By Dirk Langeveld

For about a week after Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica, the musician Mystic Bowie and others in the remote village of Accompong were cut off from the world. He joined efforts to remove debris, reopen the roads, and clear a playing field to allow helicopters to land, until village chief Richard Currie brought in a Starlink connection that allowed people to connect with their loved ones.

After reaching out to his family in the United States, Bowie was preparing to leave Jamaica when he got in touch with his business manager, Cara Mrozek. She had surprising news for him — she had already organized a relief concert to begin raising funds for the beleaguered island, with Bowie’s band as the headliner.

“She actually chose a list of songs with lyrical content that’s appropriate for the event,” said Bowie. “I’m so looking forward to it.”

The Itty Bitty House Jamaica Relief Fundraiser, featuring Mystic Bowie’s Talking Dreads, will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 29th, at The Warehouse at FTC (a performance space of the Fairfield Theatre Company). Concert proceeds will go toward materials, shelter, and other support for the residents of Accompong, a community Bowie has been giving to for more than three decades.

From Jamaica to Connecticut

Bowie grew up in Accompong and is a member of the Maroon Tribe, the only remaining unified tribe in Jamaica. The tribe was first established by escaped African slaves, who established Accompong as a fortified community in the mountainous region of Jamaica.

After starting his music career in Jamaica, Bowie moved to Florida in 1990 and then to Connecticut a year later when his employer asked him to work in New York City. Preferring a more rural lifestyle to the bustle of the big city, Bowie lived in Weston for several years. He is now a resident of Ansonia.

From his early days performing at Jamaican hotels, Bowie gained an appreciation for The Talking Heads, the pioneering new wave group fronted by David Byrne. In 1996, he joined the Tom Tom Club alongside Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, two of the founders of The Talking Heads. After performing with this group for nearly 20 years, he began fronting his own group.

Mystic Bowie’s Talking Dreads debuted at the High Times Music Festival in Jamaica in 2015. The group offers a unique spin on The Talking Heads’ top hits and lesser known tracks, infusing them with roots reggae, ska, and rock and roll.

As soon as his musical career began to flourish, Bowie began to give back to his Jamaican hometown. He recalls growing up in poverty, with his mother cutting up composition books and pencils to make them last longer, and how the lack of necessary supplies made it more challenging to pursue his education.

In 1991, Bowie established the Mystic Bowie Cultural Center to purchase school supplies and ship them to Jamaica. The organization was registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit two years ago, and further strengthened its educational investments in Accompong with the establishment of a library and summer camp.

“Every single child in that community is a drummer and dancer because of that program,” Bowie said.

A harrowing experience

Bowie says he has traveled to Jamaica every autumn for two decades, inviting a group of his charitable supporters for a special celebration. After a performance by his own band, he brings the children from the Accompong camp to put on their own show and enjoy a visit to the beach.

At this year’s gathering, he learned that Hurricane Melissa was bearing down on the island. He decided he would ride out the tempest in Accompong.

“I could not see myself leaving my students,” Bowie said. “I would not be able to live with myself not being there with them.”

While Bowie was moving equipment from the third floor music room of the camp building, a tornado touched down nearby and ripped off the roof. He managed to make his way down to the ground floor, a partial basement, to take shelter.

When the winds died down, Bowie emerged to witness a frightful landscape of ruined houses and uprooted trees. Yet the hurricane was not done. It returned with a noise Bowie described as “like a million freight trains.” He saw another roof torn off, his office building ripped off its foundation, his rental car picked up and slammed down again.

“The truth is for the first time in my life I said my last words, because I thought I was dead,” said Bowie.

When the storm finally abated, several of Bowie’s students found him and told him their homes had been destroyed. The group began assisting others who were trapped in the rubble, and he helped shelter and care for the children in the following days.

“I wanted to take their mind off the trauma that they had just experienced,” said Bowie. “I wanted to give them something to do, some responsibility.”

Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, set a new world record wind speed of 252 miles per hour. Currie estimated that about 80 percent of Accompong’s homes were left uninhabitable. Initial estimates suggest that Jamaica has sustained at least $9 billion in damages from the storm.

“This is not the end”

Several guest artists have joined in the benefit, including Richard Hilton, members of the Alpaca Gnomes, Anthem Band, Jen Durkin, Audrey Martells from Chic, and the Silver Steel Band. The concert is being sponsored by DinkenEsh Presents and Visiting Angels, with Natural Annie Essentials attending as a vendor.

“I keep getting calls from all these people who want to be a part of it,” said Bowie. “I’m so honored.”

In addition to Bowie, Mystic Bowie’s Talking Dreads features vocalists Keisha Martin, Tracy Recalde, and Kat Douglas; guitarist Dan Thomas; keyboardist Jay Metcalf; bassist Paul Deedon; and drummer Marc Rossi.

Tickets for the event are on a “contribute what you can” basis, with levels at $35, $50, and $100. Proceeds will support the Mystic Bowie Cultural Center’s relief efforts in Accompong. Tickets can be purchased here.

Bowie emphasized that the concert is a small step toward a lengthy effort to restore the village and other communities in Jamaica.

“I want everybody to dance for a good cause. Come and party for a good cause. But at the same time, take away from this event: this is not the end,” he said. “This is not anywhere near the end.”

The camp and library established by the Mystic Bowie Cultural Center both need to be rebuilt. Bowie also plans to assist the Accompong school, which lost its roof and had its contents destroyed by sustained rainfall.

“Educating children wherever they live, wherever they exist, I think is a positive thing with a great outcome,” he said.

Bowie’s own home in Jamaica was destroyed by the hurricane. At the time, he was in the process of converting it into a destination, dubbed the Bonfyah Retreat, for his friends and volunteers to visit during the annual autumn events. He vowed that he will bring this project to life as well.

Itty Bitty House Jamaica Relief Fundraiser

Saturday, November 29
8:00 pm (doors open 7:00 pm)
The Warehouse at FTC
70 Sanford Street
Fairfield

Expanded coverage of Fairfield County cultural events is made possible with support from the Fairfield University Quick Center for the Arts.