Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Barry G drops legs at Yardrose Promotions' "Booyaka", held at Mas Camp, Oxford Road, New Kingston on Saturday December 1. - winston sill

It was Kilamanjaro in the beginning and Kilamanjaro at the end of 'Booyaka!', a musical tribute to dead Jamaican performers, at Mas Camp, New Kingston, on Saturday night.

And, as they played a slew of Tenor Saw specials, it was fitting when Barry G, who hosted 'Booyaka!' along with Dionne Matthis, announced early Sunday morning that it would have been Tenor Saw's 40th birthday and introduced the dead singer's mother and sister to the small audience.

Historic special

In their second round, Kilamanjaro also played a song that was very fitting for the occasion, as they dropped Rankin Toyan inviting "spar wid me mek me show yu Barry G", the legendary disc jock telling all afterwards that it was a historic song in Jamaica, as it was a special that went to number one.

In the beginning, after Leroy Sibbles' Melody One had wrapped up their warm-up duties, Jaro started out with a set of Joseph 'Culture' Hill songs, but in the end, after two rounds each from Black Scorpio and Merritone, it was mainly dancehall that carried it home when, after a series of Saw and Garnet Silk specials, Barry G asked for "six of the wickedest. Done the place".

They duly did so with Dirtsman's 'Hot Dis Year' and 'Give Tanks To Oonu', as well as Baby Wayne's 'No Flirty Flirty', cooling the pace with Dennis Brown's remake of 'Little Green Apples' and then heating it up again with Brent Dowe's remake of 'By The Rivers of Babylon' on the 'Bam Bam' rhythm.

However, although Barry G noted that Jaro, known as a top class clash sound, had adjusted to the tribute occasion, their 'war' roots were not to be completely denied as one selector said about the other sound systems "no disrespect, but me a wonda whe dem a play. Me a wonda a whe de tune dem deh".

The other two sound systems at 'Booyaka!' were Black Scorpio and Merritone, Scorpio following Jaro in the running order and opening with Tosh's 'Creation' and 'Oh BÉ..t', the latter getting a very good response. "I don't want oonu lock me up, y'know, a de music," Jack Scorpio, who was up front with the microphone, said.

'Double D' run

After a 'double D' run of Delroy Wilson and Dennis Brown, and Scorpio showed his production pedigree by playing cuts that Brown recorded for him on the 'Friends For Life' album as well as Garnet Silk's 'Zion in a Vision', informing all "original song, original producer".

Merritone showed by far the best transition between songs and did by far the least talking, starting out with Cynthia Schloss' 'Love Forever'.

"Let the music do the talking," LaFayette said, as they moved easily between Marley, Dennis Brown, Delroy Wilson, Slim Smith and Phyllis Dillon, whose 'Perfidia' was especially well received. They closed with a ska run that had feet moving, the female dance duo Earth and Fire dropping legs to the beat.

In Scorpio's second round Jack declared "I am having fun, I don't know about you", dancing with Earth and Fire along with another Scorpio selector, as Garnet Silk's 'Lionheart' was one of the very few songs to stir the audience. Merritone hit a sweet, slow groove, Ruddy Thomas' 'Loving Pauper' and Tosh's 'Get Up, Stand Up' among the run, before Bongo Herman brought some live music to the night.

Then it was Jaro alone to the close, as they built on a superb second round, in which they had dropped Barry Brown's 'Far East' to a huge response, gone for one of their own in Early B and 'One Wheel' and ripped the house with Nicodemus' 'Boneman Connection' then Panhead's 'African Princess'.