Jamaica Tours, Guides and Vacations

Here is a wonderful set of photos taken from the Negril Cliffs which features one of my favorite Jamaican fisherman out in the early morning as the sun rises on yet another beautiful Jamaica day. I watched this guy fish the local waters off and on for over a year before I settled to take his photo without his permission. I probably could have found him and asked him for it but it was nice to chat with him as he went on about his day completely oblivious to me while I sat and watched him from the seaside cliffs of a Negril resort in amazement at his strength and determination. Some of these Jamaica fisherman seem as old as the sea itself but do not be fooled, these guys are hard as stone and stronger than any two average men you know. They have been fishing these waters for over 50 years in many cases and pulled enough traps to feed a family for longer than I have been alive.

I was almost always amused and sometimes disgusted with how different our lives are and how as I sit there with my digital camera from the deck of my resort accommodations I can peer out into the distance and witness a real man working for a living from a hand carved dugout while I blog about my daily adventures and smoked a few spliffs over a cup of Blue Mountain Coffee in the comfort of my private room overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

It’s a sick and twisted world we live in and the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence but I would gladly trade my experiences and knowledge for his.

See more pics in the Bob Marley Museum photo gallery!!

Bob Marley is a legend all across the world but in Jamaica is his revered as a saint by many. His home in Kingston is an important part of the Bob Marley experience in Jamaica and one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area.

The museum is home to the largest collection of Marley memorabilia and a great place to visit for an introduction into the history of reggae music. You will pass through rooms in the home where Bob cooked his food, wrote his songs and even see the very bed he slept in and the house slippers he wore while there.

The room carries a lot of history with loads of gold and platinum records hanging in rooms on the guided tours and even more newspaper articles from around the world highlighting his shows in places like Japan and Africa. It was nice to visit the first time just as much as it was the 5th and now 10th time I have gone. I particularly enjoy reading the newspaper articles for various opinions on Bob from people all over the world.

You will see the room where Bob was shot and even the original bullet holes still in the wall. There is a wonderful little spice garden and of course a huge shop full of Bob Marley things for sale. The tour ends with a somber music video highlighting his career and music. It’s nice to see Bob in the rare home movies and pictures throughout the museum. He seemed at peace for much of his life and the home reflects that.

You cannot take photos inside the Bob Marley Museum but the memories stay with you. If you make it to Kingston and appreciate the mans music you have to take a tour of the Bob Marley Museum as part of your Jamaica Vacation.

The second night of Reggae Sumfest 2009 was actually a bit of a let down for me. This was International Night Number One and the line up was heavy on pop and sparkle which is not really my style of music. The night started early with some great new performers like Ras Penco and Hezron which were followed by strong performances from Lutan Fyah and Coco Tea but the rest of the night was weak and full of pop and r&b artists that did not interest me much.

I took lots of breaks and sat out much of the mid section of this evening . I skipped performances by Jazmine Sullivan and Keri Hilson and the only reason I watched NeYo was to see how he reacted to Jamaicans using his music as they have. He paid tribute to Vybz Kartel and Spice by letting the crowd sing their song to his beat. It was a weak attempt to make a connection with the crowd but it seemed to work Many fans went along with it but there were quite a few hisses and comments about his lawsuit over the use of his music. Seems he has a few people out there that like the Vybz Kartel version of his riddim.

NeYo on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009

I waited it out for the finale with Morgan Heritage and Queen Ifrica but I faded out before the sun came up and Jah Cure went on stage. I was actually sitting on my ass when he went live and I jumped in the bus home while he was performing. I was simply out of gas and unable to stand up any longer after two full days on my feet.

Morgan Heritage put on a strong group performance and then went into solo pieces for Gramps, Peter and the youngest brother and it was a treat to see the many different musical styles they have grown into. Gramps and Peter have more reggae and r&b influences but the younger generation shows more rap and hip hop.

Morgan Heritage Live at Sumfest 2009

Queen Ifrica has impressed me with her powerful stage presence and her ability to sing gracefully but with power. She did a rendition of Michael Jackson Man in the Mirror and she did it with style. The crowd appreciated her performance and everyone sang along as part of the Sumfest Michale Jackson Tribute.

Queen Ifrica Live at Sumfest 2009

Queen Ifrica tributes Michale Jackson Man in the Mirror at Sumfest 2009

Reggae Sumfest 2009 Friday International Night 1

If you travel to Jamaica, there’s bound to be someone just waiting for you to get home. Someone wondering if you remembered them at all while you were on holiday. Since we haven’t yet figured out a way to bottle our sunshine, here are some other ideas for the perfect gift from Jamaica.

Naturally you have to think about the recipient – what’s good for your 5 year old niece may not be quite the thing for Uncle Joe with the one good eye!

