Strong fusion at Jonkanoo Lounge - Poetry, singing and deejaying bring delight

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

In its second outing in three years, The Joseph Current Show turned in a strong showing at the Jonkanoo Lounge, Wyndham hotel, New Kingston, on Saturday.

With poetry at its core and the person for whom the over two-hour presentation is named doing the bulk of the verse and also introducing his guests, The Joseph Current Show balanced poetry, singing and deejaying in an engaging package before a substantial audience.

Still, it could have been a smoother presentation, as there were moments of on-stage cross-talk which spoke to insufficient preparation. Plus, there was an uncooperative CD player for both Thriller U and early performer Simply Angel, and sometimes a testing of microphones to locate optimum quality.

Angel used sinuous body movements to illustrate her pieces, which all centred on the male-female connection.

In one piece she promised a potential partner "it will be definitely worth the wait" and closed her stint with a whispered "it's magic".

Humanwaah, with a good voice and well thought-out lyrics, put out ideas of spirituality with "it's a rough road of souls we trod to reach that higher ground/where there is no good, no bad, no wrathful jealous God".

Setting the tone

The main event was heralded by the striking up of the Current Band for singer Pesso. And Pesso's often humorous approach, which included coaxing a lady on to the stage, set the tone for the rest of a night of good fun and audience interaction.

Pesso's good set included Winner and the Rastaman Chant, on which Current joined in to chant a Psalm and take his place onstage.

Current would leave the stage only to make way for his guests, the emphatic Steppa, humorous Chickenhawk, rapid-fire rhyming DYCR and ultra-smooth Thriller U. He carried the bulk of the night's poetry, at times solo with the band (as in his opening shot at Mr Want it All, which asks "yu neva bun de weed/how yu eye dem so red?") and at others in tandem with singer Dasia Williams.

Williams was also part of the harmony trio which also included Jason Brown and Nikki Simone. Each got a chance to come front and centre to good effect, Brown and Current competing lyrically for a lady's attention.

After tackling corruption with a plan to "sweep out the house right now" and engaging in the mock battle, Current introduced Steppa as the first guest. And he was an explosive one.

Steppa dealt with bleaching ("dem use toothpaste paste pon face/what a disgrace!") and declared himself a representative of those neglected youths whose activities range "from wiping car glass to manufacturing car parts".

After Steppa closed with a definition of his mind as "I gun", Current returned with one of the night's interesting interpretations - the poetry standard Song of the Banana Man done on a reggae rhythm.

Thriller U included Me and Mrs Jones in his short stint; in his song and poetry interaction with Dasia Current asked "then baby you just drop me so like a pot cover?" and Perfidia was one of several songs utilised in the exchange.

Chickenhawk was a merry deejay inclusion and the surprise guest DYCR set the Jonkanoo Lounge ablaze with his power and flow, immediately going to a close encounter with a lady ("she say if a money she did want she would hol' up a bank/she want the oil out of me tank"). He introduced himself poetically and did the popular Delroy and Misunderstanding, stomping on the stage as he gashed a fire on the "sucker".

Current closed off a good night, during which the audience members signalled their enthusiasm repeatedly, with the plea to "think before you pull the trigger". The piece relates his real-life experience with a gunman who, in the end, told Current "the way me feel shame/me no waan you see when me a run".