Jazz, gospel mix at Pegasus

Jazz, gospel mix at Pegasus

A number of headline acts are slated for Jazz in the Garden, Gospel N' Jazz, on Sunday, September 6, beginning at 6 p.m. in the garden of The Jamaica Pegasus hotel.

Among the performers are Judy Mowatt, pianist Dennis Rushton, Winsome Benjamin, Camelia 'Candy' Isaacs, Venicca Nicholson, and Jabez.

Desi Jones and Friends will provide music for the performers.

Gospel 'N' Jazz is the third concert in the series for 2015, with others scheduled for November 1 and December 27. The Jazz in the Gardens series is endorsed by Power 106/Music 99 and Kool 97 FM, with associate sponsors Clear Sound Productions, Jamaica Pegasus, Splenda and Voortman.

Executive producers Nancy McLean and Cathy Nunes, say included in the cost of tickets are beverages courtesy of OJays Premium by OJay Koolers. Part proceeds from the event will go to the Best Care Foundation and Elsie Bemand Home for Girls.

Tickets for Jazz in the Gardens - A Feast for the Senses cost $2,500 presold, and $3,000 at the gate. They are available at the Supermed Mall Pharmacy at Mall Plaza in Half-Way Tree from August 31 to September 6, and at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel from September 4 to 6.

C'bean cinema symposium at film festival

A group of regional and international scholars will converge in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, in September to examine some of the core issues driving and impacting contemporary Caribbean cinema.

Organised by the trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff), in association with the Film Programme of the University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine campus, the Caribbean Cinema Now symposium will be held from Thursday, September 24 to Saturday, September 26, at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad. The symposium takes place during the ttff/15, which runs from September 15-29.

Caribbean Cinema Now will use the work of Caribbean film-makers to explore issues such as the aesthetics of resistance, the politics of hunger, new Cuban cinema, Puerto Rican identity in the 21st century, and the use of folklore to take back and decolonise knowledge.

The papers include My Story is not a Nice Story: Raoul Peck's African Films (Professor Jane Bryce, UWI, Cave Hill); Female Directors and Kinship in Caribbean Cinema: An Ongoing Trend (Norma Liz Rodriguez-Santiago, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras); and Telling Caribbean Stories: Storm Saulter's Place in the new Caribbean Canon (Rachel Moseley-Wood, UWI, Mona).

There will also be presentations by scholars from the UWI, St Augustine; University of Missouri; New York University; University of Kansas; the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry; and the University of the French West Indies.

According to Bruce Paddington, founder and festival director, ttff, "With the festival marking its 10th anniversary this year we felt it was important to formally acknowledge the place of Caribbean film in the canon of film studies. The symposium, with presentations by a renowned group of regional and international academics, marks an important stage in the validation and acceptance of Caribbean cinema."

Caribbean Cinema Now takes place in the San Fernando room of the Hyatt Regency Trinidad, each day from 1:30 p.m.- 3:30 p.m. The symposium is free and open to the public.

The ttff celebrates films from and about the Caribbean and its diaspora, as well as from world cinema, through an annual festival and year-round screenings. In addition, the ttff seeks to facilitate the growth of Caribbean cinema by offering a wide-ranging industry programme and networking opportunities.

Merritone Pon Di Rio Grande this Sunday

Rafter's Rest in St Margaret's Bay, Portland, is the venue on Sunday for the oldies session Merritone Pon Di Rio Grande.

Merritone Music, celebrating 65 years, has been playing in Portland on the last Sunday in each month since May of this year, as part of a series of activities organised by a group of friends, The Country Hoppers.

Seen as a means of contributing to tourism in Portland, the parties have been attracting persons from as far away as Montego Bay and Clarendon.

The parties began at the Sea Bell Resort in Hope Bay. The move to Rafter's Rest is, in part, tied to The Country Hoppers' plan to showcase various venues in the parish.

A new feature of the party will be its association with the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS). Several farmers from the parish will sell their produce to the attendees. Additionally, art and craft items will also be on sale.

Over time, other significant aspects of Portland's culture will be added to the parties and other activities.

The layout of the venue allows for all of these activities without interfering with the main event - Merritone Pon Di Rio Grande.

Chef Shea Stewart will be there and the team from Jablum, with hot and cold True Brew Coffee beverages, will provide free samples and products for sale. The natural juice sponsor for the evening is Country Style, while ice will be compliments of Pure Natural Ice. Media sponsors for this party are KoolFM and StylzFM.

Presold tickets cost $800 and the gate price is $1,000.

Taste of African Cuisine on Sept 11

The Ethiopian New Year on September 11 brings a taste of African cuisine, along with Jamaican favourites, at Taste of African Cuisine. It will be held at the Twelve Tribes of Israel headquarters, Hope Road, St Andrew, starting at 7 p.m.

Held under the distinguished patronage of Yodit Hylton, honorary consul of Ethiopia, it will celebrate Enkutatash, the Ethiopian New Year, which heralds the beginning of spring. Part proceeds from the dinner will support the education of children attending the Jamaican Rastafarian Development Community Elementary School in Shashemene, Ethiopia.

After a recent visit to the school, Hon Peter Phillips, Minister of Finance, reported that the school was performing admirably, having 100 per cent passes in the national exams for the last seven years.

There will be cabaret performances by Asante Amen, Mary Isaacs and keyboard player Ozou'ne.