I’m writing primarily for the budget-minded. I am presently unable to think like someone who has money, but hopefully that will change one day soon! Happily, some of the nicest things from Jamaica aren’t at all expensive. So while these ideas are value oriented, they should be pleasing to just about anyone who receives them.

Liquor

Rum – Jamaica is rum country. You can chose from a variety of ages, blends and colours. Our most popular producer is J. Wray and Nephew. Appleton Estate VX is a deliciously smooth, well aged, red rum. I’ve not come across the casual drinker who doesn’t enjoy this one. Another red rum, very enjoyable, but a little less smooth than VX, is Appleton Special. More serious drinkers, or those who want to make rum punch, will enjoy the stronger J. Wray and Nephew Overproof Rum. In Jamaica we call this simply “white rum”.

Rum Cream or Liqueur – The ladies may prefer these milder, sweeter drinks. Sangster’s Rum Creams (in different flavours) are particularly good.

It’s best to buy your alcohol at one of the duty free shops at the airport. It’s practically the same price as at local supermarkets, but more conveniently packaged.

CDs

Jamaica makes so much good music it’s mindblowing. However, not all of the lyrics can be easily understood if you don’t speak Jamaican patois. You might want to choose carefully if you want to understand what’s being said. Recent CDs by Beres Hammond, Tarrus Riley, Etana, Queen Ifrica, Morgan Heritage are a great place to start.

By no means should you discount the dancehall artistes, even if you can’t understand all the words. Most of the music is infectious whether you get the words or not! Sometimes the words are blatantly sexual, or somewhat violent, so ask before making your purchase.

For music collectors, classic CDs by Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Beres Hammond, John Holt, Bob Marley are really good choices. You could also ask for recordings of traditional Jamaican folk songs.

Coffee

Visit local supermarkets for Jamaican coffee. Larger supermarkets will have a wider range. Choose from whole or ground beans. Coffee labelled “Blue Mountain” is usually the best quality, having been grown at the highest altitudes. The “High Mountain Coffee” brand, although not Blue Mountain, is a very good brand. Coffee is also available at duty free stores in the airport.

Books

If you travel to Jamaica, a visit to a good bookstore can solve many of your gift problems. Jamaican cookbooks for those who like to experiment in the kitchen. Books of Jamaican poetry for those with a poetic soul. Jamaican novels for those who like a good story. Jamaican stories and colouring books for the children. Books on Jamaican culture and lifestyle for those who want to know our island better. When buying books, remember to consider the weight of your suitcase – books can be quite heavy.

Accessories

Accessories like bracelets, earrings, necklaces and anklets have the great advantage of being small and easy to carry. Remember not to buy jewellery made from turtle shell or black coral – these are protected species, and it is illegal to have items made from them. Trendy bags come in all shapes, colours and sizes, made from different materials. Rasta belts and tams are perfect for those who want to look ‘rootsy’.

Clothes

As much as the Tshirt idea might seem overdone, there are actually a lot of attractive shirts on the market. Jamaican colours (black, green and gold) or Rasta colours (red, green and gold) are easily available. Bob Marley is still a great seller, and there are a lot of great shirts which show the many sides of Bob.

Also popular are Jamaican-coloured shorts, flip flops, caps and beach wraps. Or you may like to try some of the more subtle clothing now available in earth tones.

For the kids

In addition to books and clothes, there are traditional cloth dolls, playing cards, small percussion instruments like drums and shakers which make good gifts for children. Some very funky pencils with a dreadlocked head at one end are cute and inexpensive.

Food

Many people enjoy the adventure of tasting food from different cultures. For these people, the supermarket is the perfect place to find something they’ll enjoy. Here are a few ideas:

* Jamaican Guava Jelly – made from the guava fruit. Delicious on bread or crackers.
* Tamarind Balls – for those who like tangy sweets. Made from the flesh of the tamarind fruit rolled with sugar. Jamaican children (and many adults too) adore this.
* Banana Chips – the perfect salty snack, made from green bananas! Just as tasty as potato chips, but more nutritious.
* Jerk Seasoning/Sauce – those who like to cook can try making their own jerk chicken.
* Spicy Sauces – there’s a whole range of these, but our Pickapeppa Sauce is outstanding. Mango chutney is really good too.

Jamaican Artwork

Lookout for authentic Jamaican prints and paintings. These come in a range of prices, depending on the popularity of the artist, and the size and quality of the work. Wood carvings and ceramics are available, but again, you need to think about the weight as well as the packaging for your trip.

I hope these gifts ideas will be useful if you do indeed make the great decision to travel to Jamaica. In the event that you do make the trip, be sure to enjoy our wonderful Jamaican culture while you’re here.

