marley lover headed for jamaica
 

I am headed for Sandals in Jamaica this February and am very excited. I was interested in hearing tales about Jamaica vacations from fellow travelers. I will be traveling via Air Jamaica out of Toronto. Has anyone flown this airline? I've heard good things, like it is very authentic. Pilots and flight attendants alike in dreadlocks, and the food served is traditonal. (a friend of mine raved about a mean jerk chicken) Does anyone know where I could check out a Bob Marley show at a small venue? I'm really looking to get the true island experience and want to have my air braided and beaded. Any suggestions on where to go? Let me know about any &quot;jammin&quot; experiences you have had in Jamaica.<BR>thanks,<BR>Julie<BR>Windsor,ON

Hey Julia!!<BR><BR>Assuming you are going to Negril....<BR><BR>Check out a few of the Jamaican sites - Jamaicans.com, Negril.com messageboard etc. for the local hangouts.<BR><BR>We stayed at a place in Negril last month and ventured off to a few places for some reggae - it was great!! Warm nights on the beach listening to some reggae and having a few red stripes - awesome!!!!!!!! <BR><BR>I'm sure you'll find an answer to your specific question on some of the hard core Jamaican sites.<BR><BR>Can't help you with Air Jamaica we traveled US Air.<BR><BR>Jamaica is great - treat the people well and they will treat you well. You won't want to leave.<BR><BR>Have fun!!

Sleek-haired and quite striking air attendants -- rarely with dreads or rows -- help make AJ less of the usual 'cattle car' experience, even in coach. It's pleasant,the vibe is professional and calming, but it's not that Jamaicanized,it's still a plane. You can get your hair done anywhere,on any beach but to avoid that white beads/lobster-burnt scalp look on departure,use high SPF lotion, liberally. Marley's grave in 9 mile will be a disappointment and not worth the trek unless you're a real reggae pilgrim ;and the commercialized Marley venues, even the shop in the airport departure lounge won't satisfy. Catch the music vibe anywhere in Negril, tho it'll be crowded and on the cusp of spring break. Better yet, if you're a rabid Marley fan, have a guide put together a series of trips for you that would take you past the flash to what inspired Bob Marley;you'd be able to go places that you could'nt find/and go to safely solo. See the video 'DANCEHALL GAL' for a better look at the dj music scene which evolves/changes constantly.<BR>Capleton, Elephant Man, Beenie Man, Buju Banton, Sizzla, Lady Saw, Luciano are names to look for -- and these headliners often play towns outside the resorts.In MoBay, keep on the lookout<BR>for dj clash contests where some of the best music is heard.

Are you kidding ? Bob Marley has been dead since the late 80's ??? Afraid you won't be catching any Bob Marley shows... <BR><BR>Air Jamaica flight crew do not wear dreads.... <BR><BR>Is this post a joke ?<BR><BR>

This post is not a joke. I merely want to get in the island groove. I know that Marley is dead but I thought perhaps there might be a good tribute show around that I could take in.<BR>I heard that Air Jamaica crew do wear dreads. How can they claim to be authentic Jamaican if they don't sport the national hairstyle?<BR>I can't wait to get there and put my locks up in braids so that I can jam with the rest of the island. Please give me some tips on fitting in!

OK Miss Troll.<BR>You had me going there for awhile...<BR>:)

Julia,<BR><BR>Just in case you are serious...<BR><BR>You will not find Marley tribute bands. Reggae is a living musical form, and has evolved greatly since Bob Marley died. It may even be difficult to find live music in the style of Marley, as Dance Hall music is now the most popular form of reggae in Jamaica.<BR><BR>Dreadlocks are not the international hairstyle in Jamaica. Some wear them, some don't. Resorts typically don't allow their employees to wear them. Dreads are looked at like long hair in the states. In the states, long hair may mean you are a &quot;hippy&quot;. In JA, dreads may say that you are a rastafarian... Most JA women do not wear dreads at all.<BR><BR>Don't worry about fitting in. If you want to look like a tourist, go ahead and get your hair braided... Most of all, have fun...<BR><BR>Good Luck,<BR>Eric<BR><BR><BR>

Look for Morgan Heritage,and Burning Spear or Toots and the Maytals for the old reggae music style you seek/the Marley family members themselves have &quot;evolved&quot; way past reggae into commercial pop, and nobody has seized the Peter Tosh torch. DJ style music is straight outta Miami/NY/BTV video style.

About dreads:Ironically, dreads/plaits/and intricate <BR>'do's' are coming back amongst young women in Jamaica -- it's a stylee thing even to otherwise fervent urban Christian church-goers. Ditto younger guys at their girlfriends' insistence . But the influence here is African/NYC/LA and UK Blak -- not religion.So nattydread is no longer only a Rasta. Dreads are worn by Rastafarians as a part of their credo and real practicing serious Rastafarians are oft held suspect by most Jamaicans as the poster above alluded to. Pity that a lot of the so-called rent-a-dreads sought by/or preying on some women in Negril as well as samfymen or bandalus (smalltime con artists) contributed to that perception and fear.Pretending you're Bo Derek or Janet Jackson for a week and wearing dreads/plaits/beads--whatever,why not. It's your holiday--have fun. Even without the dread do, you'll still be a tourist. And there's absolutely no shame/harm in that at all...

I recomend bringing some reggae cds with you if you want to listen while hanging in your room or the beach. The local radio stations do not play much reggae at all!

Yes, not much traditional reggae on JA radio - mostly dance hall. This is what reggae has become. You can still buy lots of great reggae CD's there (stuff you can't get here). Traditional reggae is still popular, just not current... Kind of like in USA, where adults may not be crazy about current (radio) music - which is aimed at kids...<BR><BR>

T-House and Eric<BR><BR>Are the Skatalites still performing? How about Byron Lee (and the Dragonaires)? I thought they played at the last Carnival.<BR>We were in Port-of-Spain for Carnival in '93 and Byron and the lads were playing at the Hilton where we were staying. You notice I said staying and not sleeping.<BR>They were doing their soca stuff that night, but they did a number called &quot;Dancehall Soca&quot; which I liked so much I bought the CD it was on. Then bought 3 more Byron Lee CDs over the next couple of years. Very big fan of Byron and gang.<BR>Youngsters may not remember or realize that it was Byron and the Dragonaires playing in the club in Dr. No, the first James Bond film.<BR>Byron adapts to what's hot and does it very well.

I don't get it, why in the hell would you want to try and look like the locals to fit in?? You're not from Jamaica, so why try and act like you are??? I would look at you like you were crazy if I saw you walking around with your whole hair braided. <BR><BR>Stop worrying about fitting in and just go enjoy!!

You won't find on island.Soca and mento are big in Jamaica -- but people play OLD 45s. There are still some old legends playing, like COUNT RED out of the Savannah La Mar area for private parties. But at bashments, on IRIE-FM out of Kingston and WZID out of Sav, the sound is dancehall,rap, jazzy even.The classic reggae is still performed but largely outside Jamaica by groups touring concert venues and festivals. For best inside guide to music scene, subscribe to the US publication 'BEAT' which you can generally find on better news kiosks/stands,in US, Canada ,even on island. It profiles in-country,out,Caribbean, Brazilian and worldbeat. The ROUGH GUIDE and the PUTOMAYO series of compilation CDs also have older styles showcased.