The performers at this year's Tobago Jazz Experience certainly lived up to their star billing. After a Friday night where Jennifer Hudson and Miguel set the bar high, there was a lot of anticipation for the headliners, Kool and the Gang and Jill Scott.Jill Scott's fans took to the front of the stage at the Pigeon Point Heritage Park and sang word for word some of her big hits including The Way, A Long Walk, Gimme, Golden, He Loves Me and So Blessed. She also sang You Don't Know, a song from her upcoming album that's due out in June.
Scott gave the Tobago crowd a performance to remember as she sang with great depth and passion. When she sang Hate On Me, she said, "anything you do, they're going to be pissed off. Just do you!" She also engaged the audience with her cheeky sense of humour.Speaking to the media after, Scott said, "I hope I touched people, made them think, giggle, dance and kiss. I'll give it (the performance) an A-, but I'm biased of course."
The general consensus was that Scott's performance was excellent and even some of those who didn't know her music were moved by her.Kool and the Gang were the "get up and dance" act to close the night but there were mixed views about the veteran funk/soul band's performance.Kool and the Gang have been without iconic lead singer James "JT" Taylor since 2001 and in a way, it felt like a tribute band without him.
They did get the largely more mature crowd singing and dancing to songs that went back to the 70s like Jungle Boogie, Hollywood Swinging, Summer Madness, Joanna, Ladies' Night, Get Down on It, Cherish, Too Hot, Celebration and Let's Go Dancing.They gave it their all, but somehow Kool and the Gang didn't have the fire that was expected.
There were also some very good performances from some up and coming artistes like Cavelle, Kameelah Samara and Kaba.So is the Tobago Jazz Experience on its way to becoming a marquee event that can compete with any of the other music festivals in the Caribbean?
Chairman of the Jazz Experience organising committee, John Arnold definitely thinks so. Speaking to The T&T Guardian yesterday, Arnold said he thinks the Festival programming was right, and the performers all delivered. "There was a really good response to the artistes," he said. "I was impressed with all of them. On Sunday night, Jill Scott was excellent."
When asked about performers for next year's event, Arnold said they are keen to bring top acts but there had to be a balance between the money spent to bring top stars and the bottom line."People keep asking talking about Bruno Mars and Pharell but is it worth spending the money on one act that we can spend on four?"
Arnold also pointed to the challenges that come with having a top music star. "We can definitely fill the venue but can the venue support it? Also we need to consider whether Tobago has the carrying capacity, do we have enough rooms, can we cope with all the traffic on the roads?"In the future, Arnold hopes they can get top acts from Cuba and Africa on the bill. He thinks this can only give the event more cachet.
As the 2015 Tobago Jazz Experience committee looks ahead to 2016, they need to consider a few issues, particularly the transport set up for patrons after the shows. This can be solved but it needs a team of logistics experts to get involved. That, plus a comprehensive communications plan and cooperation from the general public should see things improve. Other than that it's safe to say that the 2015 Tobago Jazz Experience deserves a thumbs up.