At the start of the month, GMR?International Tours, producers of the Barbados Jazz Festival, issued a press release formally announcing that the 2011 installment was off.
The development came as a surprise to many, especially local jazz enthusiasts who have become accustomed to the festival over the past 17 years.
Today, producer Gilbert Rowe, in a candid interview with the Nation’s Editor-in-Chief Kaymar Jordan, seeks to explain what went wrong with the Festival.
Question: On December 4 you announced that it was with a “heavy heart” that you as producer had been forced to announce the cancellation of the Barbados Jazz Festival 2011. Why with a heavy heart?
Answer: Because I enjoy doing what I do. I love to present to my audience a quality product.
I love to see their reaction and I love to see them enjoy themselves; the smiles on their faces. I love to see the interaction between the students and some of the artistes we bring in for the workshops. I enjoy creating something. It is like a painter that has a canvas, and every year you try to create or to paint a different picture. And that is what I mean by “a heavy heart”.
I recognise that people have grown accustomed to the festival. I recognise that people around the region and the world plan their vacations around the festival, and it is not easy to make a decision that you are not going to produce a festival this year. Companies arrange meetings in Barbados around the festival. So you can imagine. It was not an easy decision.
Q: Specifically what were the challenges this year? Was it the recession?
A: It is the economic recession, as well as the difficulty faced in reaching an agreement between the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) and ourselves. We have managed to hold on to all our other sponsors, but primarily it was the recession, which we were trying to overcome. We were really forced to face the difficult reality after the decision taken by the BTA.
Q: So you are saying that the BTA was unwilling to support the festival this year?
A: Unfortunately our negotiations with the BTA this year did not lead to a sponsorship arrangement that would allow us to properly stage the 2011 festival as planned. It was also unfortunate that the BTA decision was not communicated before November.
Q: Are you therefore saying that the BTA is to blame for the absence of a Jazz Festival this year?
A: What I can say is that all efforts were made by us as producers to avoid the situation in which we find ourselves today.
Q: But were the fans still coming this year and were necessary forward bookings and enquiries made?
A: Oh yes, we are still receiving queries from overseas . . . and we have had to inform them that we have deferred production of this year’s festival. That is why we continued to negotiate sponsorship of the 2011 festival.
We were happy with how the bookings were coming and the interest shown. We were particularly happy with the North American response.
What a lot of people don’t understand is that there is a cadre of individuals that look forward every year to coming to our festival and enjoying what Barbados has to offer – especially the venue that has become the most popular venue of all, which is Farley Hill.
Now let me give you an example of what I am talking about: there was this couple that met at Farley Hill and they were getting married (I suppose they will still be getting married in Barbados next year as planned), and there were 50 additional individuals coming down to be part of this wedding celebration and attend the festival. So we were very happy with what seemed the level of forward bookings for the 2011 festival.
Let me take this opportunity to address a couple of comments that came from the representatives of the BHTA [Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association].
The first one deals with the suggestion that we should launch the festival earlier. We have always been of the opinion that in order to successfully market the festival, one requires a minimum of six months.
It may be surprising to many individuals that the primary reason why recently we have not been able to achieve that goal is because we have not been able to conclude our contractual arrangements with the BTA. All the other sponsors were never the keep back, it was always the difficulty that we encountered with the Barbados Tourism Authority.
With regards to the statement that ‘only a few visitors attend this festival’, well, I really am not sure of which festival they speak. Surely not the Barbados Jazz Festival.
That fact can easily be attested to by attendees to the festival. If that deduction was arrived at because the expected visitors were not easily identifiable, they have surely not taken into consideration the socio-cultural history of the jazz/R&B artform that is presented at many of the regional festivals.
Q: Specifically, some say it’s your attitude Gilbert, and that they don’t like working with you; that you are very difficult. Are you sure that you are not the problem here?
A: Let me answer that question honestly, as I have tried to answer all the previous questions that you have given me. I do not understand what you say by “people who have worked with me”, because very few people have worked with me. I am not in the habit of changing my production team.
If by “difficult” you mean that I always seek perfection, then I am guilty of that.
If by “difficult” you mean that I clearly understand my responsibility for delivering a world-class product, then I am guilty of that.
If by “difficult” you mean not settling for mediocrity, again I am guilty of that.
If by “difficult” you mean that I protect the interests of my sponsors and their rights as sponsors, and of my patrons and their expectations as patrons, then I am guilty of that.