Allison Morris’ website about St. Elizabeth, Jamaica is also a storehouse of information about Jamaican culture. Visit this entertaining and information-packed site at http://www.real-jamaica-vacations.com.

I was fortunate enough to make it to Reggae Sumfest again this year for the third year in row and it was an awesome event with three nights of simply the best in Jamaican musicians as well as top International performers who made this the best Sumfest I have been to yet. Here is my review of Reggae Sumfest 2009 for Thursday night.

Thursday night is always Dancehall night at Sumfest and this year it was a powerhouse lineup with some of the biggest and hottest names on the Dancehall scene performing on one stage on the same night. It was evident things were going to be different this year as the vibe was more subdued and many major changes were made in the format over years past. The recession hit Sumfest and lots of things were scaled back which seemed to hurt the production which was packed with delays and setbacks but certainly did not curb the enthusiasm or caliber of performers on stage. The Jamaican government had to kick in $500,000US to make sure the show went on but it’s a fair price for the amount of money Sumfest injects into the local economy.

The entire music industry was rocked by the tragic death of Michael Jackson and this years events were in tribute to him and his music and the stars really took to it in force with most of them offering their respects at the least and many of them paying tribute in song during their performances.

Despite the cutbacks there was no shortage of talent on stage and the line up was more of a whos who on the current and past dancehall charts. The night started early and was to run on until the sun came up so I chose to show up a little late in the evening and I was not able to catch the first acts of the evening and I regret missing performances by my good friends Nature and Charly Black but I was blessed to have backstage passes again and I was able to spend some time with them both back stage after their sets and thats always a lot of fun. Jamaican artists are very animated and hanging out with them is more like a party when you put a bunch of them together. They spend lots of time trying to upstage or outshine each other and the commentary and banter are a treat.

I arrived two hours into the show at 10pm and was able to catch I-Octane on stage for the last of his set and the beginning of Prodigal Son before I headed backstage for photos and videos with the stars. I made it back out front to catch the end of Voice Mail who always look good and sound great on stage. These guys should get an award for best dressed group because they have some serious shard looking style every time you see them. Macka Diamond was next on stage and the foul mouthed female gave us her most with a great performance thats just short of a sex show as she touches herself and gyrates in ways your mother wouldn’t approve of. Macka always gives a strong performance and this year was no exception. I was backstage for the beginning of D’Angels performance but able to catch the ending as I ran out front to get some photos. I missed much of Kip Rich and caught the end Demarco on stage before I headed backstage again for more photos.

The drawback to backstage passes is that you often miss out on much of the show as you wait your turn to take some pics or interview an artist. I chose to spend less time backstage and settle for a few pics than to spend the entire evening in the press tent waiting for artist interviews. Some people chose to enjoy Reggae Sumfest from a television monitor backstage but I much prefer the energy and excitement of the front of the stage. It’s all about the music to me but I do enjoy meeting and speaking to the artists when I can. It’s nice to know someone who’s music you respect and I feel it brings you closer to the music in a lot of ways.

Sumfest runs into the early morning of the following day and the main talent usually hits the stage after midnight. Thursday nights star lineup began with Spice who put on an amazing show and her tribute to Michael was one of the more unique and inspired. Check out Spice at Reggae Sumfest on YouTube for more but trust me it was high energy and unique to say the least. Spice took a different direction than many other artists and her tribute was not just her singing a Michael Jackson crowd as many did but her entire set had Thriller style dancers and other examples of his music and style. Spice has truly matured and her music reflects a new found strength and attitude which must come from the recent success she has had as a result of her popular collaboration with Vybz Kartel on Rompin Shop which is the #1 hit single and a smash on the dance floors across Jamaica.

Spice was followed up by Assassin who I missed while backstage but I was there for the Queen of Dancehall Lady Saw when she hit the stage and put on yet another raunchy performance as she proved once again she is the dirtiest female of them all and a force in the dancehall. Her set started out decidedly different and a woman behind me made the comment that Lady Saw had finally gown up but after one song she chnaged from her cutesy dress to a mans Zoot Suit where she proceeded to cup her groin and chant out hardcore lyrics about her pum pum. She got some foreign press agent from in front of the stage to stand before her as she forced him to slap her pum pum and since he didn’t speak english it was hilarious to watch the mess from so close. I don’t mind explicit lyrics from men or women but raunchy dirty foul mouthed garbage is not my favorite style and Lady Saw rides over the edge on occasion. Watch Lady Saw at Reggae Sumfest 2009 on YouTube!!

