Douglas Orane gives slick selector masterclass at Merritone Reunion launch

Former GraceKennedy CEO Douglas Orane’s masterclass on presentation and brand-building enlivened the Merritone faithful and newcomers alike gathered inside the Edward Seaga suite on the grounds of Devon House recently for the launch of the 33rd Annual Merritone Reunion, scheduled for October 19 through 30.

In a presentation that was sprightly and slick in addition to being well-researched and insightful, Orane took the audience on a song-and-dance-filled journey – paced by pre-arranged selections played by Merritone’s Mikey Thompson – of his personal five-decade-plus association with the venerable sound system, beginning in the late 1960s.

Merritone’s success and longevity, Orane suggested, between well-received jigs, whoops and “three-steps dances (including with his wife Michelle), was in its ability to “consistently provide an experience, a deep personal connection with its audiences”. This ability, expressed mainly in the unerring choice of the right tune at the right time, heightened enjoyment, and made persons eager to come back, time and time again, for that Merritone experience.

To take the 73-year old sound even further into the future, the executive suggested the development of a dedicated app, as well as the greater exploitation of social media generally, to allow more younger aficionados to have the experience in the format that is more native to them. To that end, Orane also recommended the addition of influencers to tout the Merritone brand and experience in the digital media space.

Jamaica Music Museum director/curator Herbie Miller, who was representing Culture Minister Olivia Grange, similarly retraced the history of Merritone and its impact on Jamaica’s cultural and entertainment life, particularly across several venues in Kingston. Included among these were the former VIP Lounge in Half-Way Tree, Peyton Place at Red Gal Ring in Stony Hill, and, most notably, the legendary Turntable Club on Red Hills Road, which was the home base for the movement for roughly three decades beginning in 1972.

Merritone, the minister’s speech pointed out, was an instrumental element in the capital Kingston being designated a Creative City of Music by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and served as a beacon for other arts and culture practitioners.

Merritone’s managing director, Monique Blake, announced this year’s Reunion calendar, under the theme, ‘Last Sound Standing’, featuring a wide range of events. It started last week with Turntable Thursday at the sound system’s new hub, Our Place, along Oxford Road, and was followed by the Kick Off Lyme on October 21, at Our Place and Merritone at the Regency on Sunday evening at the Terra Nova Hotel.

Wednesday, October 25 is World Merri Music Day, and the Alpha Institute in Kingston will be the venue for a panel discussion titled, Music and Dance Through the Ages, and a dance sessions celebrating Merritone, as well as all of Jamaica’s sound systems. World Merri Music Day was instituted last year in honour of Merritone founder and patriarch, Val Blake.

The action then shifts to the Hyatt Rose Hall in Montego Bay for the reunion and homecoming, with a number of themed parties and other fun events, before returning to Our Place on Monday, October 30 for the ‘Las’ Lick’ Farewell and Vinyl Collectors Showcase, another keenly anticipated event.

A pioneer of the Jamaican sound system movement since its inception in 1950, Merritone has remained at the leading edge of Jamaican music culture over the ensuing decades, notching a number of firsts in the process, including the first Jamaican-based sound to play overseas, and earning special awards and citations both at home and abroad. It is the only remaining outfit from what is generally accepted to be the original sound system era.