If by “difficult” you mean that when an artiste gets on stage and uses profanity and by so doing insults the audience, my sponsors and Barbados as a whole, and I call a Press conference and make them apologise to the people of Barbados, then I am guilty of that.
If by “difficult” you mean that I insist as much as possible that all of my shows start on time and that my production team understands its responsibilities with regards to ensuring that that happens, then I am guilty of that.
If by “difficult” you mean that I read what people say, I hear the whispers and the side bars and I don’t answer, it is simply because people have a right to express their opinion regardless of what it is, whether based upon facts or not. It is their right. Then if this is what is difficult, I am guilty.
So yes, I suppose I am difficult to work with, but you know one of the nicest things that has ever been said to me (by someone that works for me still after ten years) is that they were extremely upset with me with regards to my demanding nature, but they came to grips with the fact that it was required for a successful production – and it has come in handy when they themselves were involved in this field that we call production and delivering of service.
Many years ago, I had the pleasure of presenting Ray Charles to Barbados, and Joe Adams (Ray Charles’ long-serving manager) sat me down as a young man and said to me that he was extremely upset with me because he had a reputation of finding something wrong wherever he went, but I had deprived him of that privilege in Barbados.
The thing he said apart from that, that stood with me was: ‘Gilbert, always remember that the buck stops with you, and if something goes wrong we would not ask for anyone else except you, and we would not be interested in the fact that you delegated responsibility to someone else. We would hold you responsible for what goes right, and for what goes wrong.’
And that was an invaluable few minutes’ conversation that I had with him
Q: So what exactly was the problem this year? We know that traditionally, the festival has been guaranteed substantial support from the Government. Latest figures suggest over $1/2 million in BTA support. Was that forthcoming this year?
A: I would not discuss or put in the public domain matters with regards levels of sponsorship by any sponsor. It must never be said that we have done that. Nonetheless, we authorise the BTA to make those figures available to you; as a matter of fact, to make all the years’ figures available to you.
With regards to the second part of your question, and this now gets to the meat of the problem, we received no financial support from the BTA for the 2011 festival.
Q: In your Press statement, you also took issue with comments made by chief executive officer of the Barbados Tourism Authority, Mr David Rice. You seem to be annoyed with him because you felt he had given the impression that you had called off the festival “recklessly and without intensive and extensive consultation and negotiations with relevant stakeholders”. You said this is far from the truth. So what’s the truth?
A: The truth is that we approached the BTA, as is customary, from as early as February 2010. We never received an answer from the BTA until August 2010.
The answer that was given was in the form of a contract that applied conditions that we explained to the BTA would have made it difficult if not impossible for us to stage the festival in its present design. This was communicated to the BTA via Mr Rice in writing in early September.
In said document we implored the BTA to take a second look at the conditions outlined in the document sent to us, and that said conditions would have resulted in our inability to produce the 2011 festival.
The BTA’s response to our letter was in the form of a document sent to us in November that stated in part, the board had unanimously agreed the only support that would have been extended to the producers . . . is the international marketing of the festival, and that we should make the names of the artistes available to them as soon as we were in a position to so do. All of these documents I authorise the BTA to make available to you. So, I was the most surprised individual when Mr Rice said what he said to the Press.
For the 17 years of the festival, since the inception, all of the contracts between the BTA and ourselves contained three elements: 1) the funding of the festival, cash-wise; 2) the responsibility of the BTA with regards to the international marketing of the festival, as is their responsibility with every single event of international appeal that happens in Barbados; and 3) the making available of specific rights by GMR International Tours to the BTA to facilitate the said marketing of the festival.
It was structured in this manner because of a recognition by every previous board that a cash injection would have been required by the BTA to make such a festival possible. Hence, my shock at the remarks made by Mr Rice.
Q: But in support of Rice’s stance, do you think adequate notice was given and that you handled it well in terms of the decision to call off the show?
A: I think that the previous answers speak to this question.
Q: What about the venues? People who booked vacations to come here? Stall owners have been affected? What do you have to say to them?
A: As we have done in previous years, we did everything possible to make the 2011 festival possible. We explained to the BTA the ramifications and the impact that it would have on many Barbadians and many visitors. This was made very clear to Mr Rice in documents exchanged between us, and in several of the meetings that we had. That is why in our Press release we mentioned that it is with a ‘heavy heart’ that we made that decision, because we clearly understood the ripple effect the decision we were forced to take would have.
