Night 1

he 2008 Jazz Fest kicked off in superstar fashion with Oscar-nominated actor-turned-singer-songwriter, Terrence Howard.

Performing at Pedro St James, Mr Howard lit up the stage with his original Love Makes You Beautiful, dedicated to a Caymanian beauty to whom he was once engaged. His soft crowd-pleasing tones and acoustic flair had the audience swaying all evening.

Mr Howard has been an actor for decades and recently became a household name with such hit movies as Hustle & Flow – where he played a down-and-out street pimp who used rap skills to boost his fortunes – and the blockbuster Ironman, in which he played alongside Robert Downey Jr.

The singer spoke of his newfound celebrity and how people looked at him. “They thought I had money and I paused to stop and think what it is that money cannot buy,” he told the audience. “I wrote Plenty, which satirises how people look for fame, riches and stardom only to be fodder for tabloids.”

The upbeat tune is a cautionary tale of the descending spiral people often experience under the spotlight of public recognition.

A fixture at jazz fests worldwide, saxophonist Gerald Albright followed Mr Howard, shaking things up with such hits as Just Between Us. The Los Angeles native wowed the crowd, and blowing the night away on his custom-built “axe”, set the bar for future festivals. Between the jerk chicken and tropical cocktails, jazz lovers found a perfect evening amid the palms, the fireworks, the gentle sea breezes and the crisp ocean air.

The lovely Cassandra Wilson closed the evening with a high-spirited performance.

Mwangi Ngamate


Night 2

Friday night’s show at the fifth annual Cayman Jazz Festival saw Caymanian performers Impulz, Jonathan Ebanks and Stuart Wilson & Love Culture holding their own, proving that captivating musical talent is available right here at home.

After the local acts, and as the sky loosed a slow drizzle, energetic Atlanta native Algebra took centre stage in a black corset top, purple pants and butterfly wings ready to rock Pageant Beach. Sadly, Mother Nature had other plans.

The free spirit who in a backstage interview with Cayman Net News said her genre-fusing style eluded categorization, tried her best to rouse a crowd subdued by the escalating damp. Her efforts, brave and determined , however, failed to move the audience.

“I have been in less-conservative churches than this,” said one patron. “This really does not have a festival vibe.”

Next up was Angie Stone, clad in a metallic silver top and black pants. Also trying her best, Ms Stone sought to move the seated crowd, removing her shoes and announcing that “Cute is over”. She urged the crowd to its feet, which prompted some festival-goers to loosen up, while others clutched their umbrellas a little tighter.

In the middle of her performance, the rain stopped. Celebrating, she brought ‘Theo’ on stage …that’s right, Malcom-Jamal Warner, who played Theo in the 80s US sitcom The Cosby Show, and took the stage for an impromptu interlude of spoken word/rap.

After performing such popular numbers as Brotha and Wish I Didn’t Miss You Anymore – with the clarity of a CD – she wished the crowd a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and promptly left the stage.

Anticipating headliner Michael Bolton, the crowd began to grow restless as the stage crew seemed to crawl through the set change. The frustration was underlined by the lack of music or activities to fill the time.

“I hope you write about this in your paper,” said one woman, declining to give her name. “How are they going to have such long set changes and dead silence in the venue while it’s happening?”

At last, Mr Bolton appeared, instantly gathering the soaked crowd into the palm of his hand. Concert-goers who had remained firmly in their plastic chairs all night, finally rose to shake their “groove thing,” and sang along – word for word – to such tunes as Soul Provider and Love is the Power until the set closed one hour later.

Debra Edwards


Night 3

The thousands attending the final night of Cayman’s fifth annual Jazz Fest enjoyed a set of performances which proved a true delight.

Cayman’s own KK Alese and American Norman Brown set the tune for the two most-anticipated artists of the festival, Robin Thicke and Anita Baker. Unfortunately, the lack of entertainment between sets caused a few mutters and growls among the crowd as 15 minutes turned into 40 minutes, waiting for the headliners to appear.

Finally, Mr Thicke graced the stage, turning the atmosphere electric. The ladies in the audience did their best to contain themselves as they accompanied him with every word of such hits as Lost Without You, I Need Love and Shooter.

Mr Thicke brought the crowd to its feet, dancing to his version of the Al Green belter “Let’s Stay Together.”

The fun ended, followed by another half-an-hour hour of waiting for technicians to prepare the stage for multi-Grammy-winning artist Anita Baker. The wait proved worth enduring: She was astounding.

Minus a technical glitch that prevented the backdrop curtain falling as she took the stage, her set was flawless. The speakers could hardly contain Mrs Baker’s one-of-a-kind voice, appearing to shake even the stars above with her tigress-like tones.

Songs like Giving You The Best That I Got, Body and Soul, Caught up in the Rapture and Same Ole Love were among the hits Mrs Baker offered, leaving little doubt that the superstar songstress is among the best in the world.

Each singer turned in a near-perfect set, as, ironically, the miscues came from event organisers. The arrangement of food stands and merchandise tents was uninspired – and for what was ultimately a tourism venture, things looked a bit on the cheap side. The tired practice of queuing to buy drink tickets, followed by queuing elsewhere to pick up the drinks is an unprofessional throwback that Cayman must stop in order to join “the big boys” of event production.

Despite the lackadaisical and predictable (fireworks marking the end of nearly every event) organization for the 2008 Jazz Fest, most of those in attendance appeared to be having a great time – once the music started playing, that is.

Trent Jacobs