Anybody know any magicians in Jamaica?
I'm traveling to Jamaica in the next few months, and want to have a magical experience down there. I want to:
*talk sleight of hand with Jamaican magic guys, if possible
*see magic in the hotels, if possible
*visit santeria shops, if possible, with voodoo dolls and potions for sale
*have my fortune told by Jamaican-style fortunetellers, whatever that may be
*perform magic on the street in Kingston or another city, if possible, to generous crowds throwing lots of Jamaican dollars into my straw hat
*visit an IBM or SAM meeting, if possible, or other magic club
Any ideas?
Jamaican magic
- Brian Morton
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Re: Jamaican magic
David...
Not too sure on any of the rest, but Santeria is Haiti, not Jamaica. And I was in Jamaica back in '98 on an official visit with my boss and let me tell ya --
Cost of living is such that if you're American, they want you to throw money at them.
The only way you'll get paid for performing down there is if you're hired by a resort and working for tourists. Otherwise, forget it. You are the rich guy target, and likely a mark for getting yourself robbed or killed.
Jamaica still is a third-world country and still has a lot of street crime and drug wars. If you're going, do it at whatever hotel or resort at which you're staying and perform for drinks at the bar.
I spent three years in Kingston as a kid, and was able (then) to blend in enough to get away with a lot. I couldn't do that anymore -- you shouldn't try....
Just my .02...
brian :cool:
Not too sure on any of the rest, but Santeria is Haiti, not Jamaica. And I was in Jamaica back in '98 on an official visit with my boss and let me tell ya --
Cost of living is such that if you're American, they want you to throw money at them.
The only way you'll get paid for performing down there is if you're hired by a resort and working for tourists. Otherwise, forget it. You are the rich guy target, and likely a mark for getting yourself robbed or killed.
Jamaica still is a third-world country and still has a lot of street crime and drug wars. If you're going, do it at whatever hotel or resort at which you're staying and perform for drinks at the bar.
I spent three years in Kingston as a kid, and was able (then) to blend in enough to get away with a lot. I couldn't do that anymore -- you shouldn't try....
Just my .02...
brian :cool:
Re: Jamaican magic
My father's Jamaican. They all moved to the States and the UK, mainly to get away from the rising culture of violence.
Stick to the hotels and tourist resorts, and avoid the streets is the impression I get.
Oh, and the weapon of choice is acid in your face. Beware.
Stick to the hotels and tourist resorts, and avoid the streets is the impression I get.
Oh, and the weapon of choice is acid in your face. Beware.
Re: Jamaican magic
That's an eye opener, to be sure. My hosts didn't say anything about that.Originally posted by Brian Wendell Morton:
David...
Not too sure on any of the rest, but Santeria is Haiti, not Jamaica. And I was in Jamaica back in '98 on an official visit with my boss and let me tell ya--Jamaica still is a third-world country and still has a lot of street crime and drug wars...
Just my .02...
brian :cool:
I'll certainly take your advice, then, and confine my magical searches to the safe resort community. And, if possible, to the magic clubs, if there are any.
Acid in the face? Whew.
Re: Jamaican magic
I have been to Dominican Republic, its close to Jamaica. Some people in Dominican told me that Jamaica and Haiti is very dangerous for white people. Dominican Republic is also a poor country, but I had almost only good experiences there. I did some magic for small kids in a small jungle town and they like it very much.
I think its only possible to do magic shows on the bigger hotels with armed-security guards in the poor caribbean countries.
I only heard of a magic show in a casino in Santa Domingo.
I think David Blaine did some magic in Haiti in a TV special.
I think its only possible to do magic shows on the bigger hotels with armed-security guards in the poor caribbean countries.
I only heard of a magic show in a casino in Santa Domingo.
I think David Blaine did some magic in Haiti in a TV special.
Re: Jamaican magic
I have had good experiences performing magic for the Jamaican country people in the Blue Mountain region in the parish of St Thomas...My wife is jamaican and we visit her family regularly. Magic is a relatively rare form of entertainment in Jamaica and the people can be very appreciative. However the people in the district know who I am so I'm not performing as a complete stranger. I would not consider performing on a street corner in Kingston however. There are plenty of open air roadside bars in the countryside and my experience is that the people love magic.
It is quite possible however that much older people may be disturbed and regard you as a worker of "obeah" or voodoo..this is obviously not the impression you are trying to create. In response to one of the previous posts I do remember there was a British magician who called himself Michael Thomas working out of Ocho Rios on the North coast..this was back in 1998..he did advertise in the local yellow pages at the time...
