By Adrian Frater, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
HOT ON the heels on his stunning performance at the recent 'Air Jamaica Jazz & Blue Festival', Beres Hammond has been booked to perform at the 'Western Consciousness 2004' , which is slated for the Llandillo Cultural Centre in Westmoreland, on Saturday, April 24.
"Last year, he (Beres) told us that Western Consciousness was the best show he had done in long time and indicated that he would be happy to return this year. We are only too happy to have him again," said Worrell King, the chief executive officer of King of Kings Promotions, the promoters of the annual reggae show.
SIGNED CONTRACTS
In addition to Beres Hammond, King told The Gleaner that he also has signed contracts with reggae star Luciano, singjay Jah Mason, Illey Dread, Tavis Riley (Jimmy Riley's son), Lavaska and To-Isis.
"Maybe it is a little premature to make an announcement at this time but we are also quite confident that we will be having Buju Banton, Marcia Griffiths and new sensation Natty King in the line-up," said King, whose show band Sound Against Negative Expression (SANE) will provide backing services.
"As usual we will be vetting all the artistes carefully to ensure that our 'no lewd lyrics' policy remains intact."
King said he was particularly pleased about Guinness' sponsorship and The Gleaner's endorsement of the event. According to him, "These are two reputable organisations with impeccable credentials. I see their support and endorsement as recognition of our almost two decades of incident-free staging of 'Western Consciousness'."
In keeping with his longstanding practice of including something new and different at the events he promotes, King said that prior to the on-stage activities at this year's event, the patrons who turn up early will get a chance to see a movie depicting the 1966 visit to Jamaica by Emperor Haile Selassie.
In a bid to avoid some of the problems experienced at other shows staged in Jamaica recently, King said the gate system for Western Consciousness will be reorganised to ensure that patrons move in and out of the venue smoothly. In addition, he said the backstage area would be reorganised to ensure greater comfort for artistes and the media.
'Western Consciousness 2004' is sponsored by Guinness and The Gleaner.
