Jimmy Cliff

Glasgow ABC, 23 June 2013

Jimmy Cliff is Jamaica. This man gave us the song that not only captured the joyous celebration of Jamaican independence but also presaged the influence of Rastafari on the island’s music over the next fifty years. From the beginning he was made king, and he reigns. The beautiful people of Glasgow filled the wonderful world of the ABC to salute the man who has remained a constant presence in the history of Jamaican music and is still going strong. From the moment he leaps on stage, resplendent in a gold suit decorated with hieroglyphics and sparkling red headband, high-kicking, pirouetting and bouncing around in time to ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want It’, it is clear that age has not withered him. At 65 he has lost none of the energy and exuberance that is evident in the legendary black and white footage. He demonstrates classic ska crazes, African moves, throws in a bit of dancehall with signal the plane, pays tribute to John Cleese’s silly walks and leads the crowd in an impromptu aerobics class. As Jimmy reflects on his childhood growing up in the country in Jamaica, eating fresh fruit from the trees, drinking fresh water from the spring; most of us twenty/thirty/forty/fifty-somethings can only look on in envy, unable to keep up with him; the only explanation is that he must have discovered the fountain of eternal youth there.

After beautiful sounds from singer songwriter Brina and Scottish lovers rock band the I-Foundation get everyone in the mood, the 8-piece band take the stage with a rousing version of the Bobby Babylon rhythm. It’s a rare pleasure these days to see a reggae band fill the stage, complete with a horn section  and African drums, in a big venue, playing to a full house – people, don’t miss all the other reggae gigs in Glasgow! OK, there are not many still around with the mass appeal of Jimmy Cliff, but as he takes us on a journey through the history of reggae, he reminds us that the music today is as relevant and powerful as ever. He does not just rely on the classics, but mixes them up with a few lesser known tunes from more recent albums, including last year’s acclaimed ‘Rebirth’ album. But of course he does not leave out any of the favourites, and has everyone jumping to ‘Miss Jamaica’, chanting to ‘Vietnam (Afghanistan’), brings the film ‘The Harder They Come’ back to life, and when he does ‘Many Rivers To Cross’, his voice is peerless and straight from heaven. He picks up a guitar for ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ gets down to some Rasta drumming on ‘Bongo Man’ and even goes walkabout in the crowd. Not many artists have the foresight to write a song especially for that awkward encore moment, but the refrain of ‘One More’ is taken up with gusto by an appreciative audience. As he leaves the stage after more than an hour and a half, we know are truly blessed to have been in the presence of the man who still wears the crown.