A decade of JAVAA

Still little external support for vintage music association

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

Last night, the Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes and Affiliates (JAVAA) was scheduled to mark its 10th anniversary in the standard way of music organisations - with a concert. Billed for the Fabulous Five Incorporated Band's (which quadruples JAVAA in terms of age and whose bassist Frankie Campbell is JAVAA's chairman) Springvale Avenue, St Andrew, headquarters, the line-up included a number of the group's regulars, many of whom have sung and danced at its previous events.

In large part, JAVAA's progress can be marked by those previous shows. The launch concert was on Tuesday, July 15, at 11A Osbourne Road, Kencot, with Aloun N'dombet Assamba cutting the ribbon to officially open the office. There were endorsements from the Jamaica Federation of Musicians (JFM) through its president, Desmond Young; then Entertainment Advisory Board chair Fae Ellington; and then Mayor of Kingston, Desmond McKenzie.

Among the performers was Luciano, who The Gleaner reported said "I see this as the last train to Zion and I welcome all my brothers and sisters".

It was not the last home, though. JAVAA's song and dance soon moved to Haining Road, New Kingston, and on Friday, January 6, 2006, the organisation opened offices at the Oakton Park complex, 5-7 Hagley Park Road in Half-Way Tree. And now it is domiciled in Fab Five's headquarters, the location of the 10th anniversary concert.

This latest shift is an indication of JAVAA's fortunes, as Campbell said it was a cost-cutting move. It is also an indication of the scant external support JAVAA has received. "We have not received any funding from anyone for the last 10 years," he said. He also said the organisation has not had support from the wider music industry. "Musicians are not a united force. The music industry has never been united. That has not changed. You have factions," Campbell said.

NOT FAILED TOTALLY

Still, he says that JAVAA has been trying its best and has been successful to some degree. "It has not failed totally," Campbell said, although he can easily reel off the names of Jamaican music standouts, having vintage credentials, who did not join and have passed on. Among them are Alton Ellis, who did not join. He died on October 10, 2008. Gregory Isaacs, who died on October 25, 2010, did not come to any meetings, although he performed at a tribute to Dennis Brown with the Crown Prince of Reggae's son Daniel when JAVAA was on Haining Road. Sugar Minott attended "once or twice". He died on July 10, 2010.

The idea of forming JAVAA came at a funeral of DJ Scotty, and hosting Roy Shirley's funeral at Oakton Park on Sunday, September 14, 2008, was one of the organisation's projects. An insurance arrangement to cover burial costs is a major part of JAVAA's mandate and Campbell said "the insurance scheme is still on. With the cutback in expenses (by closing the Oakton Park office) we should be able to keep it up. For most JAVAA members, it is the only thing they have".

By its very nature, JAVAA has an interest in matters which are likely to be of more concern to older persons in the population. However, it has been as interested in the younger as well as older generation. The St Richard's Primary School band, Tres Dolce, has played at its monthly Oakton Park gatherings, and members of the organisation have done school visits. However, Campbell said, "we need more funding. The recession over the past few years has not helped. The recession started in 2008, so half of JAVAA's time has been in recession years".

Part of reaching out to generation next has been starting the Jamaica Music Hall of Fame. The first batch of inductees was announced at JAVAA's fifth anniversary celebration, held in the Gardens of the Jamaica Pegasus. That first batch included Dr Olive Lewin, Ernest Ranglin, Derrick Morgan, Lord Flea, Vere Johns, Count Ossie, Louise Bennett-Coverley, Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd, Arthur 'Duke' Reid, and Sister Mary Ignatius. Their images and brief bios were subsequently mounted in the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre, a central point for commuters.

Campbell points to another time factor. "The persons who were 10 years old when we started, who are now 20 years old and recording, need the music history now more than ever," Campbell said, pointing out that many of those persons have drifted away from Jamaica's indigenous music forms and are doing something more akin to hip hop (though started by Jamaican Kool Herc) or other forms of music.

MORE VITAL

"It is sad. There is a big market for reggae worldwide. Europe, Japan and so on, they still think of reggae as God-sent. Not just older people, but people in their 20s and 30s," Campbell said. And, he said, "What we are doing is more vital now than when we started. The music has been plunged into a deeper abyss than before".

JAVAA hosted a consistent dual tribute to Bob Marley and Dennis Brown, and tickled the musical fancy of audiences in the Gardens of The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston, playing jolly dress-up to impersonate Motown stars in tribute to the legendary American music label. Now, the hope of the 10th anniversary celebration is to utilise its own resources to keep going. For there is no thought of giving up. "We are hoping to raise some finds to continue the work," Campbell said.