Estelle has fun with one of her fans on stage at the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival. - photo by Sheena Gayle

Western Bureau: British songbird Estelle stole the show at Thursday night's opening of the 2009 JAMAICA Jazz and Blues Festival which was held at The Aqueduct at Rose Hall, Montego Bay.

Estelle has been creating waves in the United States in recent times with her classic blend of reggae, hip hop and soul.

However, had Estelle not been so powerful, the night's honours could easily have gone to the Grammy Award-winning Cuban show band Los Van Van, the soulful but energetic R&B rising star Robin Thicke, or the evergreen soul icons, multi-talented Ashford and Simpson.

Estelle, clad in a seductive black sequin dress, was all energy and charisma as her lyrics, free-flowing dance moves and witty exchanges with the crowd were compelling. As songs, such as Just a Touch, Substitute Lover, Pretty Please, Shine and American Boy, were rendered, there was no question that she was having a profound impact on the fans.

Her performance took on a stunning dancehall flavour when she invited a male patron to join her on stage. Together, they had the audience thoroughly engaged, screams erupting as they unleashed several dance styles, including a riveting demonstration of dancehall rub-a-dub, 1980s style.

the penultimate act

R&B icons Ashford and Simpson, who were the penultimate act, took patrons on a fun-filled journey down memory lane, digging deep into their 40-year old plus catalogue, coming up with a generous sampling of the whopping 22 gold and platinum records, which has earned them a coveted place along the legendary R&B greats.

Emerging from opposite sides of the stage a few minutes after midnight, the evergreen duo immediately induced appreciative 'whoas' and 'ahhs' as the colourful stage lights hit Ashford's all black outfit and Simpson's elegant blue polka dot dress.

However, the attention quickly switched from dazzling wardrobe to soulful vocals as songs such as, I Wanna Know, I Am Every Woman and Let's Go Get Stoned, set the tone for what turned out to be a masterful set, rich in R&B classics.

In between Simpson advertising her keyboard prowess and her flashy dancing skills and Ashford shedding some of the clothing from his perspiration drenched body, the duo had the audience in sync, joining in like a well rehearsed choir as song like, Ain't No Mountain High Enough and Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing, flow melodiously from all corners of scenic Aqueduct.

another level

Ashford and Simpson took their performance to another level when in a most fitting way, they rephrased the song, Solid as a Rock, as a tribute to new United States President Barack Obama, substituting the word 'rock' with 'Barack', and then had the audience gleefully joining them in singing, "Solid as Barack."

If the reaction of the female fans was anything to go by, rising R&B sensation Robin Thicke was tailor-made for their satisfaction. As the velvet-smooth singer blend crisp vocals with subtle gyration, the screams were all but deafening as the ladies indicated in no uncertain manner that they were having a great time.

versatile stints

Amidst stints on the keyboard, which he also handled masterfully, versatile Thicke also managed to put some soul into reggae, belting out a lovely rendition of Bob Marley's, No Woman No Cry. It was clear that he had made his mark in fine style as he ended his set classily, delivering Magic, I Need Love and Don't Stop with refreshing ease.

In terms of authentic jazz, the Grammy award winning Los Van Van, albeit performing their songs in Spanish, created a big band effect as they masterfully combined wind, brass and string instruments majestically to create a stunning impact in the audience.

At the peak of their performance, it was like a salsa party in full swing at the venue as not even the Spanish rendered lyric, which limited the sing-along, seemed capable of getting into the way of the good time that was flowing from the stage into the crowd.

After listening to Gramps, of Morgan Heritage fame, doing justice to reggae in his segment, the much-anticipated excitement expected from Matisyahu was slow in bearing fruits. In fact, while aspects of his performance evoked memories of Bob Marley, especially when he closed his eyes and danced around the stage, it was quite apparent that the New Yorker still had some way to go if he wants to connect in Jamaica.

keyboard skills

Gramps, who was delivering his first solo performance in Jamaica, blended keyboard skills with his robust vocals and left no doubt that he has the capacity to make it big without his siblings, the Morgan Heritage clad.

While he did call on his brother Peter to join him on the song, Still Loving You, which he obliged by singing a mere one line, Gramps was potent on his own, masterfully delivering, Down By the River, Make Me a Better Man and a complete rendition of, Still Loving You.

Following Matisyahu's performance, there were talks that reggae messenger Luciano was back stage at getting ready to close the show. However, as the drizzle intensified and patrons began scurrying away from the venue, the light on the staged gently dimmed, signalling an end to the show.

journey down memory lane, digging deep into their 40-year-old-plus catalogue, coming up with a generous sampling of their 22 gold and platinum records, which have earned them a coveted place among the legendary R&B greats.

Emerging from opposite sides of the stage a few minutes after midnight, the evergreen duo immediately elicited appreciative "Ahhs!", as the colourful stage lights hit Ashford's all-black outfit and Simpson's elegant blue, polka-dot dress.

dazzling wardrobe

However, the attention quickly switched from dazzling wardrobe. Soulful songs, such as I Wanna Know, I Am Every Woman and Let's Go Get Stoned, set the tone for what turned out to be a masterful set rich in R&B classics.

With Simpson, advertising her keyboard prowess and her flashy dancing skills, and Ashford shedding some of his perspiration-drenched clothing, the duo had the audience joining in like a well-rehearsed choir to songs like Ain't No Mountain High Enough and Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing.

Ashford and Simpson took their performance up notches when, in a most fitting way, they rephrased Solid as a Rock, as a tribute to new United States President Barack Obama. Substituting the word 'rock' with 'Barack', they had the audience lustfully joining in, singing "Solid as Barack."

If the reaction of the female fans was anything to go by, rising R&B sensation, Robin Thicke was tailor-made for their satisfaction. As the velvety-smooth singer blended crisp vocals with subtle gyrations, the screams were all but deafening as the ladies indicated in no uncertain manner that they were having a great time.

Amid stints on the keyboard, which he also handled masterfully, the versatile Thicke also managed to put some soul into reggae, belting out a lovely rendition of Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry. It was clear that he had made his mark in fine style as he ended his set classily, delivering Magic, I Need Love and Don't Stop with refreshing ease.

stunning impact

In terms of jazz, the Grammy Award-winning Los Van Van, albeit performing their songs in Spanish, created a big-band effect as they masterfully combined wind, brass and string instruments to create a stunning impact on the audience.

At the peak of their performance, it was like a salsa party in full swing, as not even the Spanish lyrics, which limited the sing-along, seemed capable of getting in the way of the good time that was flowing from the stage into the crowd.

After listening to Gramps of Morgan Heritage fame doing justice to reggae in his segment, the much-anticipated excitement from Matisyahu was slow in bearing fruit. In fact, while aspects of his performance evoked memories of Bob Marley, especially when he closed his eyes and danced around the stage, it was quite apparent that the New Yorker still has some way to go if he wants to connect in Jamaica.

keyboard skills

Gramps, who was delivering his first solo performance in Jamaica, blended keyboard skills with his robust vocals and left no doubt that he has the capacity to make it big without his siblings, the Morgan Heritage clan.

While he did call on his brother Peter to join him in the song Still Loving You, which he obliged by singing a mere one line, Gramps was potent on his own, masterfully delivering Down By the River, Make Me a Better Man and Still Loving You.

Following Matisyahu's performance, there was talk that reggae messenger Luciano was back stage and getting ready to close the show. However, as the drizzle intensified and patrons began scurrying away from the venue, the lights on the stage gently dimmed, signalling an end to the show.