Appleton Estate reserves the night for family
Published:Tuesday | June 22, 2021 | 12:08 AMStephanie Lyew/Gleaner Writer
Appleton Estate’s Reserve the Night Father’s Day edition was a virtual show to remember.
Dressed from head to toe in a custom-made white pants suit, multitalented artiste Jaz Elise wasted no time in getting into the groove of her performance with a selection of songs she specifically chose for the fathers tuning in.
At the kick of the drum, the sounds of the Rock and Groove Riddim played by the live band complement started what Jaz Elise described as “Jamaican excellence”, with her performing her song, the title track Rock and Groove. Her set went smoothly and was full of natural vibrations, with her confidently hitting the right notes in songs like Good Over Evil, Fresh and Clean, and Elevated.
Jaz Elise also did a tribute to the Crown Prince of Reggae Dennis Brown. She covered the icon’s hit single Have You Ever Been In Love, which would have both young and old fathers rocking to the beat and her ‘fresh and clean’ mixed delivery of melody and hardcore deejaying. Her performance ended with Turn Me On.
Despite her catalogue not having songs directly speaking to fathers, the reggae songbird was happy to know that persons connected with her set. Speaking with The Gleaner following the show, she said, “Once people are connecting with it, that means it is a real experience,” adding that while there are fewer songs dedicated to men and fathers in comparison to those about mothers, “there are still those that are talking about queens and women and the experiences with fathers or family and all are valid”.
“I view music where humans make songs about life and their experiences. I don’t want to say there should be more of this or less of that. We take what we get when it comes to music because it is real, and it is valid,” continued Jaz Elise.
A GREAT FATHER
A daddy’s girl herself, the singer hailed the patriarch of her home as “great father and husband” and said that if she should choose, the man who would father her children would have to possess similar qualities. “He would have to be a good man to me and my children (of course) and would have to be dependable and have integrity. That is how I look at my father. One of the greatest lessons he taught me was never to let any man take advantage of you and in all things, make sure I remain rooted and stand firm in what my values are and what I want.”
The spotlight then switched to the headliner for the Reserve the Night stage, Tarrus Riley. Riley opened with the chanting sounds of Shaka Zulu Pickney. Even while celebrating fathers, the hit reggae singer made it his duty to pay tribute to women – mothers and daughters – with the performance of songs like Far Away, Just The Way You Are, and She’s Royal. “I just want to big up all the woman dem fi a do dem thing. I’ve had many life lessons, but one that stands out was from a woman – my mother – who told me to ‘consider the source’. When a person gets up and hears things, don’t just get up and believe it, know where it is coming from and if that person giving the information is qualified to speak,” he said. “Likewise, my father was a man with many lessons to share, but the most unforgettable was about maintaining a strong mind, always mind over matter. So, I think this is a really meaningful thing we’re doing here.”
As a singer-songwriter, who does not leave women out of his yearly recordings and, more importantly, as a father, he does not believe in telling persons what a good woman is made of but said, “Woman have to carry themselves presentable and have vibes, nuh shy-shy and can run joke with. Be a woman a man can reason with. A woman would probably have to tell you what a good woman is made of.”
It was more music and less talk, as Riley stated midway through the set, as the energy of the Black Soil Band and also, saxophone-star Dean Fraser, who joined the reggae singer for a Father’s Day performance, made it all the more special.
Other tracks Never Leave I, Beware, Blessings, and newer collaborations, Corner and Lighter, were well received by viewers, as noted by the positive feedback and the virtual lighters in the air.
“You never know how people are going to receive your music. No matter the riddim or vibes, I make sure it has meaning. Ah nuh fi me feel good, is for the people fi feel good. I don’t have to be the best or greatest to anyone. I can just be the best me, zeen. With that said, I always give my best, and I feel I did my best [with the performance]. Me give you every type a style, supn fi listen, supn fi jump up and down, and supn fi hug up yuh lover [so] me complete my part,” Riley said.