Before their clash with recorded music started at Jack Sprat, Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth, on Saturday night, both poet Mutabaruka and novelist Colin Channer made it clear that they wanted the audience to have fun.

They also showed respect for each other, but they went for their tunes to win over the crowd, notably in the tune for tune section, embracing in the spirit of friendly competition at the end of a clash which closed day two of the 2009 Calabash International Literary Festival.

After the first of two rounds where each played a set of songs, it looked like Channer (who consistently tagged himself the underdog) would be getting a sound whopping. In the end of the tune for tune, in which he pulled a few telling tunes, if he was beaten, it was not by much.

A few rough transitions and abrupt changes in tempo made it clear that the two are not professional selectors (Mutabaruka the one who plays much more regularly), although for the most part, they kept a reasonably smooth flow.

Channer used the microphone to good advantage as he started off, appealing to those "who remember when 50 cent was paper" and dropping Michigan and Smiley's Nice Up The Dance and following with Willie Williams' Armageddon, which he restarted as a "big tune".

first round

He soon went disco, which was really 'Good Times' for the ladies. The extended disco run led into the soul of Let's Get It On and Reasons, which were appreciated - Al Green bringing Love and Happiness before Channer closed strong with rockers, dropping Uptown Top Ranking and How Could I Live, to have the entire audience moving.

Mutabaruka came out smoking in his first round, active on stage, as he urged on a crowd excited by Greetings, Under Pressure and Wanga Gut to even more excitement. Shabba's Trailer Load, Barrington Levy's Broader Than Broadway and D Brown's Revolution kept the tempo going, Marley's Natural Mystic was a singalong.

It was Channer's turn to explode from the blocks, as he went for the Sleng Teng rhythm to start in fine style, Sister Nancy's Bam Bam one of the bigger draws of the night. From Pinchers' Agony through Junior Byles' Fade Away, Channer was in fine mettle, Sattamassagana and Ba Ba Boom other tunes that hit the audience painlessly.

After having the audience jigging with Murder She Wrote, Mutabaruka's second round was loaded with huge Jamaican tunes mainly from earlier years. From Dawn Penn's No No No (You Don't Love Me) through Zion Gates, Burning Spear's Marcus Garvey and Fredlocks' Black Starliner. Junior Murvin's Police and Thieves, Culture's Two Sevens Clash, and Shaggy's version of Oh Carolina, closed a very strong round, in which he still had the edge over Channer.

elder status

And as the tune for tune started, it seemed that Mutabaruka was warming up to really dismantle Channer, underscoring his elder status with Bunny Wailer's Ram Dancehall ("I've been ruling dancehall ever since you were a child/so don't come try dictate to I about dancehall style").

But Channer rose to the occasion with appropriate speech and tune, saying "de Rastaman talk bout dem come in peace, but nobody no love war like dem," and dropped Michael Palmer's Dem a Lick Shot to a big forward.

seized the moment

A laughing Mutabaruka said "a now it a get bitter", saying that he had been asked to play, then dropping Maaga Dog, first the earlier and then the more popular version. The earlier version slowed up the impact and Channer seized the moment, saying that he was in full black that night for a reason and playing Barrington Levy's Murderer to have the crowd howling. As Muta searched his playlist, Channer commented, "him a look inna him crystal ball."

"Him inna him wizard robe fe work science," Channer said. "Stop search!" Muta replied "stop shake up de place". There was laughter all around.

And the clash continued, Mutabaruka drawing Hypocrites on Channer, who replied with Delroy Willson singing "they trying to conquer me".

One of Mutabaruka's strongest moments came when he played Time Will Tell (with the first line "Jah would never give the power to a baldhead"), the crowd continuing to sing even after he stopped the song. Channer's Cuss Cuss response fell flat.

After Mutabaruka played Duppy Conqueror, Channer said "Morgan Heritage say you don't have to be dread to be Rasta", but was immediately diverted from that path by a few vociferous Rastafarians in the now significantly reduced audience. But they liked his musical response, Culture's Conqueror.

A good exchange was Mutabaruka's Small Axe to Channer's Bad Card, but from there, the clash faded after Mutabaruka played Sitting and Watching and Channer dropped Tosh's Burial, both to OK but not really enthusiastic response.

They worked their way to the end, Channer playing Tribal War for his last song and Mutabaruka closing off the clash with Everton Blender's Lift Up Your Head.

The two embraced and held clenched hands high as Calabash's second day ended at 3:00 a.m. on Sunday.