Kai Wakling - Contributed
Jamaica's entertainment industry is rocking to a new beat - the beat of a Web-based recording company called Jarcat Records.
The red-carpet launch, dubbed Jarcat Records and The Debut Album Jarcat Grooves Vol.1, as well as the 'World Premiere of Donahue Jarett's Music Video,' took place last Friday. It was an innovative affair - a story presented in live music, music video, as well as brief speeches by key players in the music industry.
The journey of the three products, Jarcat Records and The Debut Album Jarcat Grooves Vol. 1, and the premiere of Donahue Jarett's music video, began at the Redbones the Blues Café, New Kingston. The venue provided the perfect setting. It allowed the action to shift from the spacious lawns to the enclosed stage area and back.
Start of the launch
After cocktails on the lawns, guests were beckoned by MC Pat McKay to a standing-room-only area in front of the open stage. This action signalled the start of the launch of Jarcat Records.
The name 'Jarcat' is the combination of the first part of 'Jarrett' with 'Cat', taken from the names of two of the directors of the entertainment company, hotelier and songwriter Donahue Jarrett, and renowned musician and member of the group Third World, Stephen 'Cat' Coore. They are partnered by financier and Internet marketer, Philip Hill.
It was not an evening for much talk, and the short programme was made more refreshing by the brief remarks made by each speaker.
Guest speaker, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Olivia Grange, remarked that the Web- based entertainment company would positively influence the future of the music industry. She applauded the directors for their undertaking.
Stephen Coore's remarks were sprinkled with humour. He spoke of his gratitude to people, like Mikey Bennett. He explained that the album, Jarcat Grooves Vol. 1, had been two years in the making. He was rather humble in acknowledging that his Web-based company was a pioneer in the Jamaican entertainment industry.
For Philip Hill, "sharing the start of something new was exciting". And later, between the showing of Jarrett's video and the live-entertainment segment of the launch, he explained some of the exciting services and features of the Jarcat website.
"There will be live interaction, video portals. Also, people will be able to listen to music samples before purchasing. They will be able to download music." The services include providing branded entertainment, as well as recorded music. The film/video industry will also benefit, as Jarcat will manage or provide assistance with scripts, finding locations snd providing crews.
Music video displayed
Jarrett's debut music video, All I Got to Give, was shown on a large screen set up on the lawns. The video was shot in Jamaica and England. There is no dancing, just a powerful message: "If you got caught up in day-to-day thinking, living your life like some painting, soon you are going to get tired of saying the same thing". The message is conveyed through the eyes of a frustrated businessman, who is taken back to a vision of his childhood freedom, and given a glimpse of his future as a washed-up, old businessman.
All I Got to Give came from the pen of Jarrett, who explained that the video took a total of two weeks to be completed. The song is also on the Jarcat Grooves Vol. 1. In the live-performance segment, Donahue, dressed in leather suit and tie, gave a scintillating performance of the song. Other entertainers featured on the album who performed in this segment were Kai Wakling, Got You Near, and Sean Dayes, Be Still.
Cat Coore was vocalist, guitarist, and on 'cello, gave a magnificent performance of Bob Marley's Redemption Song (not on the album), which he dedicated to Philip Hill. Performing with Coore were other members of the Jarcat All Stars Band - Taddy P, bass guitar; Ruption, drums; Norris, keyboard, and Jana Bent, background vocal. The live-music segment was "refreshing, not the typical launch", said engineer D. Moore.
Singer Valton 'VC' Craigie, known for his hit song By His Deeds, found the Web-based concept "definitely exciting, as Jamaica has fallen behind in marketing on the Internet."