has worked with in the past.

From the vocal stylings of Natalie Spence (also backup singer to Cezar) and Ellan Edwards, who is steadily improving since I last saw her at Village, to the Otis Redding-like rumbles of Stephen Madden, we were in for a treat. MG, himself, performed to the screams of the ladies, especially for his original tune, “You Used to Love Me”. He also performed with his roots, the Choir Boyz, whose vibrant harmonies melted our hearts with timeless classics. Two bands were showcased, Rocky V and Airplai, both groups doing a mix of original songs and covers. The latter produced chills when their tiny lead singer belted out “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman”. The night closed with Camar, of Butterfly fame, who thrilled the audience with his hits “I Can See My Destiny” and “Love You For Life”.

The show was one of the better produced live music shows I have seen recently. The production quality was top-notch with few hitches visible to the audience. The sound and lighting were superbly done, and the set from Bertie Rose added bold visual elements. If this is what MG puts out now, Jamaica is in for serious things when he returns from Berklee.

Last night I was set to pass through Village Café for the birthday get-together of a friend of a friend. As it turned out, another friend of mine was singing backup for the headline act, Camar, and yet another friend of mine was going to be drumming for someone else. So 3 good reasons to hit Village’s Tuesday Night Live.

The first act was Aluta Continua, a reggae singer backed by a great group of musicians. The words were hard to hear but the music was great. Kudos to the bassist, keyboardist and, of course, the drummer, all of whom really carried the set for me. Following that we heard from M’lonie, who does some catchy dancehall-reggae songs but didn’t grab my attention.

The big hit for the night was the performance of Camar, backed by the talented guys from Airplai. Now as I said above, I was really supporting one of the backup singers, MG, who’ll soon be doing his own thing, but I was won over by Camar. Though he apparently has a dancehall persona (Flavr Unit), last night was about his soulful side. His songs definitely have a sexy groove, and I’m not just saying that because I got serenaded up close in “Butterfly” (the last time I stand in the front row) :mrgreen:. Simple timeless messages - love, beauty, non-violence to women - plus a sultry sound: look out for big things from Camar in the future.

Yesterday was Independence Day - 44 years and going - which meant that the JCDC Street Jam was on in New Kingston. Not generally on my list of holiday activities (I am partial to staying at home and chilling on public holidays) but this year a friend of mine was coordinating one of the mini-stages. The “Piano Bar” Stage, as it was named, was hosting Dennis Rushton (keyboards), Joel Edwards (keyboards), Andrew Clarke, Airplai, Rocky 5 (featuring Sheeda’s bro and the one MG), Henry Robinson (keyboards), “Deadly” Headley Bennett (sax), Michael Pinnock (steel pan) - not necessarily in that order.

I decided it might be worth my while so I headed out early yesterday. the weather was great and the music was better. I took up my post under a tree, got some great (black & white) shots (I hope - it’s the first time in a while I have taken any pics) and loved up the music. Many of the performers I had not heard perform before and so it was a treat for me.

I did check out the rest of the event from time to time. Caught sight of some dinkimini on the “Ole Time Sinting” stage, and watched a bit of Dancing Dynamites from a distance on another stage. “Artisan Avenue” was quite interesting with a varied array of arts and crafts, including some photography for me to eyeball and wonder if I could be that good one day. For those so inclined, you could push through a crowd to taste the local fare on offer - plenty jerk, soup, roast fish, breadfruit etc. I stuck to the gizzada and potato pudding to satisfy the sweet cravings I was having.

The marching band competition wasn’t bad but the fashion show later was a bit disturbing because I have never seen such a large collection of bones as was paraded on that catwalk. By time the stage show was getting under way I was more than ready to leave having been there since 1 p.m. so I can’t comment on that part. All in all, a day well spent. I will definitely be attending again next year but I will stick to my plan of arriving and leaving early.