Friday 14 July
Publication date : Wednesday, July 26th 2006 - 23 849 views Summerjam 2006
Having celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, the voracious German festival once again offered an eclectic and particularly generous line-up this year. Plenty of safe bets but also a few young revelations, both roots and dancehall, made up a programme designed to please everyone. Despite rising attendance, the layout of the site remains the same, with a small (red) stage, a main (green) stage and two tents for the sound systems, all dressed up with the inevitable stalls. As at every edition, this layout gives the word sacrifice its full meaning: there were dilemmas to face when choosing between artists performing almost simultaneously on two different stages.
Friday 14 July
Summerjam chose to devote this first afternoon on the small stage to veteran Jamaican groups and artists. Unfortunately, the Mighty Diamonds, announced on the bill, will not play and will not be replaced. The only Jamaican vocal trio to have always kept its original line-up, the Mighty Diamonds usually deliver impeccable performances built on a repertoire of gems of Jamaican music. This will be the disappointment of the day.
Ijahman
Our arrival on site coincides with Ijahman Levy's set. An artist of the great era when reggae was going international thanks to Island, he joined Chris Blackwell's label for a short-lived relationship that produced two classic albums, "Hail I hymn" and "Are we a warrior". Since then he has been making his music independently, via his label Tree Roots Records, and the velvet-voiced singer can look back on some thirty albums since 1978 and tours Europe very regularly. He performs Jah heavy load and Are we a warrior in particular, two songs that have been his musical signature for over 25 years.
The Gladiators
It is then the Gladiators' turn to take the stage. The band changed face a little over a year ago when its charismatic leader Albert Griffiths passed the torch to his son, Al. But on their recent tour the father had shown a desire to go back on stage once more, eclipsing his offspring for a while yet. We therefore expected to see him in Germany, but it is his son who explains straight away that his father is absent for health reasons. No matter, the voice is almost identical and the magic works all the same. Following the recipe that has brought them success on stages around the globe for more than 10 years, the group plays classic after classic, reproducing almost the whole of their anthological album released on Virgin in 1990. Jah works, Hello Carol, Dreadlocks the time is now, Stick a bush, Soul rebel, nothing is forgotten and the audience is easily won over.
While the Berlin group Culcha Candela takes possession of the main stage, drawing a massive and enthusiastic local crowd, we decide to stay by the small stage to follow the concert of a legendary roots reggae group: the Congos.
 The Congos
Another vocal trio, another style. The simple rural reggae of the Gladiators gives way to the complex, mystical harmonic constructions of the Congos. Made up of Roy Johnson, Cedric Myton and Watty Burnett, the Congos could be summed up in a single record: the masterpiece "Heart of the Congos", recorded in the mid-70s by a Lee Perry at the peak of his art. After their respective solo careers, Roy "Ashanti" Johnson and Cedric "Congo" Myton, the two protagonists of the group, announced their reformation via a new album, "Cock mouth kill cock". Needless to say, this concert was awaited as a small event.
 The group comes on to the African rhythms of Congoman and runs through a few classics such as Open up the gate and Children crying. Hearing such tunes live is undeniably pleasant, even if Cedric "Congo" seems to us a little vocally strained. He then announces that the group will play a few new songs, and it is during one of them, Singing bridge, that we rediscover his unique voice. The end of the concert transports us back to the group's golden age. The incredible falsetto of "Congo" Myton and the tenor voice of "Ashanti" Roy combine in magical harmonies of great beauty. Won over, we revel in the classics Ark of the convenant, Sodom & Gommorrow and Fisherman, which closes the concert: Cedric Myton had saved the best for last and delivers these final tunes to perfection.
After this roots appetiser, we head for the main stage, where the phenomenon Elephant Man is performing, at the same time as Tiken Jah Fakoly, the new voice of Ivorian reggae, whom we have crossed paths with several times on tour in France. Fans of African reggae have nevertheless turned out and crowd in front of the small stage, for a concert that will start about ten minutes before Elephant Man's.