After Lady Saw it was the heavy hitters from Alliance with Bounty Killer, Mavado and Busy Signal as the next three acts. Bounty Killer had a very strong performance at Sumfest 2009 but he did acknowledge his diss at last years show when he attacked Ninjaman and his brother as batty men but it was once again a different kind of show this year with Bounty offering his respect to Ninjaman who sits in a Jamaican jail on serious charges for harboring a fugitive. At last years show it seemed that Bounty was more harsh and into the clash style and the crowd wasn’t into it as much and Bounty was actually booed at Sumfest 2008 for his lyrics and attack style. This year he kept the insults and attacks minimal and stuck to a hardcore performance and it worked out much better for him.

Bounty was followed up by his #1 protege and the rising star in dancehall Mavado who himself had a great year with hit singles like “So Special” hitting heavy rotation on the dance floors and inspiring Jay-Z to step out of retirement just to do a remix with the “Gully God”. Mavado is my personal favorite and his music has more crossover appeal than Vybz does when you consider more people can understand what he’s saying unlike Vybz who speaks more raw patois. Mavado has a link with the rasta culture and his many references to Jah and Jehovah seem to enhance his popularity. The problem he faces is that Mavado is a studio artist and his music is heavily synthesized which is difficult to play by a live backing band and his live performances with a band are weak in my opinion. I was not impressed with Mavado at Sumfest 2009 which was live but I stood on stage with him just one week later at The Jungle in Negril and he performed to a pre-recorded riddim track and it was a much better show. I would recommend to him he stick to the riddim track and forget live band performances.

Elephant Man came on stage after Mavado and put on another powerful performance that I was sad to miss most of as I was backstage fighting for an interview I never got with Mavado. It’s silly in a sense because I know people that know Mavado and I can probably get an interview with him whenever I wanted to but I ended up catching the end of Elephant Man performance and then I was able to link up with him backstage for a moment as well which made a difference when I saw him on stage at The Jungle the next week. He recognized me from Sumfest and proceeded to have some fun with my by having a girl jump on me and dance unexpectedly which was a shock to me and amusing to about 4000 people at the show.

I also expected a difference in the main performances and I was right. I knew it was going to be a Vybz Kartel night and it was. Vybz Kartel and his Portmore Empire have had an exceptional year since the 2008 performances and his rivalry with ex partner Bounty Killer and Killers Alliance has hit a high point as well with the clash reaching extremes and the entire country is now either Gaza or Gully with the “Gully God” Mavado from Alliance adding fuel to the fire as he blazes his own trail to the top of the Dancehall scene. Some are calling Mavado the new King of Dancehall and this sparked a fire in Beenie Man who has aligned himself with Vybz to defend his self proclaimed title of King of the Dancehall. Beenie seems to have put his weight behind it and got himself crowned the “King of Danceall” in a ceremony on stage this year at Sumfest where he was given a crown and robe in recognition of his contribution to Sumfest and reggae music by Johnny Gourzong the founder of Reggae Sumfest Productions.

Vybz Kartel and Beenie Man both put on strong performances but when the two of them hit the stage at the same time the place lit up with excitement and it was by far the high point of the might with 20,000 plus fans yelling and screaming approval. Beenie led the chants of “Gaza mi say” and the crowds followed him and it got pretty loud for awhile. They performed well together and it seemed a match made in heaven with the two of them benefiting greatly from the partnership. Beenie Man is known as weak amongst many in the new generation because his lyrics are more dance and pop with no gun or violence and his link to Vybz gives him some much needed cred with the gangsta wannabes on the dancehall scene. Vybz on the other had finds Beenie Man legitimizes some of his antics and gives him some respect to the older generation who have no idea what Gaza or Gully really are.

By this time of the night I was burnt and I had seen what I came to see. I rarely make it through to the very end and on this night I bailed out after Vybz and Beenie left the stage. Click here are a selection of pics and don’t forget to check my YouTube page for more videos from Reggae Sumfest 2009 or click any of the links above to see the individual artist videos.

Home > Jamaica Reggae Music Shows > Reggae Sumfest 2009 Thursday Dancehall Night Reggae Sumfest 2009 Thursday Dancehall Night Set list from Reggae Sumfest 2009 Set list from Reggae Sumfest 2009 I-Octane backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Charly Black backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Bugle backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Macka Diamond backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 I-Spryng backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Voice Mail on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Macka Diamond backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Nature backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 D'Angel backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Demarco on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Spice on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Demarco on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Kip Rich on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Lady Saw on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Spice back stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Lady Saw back stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Bounty Killer on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Mavado on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Bounty Killer Alliance backstage Reggae Sumfest 2009 Elephant Man interviewed backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Vybz Kartel on stage for Reggae Sumfest 2009 Beenie Man on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Beenie Man on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Beenie Man and Vybz Kartel on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Crowds at Reggae Sumfest 2009

The medicine profiles the line.