It is quite possible however that much older people may be disturbed and regard you as a worker of "obeah" or voodoo..this is obviously not the impression you are trying to create. In response to one of the previous posts I do remember there was a British magician who called himself Michael Thomas working out of Ocho Rios on the North coast..this was back in 1998..he did advertise in the local yellow pages at the time...
Re: Jamaican magic
The main man in Jamaica magic wise is Bunny Neil.
He would be Jamaica's leading magician, I imagine.
A terrific performer. One of the best I've seen.
He would be Jamaica's leading magician, I imagine.
A terrific performer. One of the best I've seen.
Re: Jamaican magic
I was talking to Bunny last Sunday in Nottingham, having seen him perform the Thursday before, and I agree Ronnie. Very good. One of the cleanest cut and restored ropes ever, and as for the razor blades!!!
Re: Jamaican magic
Any idea how I might be able to contact him? Where does he play? And is he stage or closeup or something in between?Originally posted by Ronnie McLeod:
The main man in Jamaica magic wise is Bunny Neil.
He would be Jamaica's leading magician, I imagine.
A terrific performer. One of the best I've seen.
Elwood, is he now in England? Nottingham?
Re: Jamaican magic
I saw Bunny lecture in Nottingham, and bumped into him a couple of days later at a lecture day/show there. I didn't know a lot about him until we met, but I gather that he's been in England for 30 years or so, was highly rated by the Krays and has performed at all the top venues here, as well as all over the globe.
I don't know how to contact him. I'm going to the Nottingham Guild of Magicians again next week, so if I can, I'll find out how you can get in touch with him and email you. Even if Bunny's not going to be in Jamaica, I'm sure that he'll know the places to go.
One day I'll get over there to see the family I've never met!
ps, regarding the comments about obeah: I agree with this. I've performed in front of some older Jamaican friends who, while knowing that it's (probably) only some form of trickery, it looks very spooky, and they strongly disapproved. Be careful. :cool:
I don't know how to contact him. I'm going to the Nottingham Guild of Magicians again next week, so if I can, I'll find out how you can get in touch with him and email you. Even if Bunny's not going to be in Jamaica, I'm sure that he'll know the places to go.
One day I'll get over there to see the family I've never met!
ps, regarding the comments about obeah: I agree with this. I've performed in front of some older Jamaican friends who, while knowing that it's (probably) only some form of trickery, it looks very spooky, and they strongly disapproved. Be careful. :cool:
Re: Jamaican magic
Bunny Neill's daughter, Jessica, made a short film about an underwater escape he did in the late 1960's, I'm assuming in Jersey, as Chris Woodward makes an appearance. I suspect Bunny was doing a summer season there and the escape was for publicity purposes.
The first part is a recreation of the escape and from 4:12 there is original footage from the day itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K26vCO6 ... e=youtu.be
The first part is a recreation of the escape and from 4:12 there is original footage from the day itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K26vCO6 ... e=youtu.be
Re: Jamaican magic
Years and years ago the Magic Circle had a festival of magic with various noted performers on the bill, including Bunny Neill. He created an absolute sensation and stood out from everyone else. People were talking about him for weeks afterwards while all the other performers faded into memory.
Of course it created a bit of jealousy at the time. I still remember Patrick Page saying in frustration. "I don't understand it. He is not even a good act". He was wrong. Even that misery Alan Alan who must have been one of the most critical magicians I have ever come across rated Bunny very highly. And he was only doing classic standard material. I have always said that all you have to do are old classic tricks that have stood the test of time. The rest is down to your personality and presentation. And your voice has a lot to do with it. This is often overlooked. Bunny had a great voice. Anyway here he is at work in his very later years. Only a few seconds but enough for you to see the spark that he had when he was a younger man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIxXAwnJ9qc
Of course it created a bit of jealousy at the time. I still remember Patrick Page saying in frustration. "I don't understand it. He is not even a good act". He was wrong. Even that misery Alan Alan who must have been one of the most critical magicians I have ever come across rated Bunny very highly. And he was only doing classic standard material. I have always said that all you have to do are old classic tricks that have stood the test of time. The rest is down to your personality and presentation. And your voice has a lot to do with it. This is often overlooked. Bunny had a great voice. Anyway here he is at work in his very later years. Only a few seconds but enough for you to see the spark that he had when he was a younger man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIxXAwnJ9qc