Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Left: Owen 'Blakka' Ellis in his comedy routine. Right: Alton Ellis puts the audience in the grove with various selections. - PHOTOS BY Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer

As the Fabulous Five Incorporated opened Saturday night's Limitless Laughter, moving easily between Half Pint's Greetings and their own Shaving Cream, bass player Frankie Campbell noted that it was "an unusual event, but a very good idea".

And when Alton Ellis closed the first event of the two-leg International Comedy Fest 2K8, dubbed Comedy Meets Rocksteady, before rocking the audience with I'm Still in Love, he observed that it was a "small audience with a big heart".

It was, Campbell's reference to an 'unusual event' on the roof of Portmore Pines Plaza probably being the blend of laughter from Owen 'Blakka' Ellis, whose discourse was 'seriously funny', rocksteady moves from Dance Xpressionz and music from Fab Five, which also supported Ellis and the steelpan and keyboard combination Steel and Ivory.

Night of Bolt meets Asafa

As Ellis said, the audience was small, very small. It was, however, the night of Bolt meets Asafa at the National Stadium and the tickets did cost $2,000. Also, in the early going there were no stage lights and the fine-tuning of the audio was being done even as the band played after a late start, making for an event that did not seem as organised as it should be.

However, quality is quality and there was no denying the quality on show at the excellent open-air venue under Rosie Murray's good hosting, from which the lights of the Sunshine City were visible stretching some way and a constant breeze gave a temporary lie to Portmore's furnace-like reputation.

So, in their first stint, Fab Five showed their pedigree with their own Good Buddy and Jamaican Woman, the lights in place by the time they had lyrically circled the beautiful island describing its beautiful women. The three women and one man of Dance Xpressionz mixed drama with dance, the stylish moves to Wear You to the Ball giving way to the high kicks of a sole woman on Iron, Lion, Zion.

And when Marley sang I'm On The Rock", the connection between generations and genres was made with a sharp mix to Mavado chanting the same words.

Steel and Ivory, with the addition of a drummer, started out with Death In the Arena, the steelpan leading and the keyboard playing bass. They followed with mento, before the steelpan player switched to bass and they went rocksteady to very good effect with Girl I've Got a Date. Rockfort Rock was given good treatment.

True to the rocksteady theme, Blakka Ellis made then and now comparisons, among them the fact that there were once clothes designed specifically for children, such as puff sleeves for girls, but "nowadays them simply make some small big people clothes".

He also gave insight into his comedic origins and strategy, turning the laughter at his clothing in primary school around so the laughter was with and not at him. Noel Ellis, from whom Blakka said was a source of a lot of material, showed just why as he sang his version of Apologise, the audience cheering as he crooned "too much fi poun' a rice".

GREAT FORM

Alton Ellis was in great form, despite some hoarseness because a sweet had gone swiftly down his throat just before he came on stage. The audience may have been small but, as he said, the heart was big and not many people were sitting as he delivered Girl I've Got a Date and invited "come do rocksteady". He explained the sweet situation after "start all over again" and did start over Breaking Up Is Hard To Do as the few cheered mightily.

I'm Still in Love and Willow Tree came before his first goodbye, but a return to stage was obviously in order, Alton Ellis closing a good up-close performance with the slow Muriel, the rocking-steady Let Him Try and merry clip of Dance Crasher.