It is not about visitors alone and how they come, it is also about the red caps at the airport; it is about the taxi drivers; it is about the vendors at the venue; it is about the revenue derived from the venue rental; it is about the hairdressers; it is about the stores in Bridgetown selling clothing and outfits; it is about the different technical crews; it is about the security staff and the revenue derived by the Barbados police; it is about the sales of drinks and food at the venues; and the list goes on.
But most of all it was also about the Barbadian patrons who had grown with the festival and now looked forwad to the festival experience. All of this is why we said that it is with a ‘heavy heart’. Too often decisions are taken without taking into consideration the full impact of decisions.
Q: But isn’t structure a part of the problem here? In St Lucia’s case for instance, the government runs the festival. Wouldn’t Barbados Jazz do better in BTA hands?
A: I am so happy that after many years someone has finally asked me that question directly. We have placed that on the table, on more than one occasion. The fact that it is still being done by GMR International Tours answers your question.
Q: Exactly how much does it cost to stage a festival of this type?
A: Significantly more than what the annual sponsorship is. I mean, production of festivals is not cheap. You can take a look at St Lucia’s budget, the cost of producing their festival.
You can come closer – you can take a look at Crop-Over. Or to bring it even closer, take a look at what it costs to produce Cohobblopot. Or take a look at what it costs to produce the Food, Wine And Rum Festival. Take a look at what it costs to produce the recent sailing event (the Fireball) here. It is not inexpensive.
We are not talking about bringing in five chefs; we are talking about bringing in over 200 different individuals and 13 different international acts, and all that comes with it. It is not cheap.
Q: Does the festival make money? Has it been profitable over the years?
A: Like any business, we have our ups and downs. We have our good years and we have our bad years. But you take that all in business and you support it with the love of what you are doing.
Q: Couldn’t you co-produce? Why could Deryck Walcott and these guys pull off Christmas Jazz, which is in its infancy compared to your festival for example? In fact, some people are saying that you have created an opening for these guys and others who may be waiting in the wings?
A: First of all, let me say that Derek Walcott is doing a fantastic job. I rather enjoy going to his event. It is one of the times when I can sit down and really enjoy listening to music, and I sincerely hope that he continues because it is a fantastic event, and I am a Christmas person. So I rather enjoy the treatment given to the different Christmas standards that we have grown so accustomed to hearing.
Apart from that, I don’t make it my business to look at other events and how they are structured – that is their business. I don’t focus on that.
I remain focused on what I do. I put on blinkers. We do not make decisions based on anything else but what makes sense to us, even though in this case it has been heart-wrenching.
Q: Did you explore the possibility of scaling down the festival – fewer nights, a local cast, a Caribbean cast and what would be the issues surrounding this?
A: I can give you the assurance that we looked at every single possibility.
We looked at less nights, we looked at all kinds of things that could have been done, but at the end of the day we reached a conclusion that it would not be in the best interest of the product to go in that direction.
Patrons have come to expect a certain standard from this festival and while over the past years we have tried to change some of the emphases, we did not want to deviate from our standard.
Q: Did you make any deposits, anything that had to be pulled back? Who has been left holding the bag?
A: No one was left holding the bag. Thanks to our experience, and the way we do business, we have managed to avoid that particular scenario.
Q: Do you really think you can make a comeback now under the current brand?
A: A comeback? ‘Comeback’ implies that I have gone someplace. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with the brand.
Q: Where does Gilbert Rowe go from here?
A: I’m rather enjoying the whole Christmas spirit this year, because usually this time of the year I am all busy and tense and worried, and really getting into the heart of the festival.
A lot of people don’t understand that the production of a festival really happens long before the first person even gets on a plane.
The hard work is done all like now. This is the time that you receive the calls from all the technical people and the road managers and the publicists.
This the time that you are in the heart of dealing with all of the travel arrangements, understanding that there will be a significant amount of last-minute changes.
You could be sitting down having a Christmas meal and the phone would ring and you never get back to the meal.
This is approaching the time when you really don’t want your phone to ring because you are wondering what is coming at you from the other end of the phone.
So I am really enjoying this timeout. I am putting on some weight. I am enjoying my grandchild and immersing myself into my other interests. So I am doing just fine.
