The blues reigned in spite of the rain
View(s):By Shakya Wickramanayake
Jazz and blues artists from different parts of the world had landed in our little island, the festival layout was mapped, and Colombo was abuzz over the two-day Jazz Festival that was set to unfold at the Galle Face Hotel. And then, with the ominous roll of thunder, the heavens opened up. The heavy rains threatened to put a halt to the festival, but thanks to the resilience of the organising staff and the determination of the artistes, the audience, some of whom had flown into the country specifically for the festival, were not deprived of the music.
Incognito has the audience on their feet and (top) Imaani, of Sri Lankan descent from the band, wows the crowd with an amazing performance. Pix by Indika Handuwala
The festival kicked off at 3 p.m, on Saturday, February 18, but soon the rains came down, and as one festival-goer put it “The rain put a big full stop and exclamation mark to what happened.”Festival-goers had to retreat from the lawn area, the open air dining area and design market, to the verandah. Once the rains stopped, people were back outside enjoying the food, wine and the various stalls. But the main stage was flooded and some of the equipment on stage damaged.
Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick, the leader of the headlining band ‘Incognito’, though was determined to perform and give people what they had came for. The band, with the support of some of the other artistes, quickly worked to set up the stage. “When the rain cleared we all chipped in and helped out. Mopped the stage and fixed the equipment, borrowed some equipment from the other bands… and we made it happen,” Bluey said later.
While the main stage was being repaired, artists continued to play at a smaller set up near the entrance to the verandah, entertaining the crowds. By the time, Incognito took to the stage, spirits had positively lifted. Incognito had many of the festival-goers on their feet, dancing and grooving to the music. Their vocalist Imaani, who is of Sri Lankan descent, gave an amazing performance. Andrew Oh and his Australian band, closed the night on a high.
Diablos in action on the second day
The second day was a bit of mixed bag as the afternoon session was a wash-out, and it was late evening when the festival got into full swing. Though the event was to start around 12 noon, the relaxing Sunday was overtaken by the rain that didn’t cease. The crowds were once again ushered into the hotel’s verandah area, which was soon packed and volunteers had to place chairs along the walkways to accommodate the guests. But with no artistes performing or music playing, the crowd began to grow restless. Thankfully the rain finally ceased, and by 7 p.m. the Diablos came on.
Their energetic funk and blues sound got the crowd off their seats and on their feet around the main stage, even drawing those in the corporate areas. The lawn was far too soaked for most people to dance, but that didn’t stop the crowd from bobbing along to the music, the kids either sitting in front of the stage completely captivated by what they saw up on stage or bouncing up and down the beat of the music.
The rest of the evening featured the soulful sounds of Sannie Fox, the blues queen of South Africa; the eclectic sound of the Austrian band the Varmits; the croonings of the son of blues legend Muddy Water, Mud Morganfield Jr; and the American group El trio. Overall, when the weather permitted, the Colombo Jazz Festival lived up to its promise.
What helped the festival recover was the music. The artistes’ desire to perform outweighed any hubris or pride. They shared equipment, played on smaller stages, and even shortened their set times to accommodate all the performers. As ‘Bluey’ said, it wasn’t a competition, it was about their craft. And all those who decided to ride out the adverse weather were duly rewarded.
