“He was a well-dressed character, wrote poetry,” says Reece, now 73. His real name, Alphonso, is after Alfonso X, the 13th century king of Spain. Standing near Bustamante during much of this chaotic, nation-defining day was a seven-year-old future trumpeter named Dizzy Reece. The defiant 54-year-old aristocrat-turned-politician tore open his shirt, bared his chest and shouted, “Shoot me, but leave these defenseless, hungry people alone!” As he climbed off the Queen, Bustamante was confronted by a group of policemen who aimed their guns at him and the crowd. When he finished his fiery speech, Bustamante urged the workers to disperse peacefully. Bustamante climbed on the giant statue of Queen Victoria and told the crowd in no uncertain terms that he would negotiate on their behalf and never back down. Led by a loud, charismatic speaker named Alexander Bustamante-who would later become the country’s first prime minister-the call for labor rights hit its crescendo on May 23 in downtown Kingston, when a couple thousand Jamaicans, mostly dock workers or unemployed, crowded Victoria Park to protest economic conditions. Violent strikes and bloody riots were common in the capital city of Kingston.

The economy was hurting, and workers were fighting against low wages and colonial rule. JazzTimes, October 2004 (Overdue Ovation)

Dizzy photo gun