If you don\u2019t mind spending a day under the sun, grooving to the sounds of reggae, dancehall, ska, rocksteady and bass-heavy dub music while sampling a tasty plate of curry goat, oxtail, rice and peas and anything jerk, followed, of course, by a hot patty, then Montreal\u2019s Jamaica Day is where you want to be.<\/p>\n
Taking place on Saturday, July 25 from noon to 8 p.m. at Martin Luther King Park on Kent Ave. in C\u00f4te-des-Neiges, Jamaica Day \u2014 organized primarily by the Jamaica Association of Montreal (JAM) \u2014 is an annual, mid-summer outdoor festival that celebrates the Caribbean island\u2019s culture, heritage, and traditions with live music, DJs, authentic food, family-friendly games, and a slew of local vendors.<\/p>\n
Did I mention the authentic food?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a way to celebrate Jamaica,\u201d says JAM president Sharon Nelson. \u201cIt\u2019s become a staple in Montreal, and people look forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
As if it were even possible to have more Jamaica at a Jamaica Day event, Nelson says the goal was to do just that. To really bring in more of a Jamaican vibe and switch things up a little. There will be a Miss Jamaica Day; more showcasing of the community\u2019s youth; more local artists that truly represent Jamaica through song and music, and even a chance to try the maypole dance. For the uninitiated, the maypole dance is a traditional spring and summer festival dance that takes place around a tall wooden pole decorated with long coloured ribbons. It\u2019s like … er… Oh, look it up. There will also be on-stage performers giving a master class in the movements of Jamaica. Dance movements, that is.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s a way to celebrate Jamaica. It\u2019s become a staple within Montreal, and people look forward to it,\u201d says Sharon Nelson, president of the Jamaica Association of Montreal.<\/p>\n
Photo: Courtesy Sharon Nelson<\/p>\n
\u201cJamaica Day often focused a lot on the music, but the music also inspires the dance. There are a lot of different dances and many people who are not Jamaican who may not necessarily know these dances,\u201d adds Nelson, who in her other life is also a longtime assistant director of Concordia University\u2019s John Molson School of Business Executive MBA program, and a recently-minted English Montreal School Board commissioner for Ward 5.<\/p>\n
The poster boy and headline performer for this year\u2019s event is 77-year-old Leroy Sibbles, best known as the lead singer of The Heptones during the 1960s and \u201870s; a bassist, arranger, producer; and simply one of the biggest names in reggae history \u2014 with a strong Canadian connection. After relocating to Toronto in 1973, the Jamaican musician spent the next two decades shaping this country\u2019s early reggae scene, even winning the 1987 Juno Award for Reggae Recording of the Year. \u201cHe\u2019s one of the pioneers of what reggae music sounds and feels like today, including those iconic bass lines that we know and love,\u201d Nelson explains. \u201cHe\u2019s someone who\u2019s been around for close to 50 years and who\u2019s still impacting music in a big way.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition, on Friday July 24 \u2014 the day before Jamaica Day \u2014 a \u201cMeet the Artist\u201d evening with Sibbles front-and-centre will take place at the JAM building at 4065 Jean-Talon St. W. \u201cIt\u2019s really about knowing and getting close to the artist,\u201d says Nelson. \u201cWe see these artists, we hear them, we love their music, we sing with them, but they come from somewhere. They have a beginning. So, this is an opportunity to hear where they came from, what inspired them, what made them become musicians, and what keeps them going. It\u2019s really an opportunity to get close and break bread with them, because there will be food served. An opportunity to take pictures and get an autograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for Jamaica Day itself, when asked what will happen if the sun stays home and the rain comes out on Saturday, Nelson was quick with an answer. \u201cThe show goes on. It\u2019s called \u2018liquid sunshine.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
For Friday\u2019s three-course-meal Meet the Artist event, doors open at 6:30 p.m. For information call 514-737-8229 ext. 110, or visit https:\/\/www.zeffy.com\/en-CA\/ticketing\/meet-the-artist-leroy-sibbles-a-pre-jamaica-day-event<\/a><\/p>\n