JAZZ & BLUES 2021

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MEMORIES MFormer Air Jamaica Staff, share their memories of the early days of the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival – Richard Lue, then general manger of Jamaica’s operations; Gregg Truman, then director of marketing for Air Jamaica and Marcia McDonnough. 40
Richard Lue Richard Lue is often referred to as “the Godfather of Jazz & Blues”. He was, in those early days, the general manager for Jamaica and based in Kingston. He recalls being summoned by Allen Chastanet, vice president of Air Jamaica to a meeting with Mr Butch Stewart to discuss the establishment of an event. The meeting included Walter Elmore who represented the Gloucester Avenue Restaurant Association and who became central to the growth and success of the event. The rationale for the event was as to bring visitors to the island and to fill the empty Air Jamaica seats during a slow period so the time chosen was October. Once the decision was concretized, in typical Butch Stewart fashion, he decreed that it should be done in 10 weeks and it was. The idea was to establish a festival in Jamaica, along the lines of the St Lucia Jazz Festival. It was to be a community event with smaller concerts at different venues and climaxing with the big event. In the early years the big shows started early in the afternoon and ended fairly early in the night to allow people to move on to the smaller events and to dine at the restaurants in the town. Eventually, we had accept that Jamaicans preferred to go out in the night and stay to the wee hours so the community aspect fell off. The stalwarts of that first festival were Richard himself, Gregg Truman, Walter Elmore, Allen Chastanet, Joy Schaffe, and some 300 volunteers from the staff of Air Jamaica. Richard declares, “Let me put this on the record – for at least the three or four first years the festival was staffed by volunteers from Air Jamaica. They worked on every aspect of the festival and worked hard”. EARLY SUPPORT 1998 NEWSPAPER AD There were many challenges and when your back is to the wall and things seem impossible who do you call? Mom, of course! Luckily, Richards mom, affectionately known as Ma Lue, was the chairman of the Reggae Sumfest board and Walter a member. He called his mom and said, “Mom, We need to borrow some stuff!”. What the unsuspecting Mrs Lue did not realise was that the Jazz festival team intended to move trailer loads of Reggae Sumfest stuff – equipment, staging, fencing – just about everything. Richard reflects “few people are aware of the support that the festival got from Reggae Sumfest. We, literally, couldn’t have pulled off the festival in those early years without them”. 41
Page 2: The rhythm of JAMAICA is unmatched,
Page 5 and 6: Credits PUBLISHER Pelican Publisher
Page 7 and 8: Contents Inside 8 Messages 12 Tribu
Page 9 and 10: Message from the MINISTER OF CULTUR
Page 12 and 13: Tribute to BUTCH STEWART JAMAICA JA
Page 14: Having established Toots and the Ma
Page 17 and 18: WATCH VIDEO FOR JOY'S COCKTAL RECIP
Page 19 and 20: After a hiatus of 5 years, we are b
Page 22 and 23: ECLECTIC SOUNDS for the 2021 JAZZ A
Page 24 and 25: Moon continues, “I write lyrics,
Page 26 and 27: CAJE (pronounced “Cage”) is com
Page 28 and 29: A special treat at Jamaica Jazz and
Page 30 and 31: YOU CAN HELP US Bring Magic the BAC
Page 32 and 33: 8 The Band Rayven Amani Ken Ellis S
Page 34 and 35: Bunny Rose Earth and the Fullness E
Page 36 and 37: CAJE Teddyson John Project Freetown
Page 38 and 39: Sponsors PEPSI_S1_2PMS_NB_SM (FOR U
Page 42 and 43: Major support also came from Jamaic
Page 44 and 45: Gregg Truman The first year on the
Page 46 and 47: CIRCLE JAMAICA with Richie Stephens
Page 48 and 49: STAY WITH US Have fun with them as
Page 50 and 51: SECRETS Set on a picturesque penins
Page 52: CLICK TO PLAY THROWBACK VIDEOS OF I

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