 Elephant Man
After this fine roots reggae afternoon, it is time to head to the main stage for what is already shaping up as one of the events of this Summerjam 2006: Elephant Man's show. Despite nightfall and the light breeze blowing across the island, the atmosphere is torrid. The deejay has come a long way since his beginnings in the Scare Dem Crew under Bounty Killer's tutelage and has acquired real stage ease. It is an explosive show that is offered to us, run at full speed. The hits follow one another relentlessly and without respite, from the oldest ones that made the pachyderm's name (Shizzle my nizzle, Elephant Message) to some of his most recent (Badman forward, badman pull up, Gangsta rock). Elephant Man's stage and vocal presence is quite simply impressive and the audience is not fooled, jumping, dancing and singing without a break, to the point where a gigantic, permanent cloud of dust makes the air even harder to breathe. Very much at ease on the mic, Elephant is also a real "entertainer" and proves he has not stolen his nickname "Energy God", pacing the stage from end to end, climbing the scaffolding, making the audience dance and sing. He even invites two members of the audience, a boy and a girl, onto the stage to introduce them to the pleasures of Jamaican dances. But it is above all his cover of We are the world, more remarkably sung than ever, that sets off the crowd's acclaim, singing in unison with him.
Report written by Benoit Georges & Alexandre Tonus
Tags : Festivals 2006 (5)
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Saturday 15 July
Publication date : 07-26-2006 
Saturday 15 July
After a first day that gave pride of place to the big names of reggae, Saturday put the spotlight on the new roots generation, then dancehall in the evening.
 I Wayne
Billed by the host as one of the revelations of recent years, I Wayne is the one entrusted with opening the ball on the main stage this Saturday afternoon. But first the floor is given to the young talents of his crew: I Will, Harmony and Fire Star follow one another for three songs each without really firing up the audience, which seems to be suffering somewhat from the crushing heat. However, when I Wayne steps on stage, the crowd wakes up. From the outset, you can tell he has progressed enormously. Even if his stage act remains minimalist in the extreme, his voice has gained in breadth and confidence. All the tunes are remarkably sung, and on his biggest hits, singles from his first album (Lava ground, Can't satisfy her, Living in love), the audience participation is intense. All the same, we do not reach the jubilation seen the day before, but the high temperature and the pounding sun have a lot to do with it.
Morgan Heritage
 Morgan Heritage is above all a family story: the sons and daughters of the Jamaican singer Denroy Morgan were indeed raised on music from a very young age. Having grown up in the United States, they turned to Jamaica to record their first albums in the late 90s. Characterised by their brilliantly executed roots reggae sound and by fully embraced pop and R&B influences, the royal family of reggae comes on stage introduced by their younger brother from the group LMS.
The concert begins in the best possible way with Inna dem ting deh, a tune recorded on the Superior riddim, made in Germany (Pow Pow label). The group, playing without Una, backing vocalist and keyboardist, does not forget to remind the audience of its older songs such as Live up on the Satta Masagana instrumental or What we need is love. Morgan Heritage nevertheless concentrates on tunes from the latest album "Full circle", such as Uncomfortable, Hail Rastafari or Still the same. They also pay tribute to the German deejay Gentleman by performing Dem gone, welcomed as it should be by the Summerjam crowd. The group then launches into long versions of Down by the river and Reggae bring back love, ideal for solos and band introductions. The end of the concert does not run out of steam thanks to the hits wisely saved for the encore, whether the classics Don't haffi dread and Liberation or, more recent, Your best friend and the superb How come.
Barely recovered from Morgan Heritage's fine performance, we are faced with a painful choice: Junior Kelly and Luciano are playing at the same time on the two stages. Just long enough to take the temperature of the small stage, with Junior Kelly bursting in on the superb Tough life, and we set off again to follow Luciano's concert.
 Luciano
Regarded as the standard-bearer of modern roots reggae since the late 90s, Luciano is an artist greatly appreciated in Europe, where he is warmly welcomed almost every year. His vocal mastery, conscious lyrics and stage dynamism indeed guarantee very good moments every time this smiling artist treads the boards. Carried by an efficient band that includes one of the best Jamaican saxophonists, the famous Dean Fraser, Luciano was accompanied throughout his tour by Andrew Tosh, son of the illustrious Peter Tosh, singer and partner of Bob Marley in the Wailers.
After a few reggae classics revisited on saxophone by Dean Fraser, Andrew Tosh comes on stage. The vocal resemblance to Peter Tosh is staggering: in fact Andrew will perform only his father's tunes, but he is the only one who can do so like this. Luciano "the Messenger" does not keep us waiting and opens his performance with a bang, running through the classics Give Praise, One chapter a day, He's my friend and Ulterior motive without a break. Despite a few microphone problems, quickly fixed but which slightly affect the vocal sound, the energy is there and the audience is right on point. Luciano then moves on to more recent tunes such as For the leaders on the languorous Drop leaf riddim, Silver and gold on the Hard times riddim and Stay away, a tune well known to the German audience (this track is produced by the German label Germaica), which sets off a veritable sandstorm in the crowd. Luciano then calls Andrew Tosh back, and together they perform Peter Tosh's hit Legalize it, a song that suits both singers (Luciano himself has already recorded this cover). Luciano's performance ends in style, with a medley of older tunes that made his reputation such as Your world and mine, Hills and valleys and It's me again Jah.
