Island-wide power outages may have blanketed parts of Grand Bahama in a palpable darkness last Friday, but strains of smooth jazz still filled the Our Lucaya ballroom kicking off the Second Annual Grand Bahama Island Jazz, Rhythm and Blues Festival on a cool note.
The anticipated four-day festival and celebrity golf tournament brought such international acts as Lou Rawls, Roy Ayers, Angela Bofill and The Stylistics as well as local acts, the Edwin “Apple” Elliott Quintet, the Shelley Carey Quintet, Alia Coley and the G-Note All Starzz on its second time around.
And, ironically enough, trailed yet another devastating hurricane despite the Ministry of Tourism’s strategic placement of this year’s festival in late October to avoid last year’s late September storms.
Deputy-Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, David Johnson, called the event “very uplifting,” at the opening act for the main event on Friday.
Said Mr. Johnson of this first event after Hurricane Wilma, “rather than be at home depressed about the hurricane, this event gives the sense that life is going on.
There’s a better tomorrow (and) you have things to look forward to.”
Bahamians came out in record numbers last year, he reported. This year also drew a large crowd with guests from the country as well as all across the United States.
“Oh I definitely enjoyed the show,” said Pierre Mooney, 59, a festival attendee from Baltimore.
The Apple Elliott Quintet opened on Thursday, followed by the Shelley Carey Quintet, thrilling the audience and warding off slumber well into the midnight hour.
Angela Bofill delivered a spicy performance that combined contemporary jazz sounds with salsa the following night. And Ron Ayers took to the stage later, closing with as much energy as an opening.
Bahamian artist, Alia Coley, crooned to guests in the Isle of Capri Casino along with the G-Note All Starzz after eleven the same night.
Lou Rawls, the main event, and the Stylistics were set to perform in the ballroom on Saturday night.
The jazz, rhythm and blues festival is “a signature event for Grand Bahama,” Mr. Johnson said. He stated that publicity for the event which helped to fill rooms at the resort was tremendous, also mentioning that there was coverage from BET.
“I think the publicity from this event is very important because it positions the island as a place where something is going on; where there’s great entertainment,” he added. “And I think it’s boosting the spirits of Grand Bahamians.”
Mr. Johnson also noted that some of the artists had fallen in love with the island, Ms. Bofill especially; whom he said would be staying over three days after the event.
“I think we’re developing relationships with some of these artists,” he said, further predicting that such artists may become ambassadors for the spot in the marketplace.
With the success of this and last year’s festival which brought Peabo Bryson as well as The Power Summit earlier this month, Mr. Johnson said that the Ministry is working towards making the traditionally slow months busy ones.
“We’re building for the future,” he said.
The Grand Bahama Island Jazz, Rhythm and Blues Festival was officially sponsored by The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, the Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board, the Westin and Sheraton at Our Lucaya Beach and Golf Resort, Air-Tran Airways, Bahamasair, Discovery Cruise Line, H. Forbes Charter Services and Isle of Capri Casino. It was produced by Bill Lockett of Travel and Entertainment Prod-uctions Inc.
By Thea Rutherford, Freeport News Reporter
