REFLECTION & REASON

Very seldom can we witness a moment in history and know that, without a doubt, it is going to be a memory that remains a significant part of our lives forever. There are incidents that we'll always recall for personal reasons, or times we hold dear as a part of our family legacy, but the cultural moments that simultaneously resonate with us all are rare to come by. But when they do hit...we feel no pain. It wasn't my intention to watch the inaugural performance of the Buju Banton " Long Walk to Freedom Tour " from the cold familiarity of Toronto, Canada. Since Buju was released from incarceration, in December of last year, I knew that every moment up until this particular performance was going to be one of great musical anticipation...and I wanted to be there for the climax. "Due to circumstances beyond my control..." I was unable to fly to Kingston to see Mark Myrie touch the stage after nine long years. Instead, I made sure to lock in every device and ...

Growing up in a Jamaican household our family always listened to reggae music, but my parents also had a taste that spanned from Bob Marley...to Neil Diamond at times. While reggae, calypso and sounds of the West Indies were honourably celebrated, so was the music of Blondie, Queen, Ashford & Simpson, and Whitney Houston to name a few. A musical family from Toronto straight back to Manchester, Jamaica, we all had an innate appreciation for all good music: period. I can remember the Caribbean compositions of ska, lover's rock, and roots reggae as a late 70's baby; it was a natural soundtrack to outings and special events. The rhythms were soothing, and the lyrics even at times humourour to our young ears. For example, when Lovindeer released his tribute of disdain to Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, my siblings and I laughed at the patois-laden lyrics, singing along to the instant hit about the storm that ravished our island, devastating many. Reggae music is special--albeit...