Damian Marley
 The performance of the 2005 international artist of the year was eagerly awaited at Summerjam. Damian "Junior Gong" Marley in fact swept two Grammy Awards for his third album, "Welcome to Jamrock". We listen with pleasure to his own compositions such as the very dancehall Khaki suit or the more laid-back Book of life (from "Half Way Tree", his second album) and Road to Zion, recorded as a duet with the American rapper Nas. Damian Marley, although he remains one of the most original artists of the illustrious family, has not entirely broken free of the family inheritance: almost a third of his concert is thus devoted to covers of dad Bob's tunes, such as an extended and modernised Could you be loved or a more classic medley including, for example, Lively up yourself, Bad card, Zimbabwe, Rat race and Trenchtown rock. He naturally saves Welcome to Jamrock for the encore.
 Lord Kossity, Chico, Nicky B.
While the ghost of Bob Marley hovers over the main stage, a magnificent dancehall bill is about to invade the small stage. Lord Kossity is the first to perform. Alone with his DJ, he has no trouble winning the audience's sympathy, and when his guests join him, the atmosphere goes up yet another notch. The young singer Nicky B. is the first to join him and his crystal-clear voice has no trouble winning everyone over. When Chico takes the stage in turn, it is euphoria. The young singjay is very popular in Germany and this is not his first visit to the country. Lord Kossity can indeed be grateful to him, for it is not certain his performance would have been as successful without the help of his two Jamaican friends.
Cecile
 After Tanya Stephens last year, it is Cecile's turn to represent the female side of Jamaican dancehall. Revealed by the excellent Changes, a very provocative self-produced single that took on all the male Jamaican DJs, the young and sexy Cecile has since turned out a number of hit songs, including the highly controversial Give it to me, extolling the merits of cunnilingus in a country that rails against any oral sexual practice. Despite a very good show and a warm welcome from the audience, the whole thing seems to lack a bit of coherence, and one realises the importance of having an album to support on stage. Despite an incalculable number of singles, some of them very high in the charts, Cecile still has no album to her name.
General Degree
A dancehall veteran, active since the early 90s, General Degree has developed a unique style accompanying lyrics that are often funny and biting but always carefully crafted. Prolific in singles, less so in albums, this strong voice of dancehall has inspired many young artists and remains associated with hits regarded as so many classics of Jamaican dancehall. The General therefore takes over from Cecile and warms up with relatively recent tunes such as Di music and Yeah man, which he runs through quickly. The atmosphere in the crowd is rather calm, but after a few vocal adjustments and the first bars of Cartoon character, the crowd is electrified. Degree then continues with the tunes that made his name in Jamaica: the suggestive Pianist, Bodyguard, Boom boom, not forgetting Bag a ting, Traffic blocking and Inna.
 T.O.K
From the moment they walk on, the four pals put the audience in their pocket, each wearing a shirt of the Mannschaft, the German national football team, printed with his name. Adopting attitudes reminiscent of a boy band, T.O.K are nonetheless outstanding singers endowed with real acting talent. Their vocal prowess is not limited to strict dancehall and borrows from pop and gospel alike. The hits follow one another relentlessly and the jubilation that ensues is reminiscent of the mood of Elephant Man's show.
 Whether on dancehall tunes such as Hey ladies and Gal you a lead, or on more reggae sounds such as the excellent Tears and Footprints, T.O.K never tire of delighting their audience. The atmosphere reaches its peak on the evergreen Shining star, certainly one of the biggest successes by a Jamaican artist on a German production. One even wonders why the group was on the small stage when one sees the crowd drawn by this tightly choreographed concert. The second night ends in euphoria similar to that of the night before and further confirms the effectiveness of the big names of Jamaican dancehall.
Report written by Benoit Georges & Alexandre Tonus
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Sunday 16 July
Publication date : 07-26-2006
Sunday 16 July
The festival's final day, Sunday closes Summerjam on a more "mainstream" note, at the risk of slightly disappointing the purists, but it lets everyone ease off the pace gently.
