Jamaica, the destination of reggae

Looking for a 4 day short vacation getaway, I chose Jamaica without much deliberation. Since I grew up in New York City and had so many Jamaican friends, you could say I pretty much knew the place. Jamaica had been on my to-do list, but it took me several years to get to that point. Working with a travel agent, I quickly settled on a resort in Ocho Rios, one of Jamaica’s top tourist destinations.

I flew Air Jamaica and I must say the smooth flight and their hassle free policies lived up to every bit of their advertising. In Jamaica, the favorite expression in the hotel industry is “No Problem Man” and Air Jamaica certainly displayed that general attitude as well. I hadn’t anticipated that the drive from the airport to the resort would be so long and sometimes bumpy, but I was in a minibus with six other tourists and everyone was in such high spirits that we just went with the flow. On the way to the resort we stopped to rest at a place that included a Jerk Chicken shack. I had tried Jerk Chicken before but wanted to try it at the place that invented it. I soon placed my order and as I enjoyed my lunch I reasoned that if this humble rest stop could produce world-class specialties, a resort should command an even higher rate.

Upon arrival at the complex I was greeted at the front door by management staff who included 3 musicians as part of the welcome entourage. I wasted no time relieving one of the guitarists from his “axe” and launching into my version of Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry. Everyone really liked this and joined me on vocals and bass. On some of the choruses, one of the musicians even performed an extremely polished Dancehall-style rap. I asked him if he had thought about a music career and he mentioned that the music industry in Jamaica was so competitive that he hadn’t really considered it seriously.

There were 5 restaurants, each with a different cuisine, and the food was absolutely outstanding. One night, while sitting in one of the many outdoor spaces, I heard the house band do a cover of the great Gregory Isaacs’ reggae song, Night Nurse, and was so impressed that I ran into the frontman of the band between performances to congratulate him on the band’s performance. He explained that they had been the house band for about 3 years and worked there 5 nights a week. The only words to describe the music are “authentic” and “organic”. Jamaica had given the world reggae and it was no accident that the music and the musicians who played it sounded so good here: it was the sound transmitted in its natural habitat. I reflected that this is also true for American musical forms: other nationalities might play it, but to really understand it, it helps to go to America and hear the music in the proper cultural context.

From that night on, seeing me in the crowd, the band would always dedicate Night Nurse to me and I couldn’t help but marvel at the profound statement their music made. The rest of the trip was filled with enough piña coladas to last a lifetime, as well as visits to popular landmarks, but nothing could rival the sound of the night nurse on a crisp Jamaican night.