Trumpeter and Big Band leader Sonny Bradshaw announces the line-up for the 19th Jamaica Annual Jamaica Ocho Rios International Jazz Festival at Redbones the Blues Café, Braemar Avenue, New Kingston, on Monday night. - Photos by Mel Cooke

On Monday night, trumpeter and Big Band leader Sonny Bradshaw presented the schedule for this year's 19th Jamaica Ocho Rios International Jazz Festival as much as the event tends to be - unpretentious, with healthy doses of modesty and humour, the quality largely speaking for itself.

After Maurice Gordon closed off the guitars in fine form, Bradshaw told the intimate gathering at Redbones the Blues Café, Braemar Avenue, New Kingston, about the line-up of performers, giving his take on some of the names printed on colourful flyers that were already available.

So in announcing the line-up, beginning with Opening Jazz Day in the Gardens of The Jamaica Pegasus hotel on Sunday, June 14, Bradshaw did not just announce the performers. With the line-up being cricket-based, presented as an 'All Jamaican Jazz 11 Team, Piano/Keyboard Giants', Bradshaw smiled as he said "and them can play".

The real Jazz man

Harold Butler is on the team, as is his brother Leslie ("You remember him? Him is the real Jazz man," Bradshaw said), adding that as the captain, Marjorie Whylie will "direct playing on the field".

"Foggy Mullings is not the deputy prime minister again," Bradshaw observed, describing Myrna Hague as "a special spin bowler. The other slow bowler is Obeah Denton from Spanish Town".

Andrae Campbell, Courtney Sinclair, Kathy Brown and Ozou'ne are the quick bowlers. Bradshaw joked that all-rounders sometimes make ducks and another time a century, clarifying that the Jazz 11's two openers, Peter Ashbourne and Jon Williams, "are very good batsmen".

The reserves are Byard Lancaster and Sonny Bradshaw himself.

The festival actually opens with Jazz and Coffee in the Mountains at the Forrest Park Resort and Spa, Mavis Bank, on Saturday, June 13, with Maurice Gordon, Harold Butler, Kemar, Jermaine Blake and Marie Claire, among others.

The free public concert, fused with the Schools Bands Competition, start on Monday, June 15, at the Ocho Rios Commercial Centre on the Music Mart Bandstand and run through to Friday, June 19.

Bradshaw chuckled as he read the name of the performers on 'Jazz at Sunset', slated for Negril Escape on Tuesday, June 16. They are Ouida and the High Grade Jazz Trio, Bradshaw remarking "that name means something else". Lisa Chavous will be at Club Jamaica, Runaway Bay, on the same night.

The year's 19th Jamaica Ocho Rios International Jazz Festival criss-crosses the island, stopping at the Errol Flynn Marina in Port Antonio on Wednesday, June 17, then heading to Redbones in Kingston with Lisa Chavous and Byard Lancaster (sax and flute) the following night. It is up into the hills of St Andrew to Strawberry Hill with Joe Jackson Blues, as well as Hip-Opera with Marie Claire and Marjorie Whylie at Royal Plantation Hotel, Ocho Rios, on the same night.

HITS WITH A BANG

And the festival hits the weekend with a bang, South Coast Jazz Treasures being revealed at Two Seasons Guest House, Treasure Beach, on Saturday, as well as Mickey Hanson and the After Six Band playing at Glenn's Jazz Club. Desi Jones and Friends and Karen Smith will perform in Treasure Beach, with Mutabaruka playing the music. "Muta have one of the best jazz collections y'know," Bradshaw said.

And it all closes with Father's Day Jazz at the Old Al Terry Beach, Priory, St Ann, on Sunday, June 21, the Jamaica Big Band, Fab Five and the Max Klezmer Band from Poland among the performers.

And Bradshaw closed off the announcement with a quick tale about being in the studio at JBC (Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation) when Chris Blackwell was recording the first of his hits. "Jackie Edwards, Studio B. I was right there," Bradshaw said.