Jimmy Berkley

The La Palm Royal Beach Hotel last Thursday witnessed one of the largest gathering for any jazz programme when the 2nd Ghana Jazz and Heritage Festival came off by the pool at the hotel. The B.E.T. evening of jazz featured renowned international stars such as Talida Long, Jimmy Beckley, Mike Phillips, and Bebe Winans.

The show, which was a follow-up to the first event held at Cape Coast last year, presented some beautiful jazz pieces from the artistes.

Talida Long, who opened the show, presented some foot tapping pieces to the admiration of the crowd, which included the Minister of Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City, Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey.

The next artist to thrill the fans was Jimmy Beckley who, together with his combo band, gave some excellent performance. Mike Phillips, arguably one of the finest jazz musicians around today gave a good account of himself when he just went "off the hook".

Before he began, he paid glowing tribute to all those who did not survive the slave trade and thanked God for the lives of those are alive now and follow it up with a beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace.

Mike thereafter went off the hook and gave out his best, charging into the crowd with some energetic skills. He played one of his lovely songs My Funny Valentine and beautiful fusion of jazz and hip-hop.

One of the world's acclaimed gospel artistes, Bebe Winans, with his family also set the fans on the edge with some brilliant delivery.

The crowd just loved him that they couldn't help but move their feet in an ecstatic mood. The festival had all the prospects of growing into a big show and it came as no surprise when Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey said the show would be nurtured into a big event that will shake the whole of Africa, adding that the 2007 show will be bigger to celebrate Ghana's 50th independence anniversary.