 Pioneers
A veteran group from the 1960s, the Pioneers, together with their contemporary Desmond Dekker, were the architects of the shift from rocksteady to reggae. The great Desmond Dekker died in May 2006, on the eve of leaving for another European tour, so it is only fitting that the Pioneers pay tribute to him with 007 and Israelites, two of his international hits. The Pioneers also enjoyed success of their own, notably in England with the track Long shot kick de bucket, which they perform along with a good number of hits from that era.
Third world
 Since their 1977 hit 1865 (96° in the shade), Third World have carried their internationally minded reggae through the decades. Led by Stephen "Cat" Coore, the band came through the 1980s and 1990s collecting multiple Grammy nominations, even if that meant drifting away from the reggae standards that marked their beginnings. The group's excellent musicians nonetheless guarantee a top-quality sound and flawless reggae on tracks such as Reggae ambassadors, which sums them up perfectly, or Cold sweat. Unlike the sun beating down mercilessly in front of the main stage, we slip away all the same to watch the British-Indian Apache Indian, who is about to start at the other end of the site.
 Apache Indian
Another veteran takes over on the small stage in the person of Apache Indian. Originally from Birmingham, this Indian-born artist has skilfully blended the sounds of his country of origin with reggae music. The band that accompanies him even features tablas and other Indian percussion, lending the tracks that particular tint, reinforced by his distinctive vocal timbre and accent. We witness a very well-polished show, in the purest tradition of British reggae: lyrics either serious or humorous, such as Number 1 pon the Bombay charts, and Apache Indian delights his audience, part of which is made up of fans who have come all the way from Birmingham.
Toots & the Maytals
 Behind this collective name hides another great figure of reggae: Toots Hibbert, who founded the Maytals in 1961. The group, one of the pillars of Jamaican music, lived through the musical ferment of the 1960s just as the Pioneers did, and also witnessed the evolution of the rhythms, from ska to rocksteady and on to the dawn of reggae. History also records that it was Toots who first used the word "reggae". While Toots Hibbert has changed the group's line-up, with backing singers (including his daughter, a member of the Kingston Ladies) having long since replaced the male voices, the substance remains the same thanks to a repertoire of timeless songs that have travelled the world. Visibly delighted to be on stage, Toots looks in great shape and sings with disconcerting ease. The show suffers no dead time, thanks to a perfectly mastered interpretation of his classics: Pressure drop, Sweet and dandy, Do the reggae, Jungle, Funky Kingston, Reggae got soul and, of course, the hit 5446.
 Saian Supa Crew
The French outfit Saian Supa Crew are highly appreciated in Germany: you only have to see the crowd gathered in front of the small stage waiting for them to come on to judge. Real stage animals, the five pals are here with a brand-new album, from which they cleverly dole out a few tracks over the course of their show. Despite the language barrier, the audience is as responsive as can be and the blend of hip-hop and reggae influences hits home every time. It must be said that Germany is a big fan of hip-hop, and on hits such as Angela, you are surprised to find a good part of the crowd singing the chorus in Creole. Having started the show as only four, but at full tilt, because of Vicelow's delay, the group takes a break, leaving Sly The Mic Buddah alone on stage for a gorgeous "beat box" session, before returning at full strength and closing the show with a medley of older tracks. The energy generated by Saian Supa Crew is quite simply impressive, and the increasingly fired-up crowd gives it right back.
Jimmy Cliff
 Revealed to the world by Perry Henzell's 1972 film "The harder they come", Jimmy Cliff rapidly went from local artist (he recorded notably for Leslie Kong) to international star. From then on the singer embarked on a musical journey that sometimes took him away from the Jamaican public, but he has always remained true to his roots. So, despite forays into pop and prestigious collaborations, he does not hesitate, unlike many artists of his age, to bring contemporary Jamaican music into his show. He is accompanied by a female singer who gets the crowd going with very dancehall interludes punctuated by the latest dance moves. The musical tone is thus a cheerful and rather entertaining Afro-reggae-pop mix, punctuated by unmissable hits such as Hakuna Matata, Ouh la la la or that cover of Cat Stevens' Wild world. On the reggae side, the classics You can get it if you really want and The harder they come are of course performed, along with the sublime Many rivers to cross, which has not aged a day.
The traditional fireworks display brings this 2006 vintage to a close. We have to face facts: once again this year the festival was a complete success. The highly eclectic line-up, the ever well-oiled organisation, the large crowd and the good spirit that prevailed throughout the three days all confirm that Summerjam is the unmissable summer event for reggae fans and others alike.
Report written by Benoit Georges & Alexandre Tonus
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