Tastee Reflections

I've been given the opportunity to produce a reflective piece on my Tastee experience this year. Here goes


KEEN EARS, OPEN MIND
Reflections of a tastee Judge

"Endings are beginnings" the great Randi Crawford once opined, and that duality becomes apparent to me having completed the four preliminary auditions in this year's tastee Talent Trail.

As the sole returning judge from last year, I have a somewhat different perspective from my two cohorts, Dahlia Harris and Dwight Richards. Faces and sounds which might have seemed new to them were to me returns from '07. Singers, dancers, DJs, an instrumentalist here, a comedian there. Its kind of like a favourite shirt, you pick it up an slip it on almost without thinking.

But nothing could have prepared any of us for Israel.

I don't even remember his full name and it hardly even matters. Israel sauntered in from Hanover and turned three self-professed entertainment 'professionals' into doubled-over, teary-eyed blobs of laughter. His schtick: dance, but whereas the youth-oriented dancers of today have a near tiresome barrage of 'Nuh Lingas' and Gully Creepas' Israel's routine is a hybrid of 70s skank and funky chicken set to bass-heavy roots music. Completing the gag is a red velour suit (he did change to blue in subsequent visits), a black stovepipe hat and a twisty goatee that if cut, could probably lash bamboo together.

Laugh as we must, Israel is symbolic of the Tastee talent spirit over the last 29 years. His serenely audacious self-confidence typifies Jamaican accomplishments in the arts, entertainment and sports over the last two or three generations. Its the reason why the name Jamaica evokes intense reactions of all sorts (never passive) from admirers - and the occasional detractor - worldwide, and its the reason why, as long as opportunity beckons (in the form of Tastee and other contests) there will be madcap minstrels like Israel believing that a spot on the big stage is their God-given right.

But, I digress.

The reason why I relish this position is that like its competitors, Tastee talent Trail provide a worthwhile barometer of the post-modern Jamaican cultural atmosphere. In other words, it gives one a good sense of 'wha really a gwaan out a road'. The way the candidates dress, rehearse, interact with each other, the way they adress us, the judges, the way they deliver their routines and the way they respond to our assessments, al give interesting cues about the runnings of the society today.

As much as we may dismiss individual acts with shouts of "Next!!!" cumualtively, they are a valuable - no, make that invaluable - social research base. These are the prime consumers of mass media - the videos, the ads, the shows, the local slang - and the contest give them a chance to come and regurgitate. The hot songs form the soundtrack for both vocalists and dancers, the topical issues form fodder for the DJs (how many times was the JPSCo. roundly scored during our audition process) and the outfits reflect both prevailing trends and income factors.

All told, we the judges saw and heard approximately 700 entrants over four auditions. Montego Bay, the fianl one, proved the most satisfying to me in terms of talent (my colleagues concurred) although Kingston, expectedly had the greatest number of entrants. The females seemd underepresented, especially in the vocal categories, and I wonder about the impact of this ongoing trend.

Encouraging for me as a fan of instrumental music, there was an upswing in the number of entries from last year - and the crop yielded some interesting 'disappointments' most notably a drummer by the name of Prince Black. With proper training and guidance, he could develop into something special, but then, will there be outlets for him to make a living other than as a sessions man or as part of a 'backing band'

"We don't have a musician problem," a famous Black American musician said, "we have an audience problem." As the judging panel, our mission, beleive, extends beyond selecting the best talent to go through to the next rounds; in those selections we are helping to shape national and dare I say global musical tastes for generations.

Its no easy task - mind, ears and heart were sorely challenged this year but also handsomely rewarded.

I can't wait.