My father loved Thanksgiving. One of my greatest memories was of being at his little house in Ceiba, Puerto Rico in the late 90s. Here over sixty of our extended family, including my grandparents, would gather for a day of feasting. It was always bubbling with children everywhere, lively colloquial conversations in Spanish with a few people translating to English to me as a token gesture and amazing food. Arroz Con Gandules (pigeon peas for those who have never been), turkey and jamon, and local native fish that someone caught that morning and of course, lots of Heinekens for the men. (They are such good marketers to Latinos but that is another blog for another day…)

Dad has passed and I am far, far away but make it a point to remember the holiday if only in Nestor’s memory and to pass on the family feasting tradition to my son. I was fortunate to have a fellow Puerto Rican – over for Thanksgiving 2010. This video is what he had to say about our meal to my overseas Rodriguez family.

How did you spend your Thanksgiving? Got any special traditions unique to your family?

Jamiroquai was just one of the many artists who took to the Montreux Jazz Festival stage in Juy 2003. Jay Kay was an artist I originally loved to hate. His music was just a little too commercial, the dancing, the hats – who could possibly take him seriously as a vocalist. On a flight to the UK from Sydney his Verona concert was immediately following a feature film and I must have dozed because I woke listening to the sound of his voice at 35,000 ft. It was pouring with rain and he started singing…

The crowd stood swaying in the rain. His vocal delivery was as intimate as a the raindrops that pelted down on the Italians watching him in the tiered seating. It was a magical performance. I had a change of heart. He wasn’t a pop misfit but a clever and talented performer who could hold a note and a crowd.The fact that he had auditioned once for the Brand New Heavies back in the day and later built a following that outlasted theirs gives him a permanent place in my heart. He is not only quirky, he is passionate and persistent.

That fact that he performed on the stage that I hold as sacred makes him even more special. Montreux Jazz Festival stages have included hall of fame greats  and the festival has indeed spread its wings and spanned continents as salsa, world beat (Youssou N’Dour) and urban legends (Missy Elliott) have headlined next to jazz greats like Keith Jarrett and Ella Fitzgerald. In this clip he sings one of his up-tempo songs that I like for the lyrics. This song says a lot about relationships that are forced and constrained. Love with a little “l” – who would ever want that?

What I also love about this video is that it was recorded on the Montreux Jazz Festival stage. The fundamental difference that Montreux Jazz Festival has over other musical happenings is the  quality of the sound stages. The Miles Davis Hall and the Stravinski Auditorium are intention-built to deliver the best possible live and recorded listener experience. Meyer sound engineers tweak the delicate balance of instruments and microphones to balance each band and artists true sound. It is sensational to watch and an incredible listening experience to be part of. Seeing Jay Kay perform would have been a spiritual experience. Since I missed it – YouTube videos get to tell the story.

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