On its final night, the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival of 2010, drawing an even larger crowd than its previous nights, ended on a high note with electric performances from top artists Gladys Knight and Third World.
Saturday Night: Gladys Knight, Lady Saw, Hall & Oates, Jon Secada and Third World Close The Festival
Undoubtedly one of the highlights of the festival, Gladys Knight was tough to match on Saturday night.She performed classic tunes like "Midnight Train" and "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me," and came back for an encore after a packed performance of more than an hour.
Opening for Gladys was Marion Hall - better known as Lady Saw - the first lady of Jamaican Dancehall music and popular among many women in her native island. Lady Saw kept her lyrics clean, however, and impressed everyone with her beautiful voice. After a few ballads, she ended her performance with a small range of her dancehall hits - including "Sycamore tree" - to the crowd's delight. "No, I think they came to see Marion Hall, not Lady Saw," she teased.
Jon Secada surprised all with his energy on stage. "I'm an island boy too by the way, I'm from Cuba you know." His beautiful voice and sensual moves on stage earned him the crowd's attention - and his looks were certainly not lost on the women. "You're so sexy baby!," yelled one lady unabashedly from the VIP section." "Thank you sweetheart," he replied politely.
Hall and Oates were also full of surprise performances - from a tribute to Teddy Pendegrass, whom they called a dear friend, to a couple of songs with Billy Ocean and Maxi Priest who appeared on stage mid-show, to the crowd's loud applause. Together, they sang "Caribbean Queen" and "Love Train."
Third World Closes the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival
Closing the festival Saturday night were the legendary group, Third World, along with an amazing African-drum performance by the talented Tony Ruption.
There is little doubt that the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival continues to be one of the Caribbean's best jazz and music festivals, attracting the top names in entertainment. Despite a change in venue - the Greenfield Stadium in Trelawny which is about forty-minutes away from Montego Bay, fans continue to flock to this first-class event. The layout and space at the stadium allowed for beautiful tents and a separate vendor space, as well as enough lawn space for all those wanting to stand and enjoy the show up close. Next year's production should prove to be even more spectacular.
Lebawit Girma - Lebawit "Lily" Girma is an attorney, freelance writer and photographer based in Washington DC. Lily has lived and studied on three ...
