Bermuda has probably seen the last of Track Entertainment, the company that produces and promotes the annual Bermuda Jazz Festival, according to musician and tourism activist Tony Brannon.

Shadow Tourism Minister David Dodwell and Mr. Brannon met with Lee Heiman, president of Track Entertainment days before Mr. Heiman returned to New York City.

At that meeting Mr. Heiman detailed complaints about the handling of the festival by the Departments of Immigration and Tourism and the behaviour of some locals after the decision was made to cancel this year's festival.

"He was so annoyed with what happened he was going to completely blow it over the US media," said Mr. Brannon.

According to Mr. Brannon, he and Mr. Dodwell persuaded him to keep his complaints on the local level. But Mr. Heiman then went on to write a five page missive on his experiences, which is currently circulating the Internet, and paid to have it printed in today's The Royal Gazette.

Mr. Heiman's "open letter to Bermuda" says that he and his staff were threatened with being handcuffed and arrested by Immigration official Robert Horton, threatened with physical violence by a local labour crew chief, and "forced" to use a local production company to video last year's festival.

Mr. Heiman and his crew had to dismantle the stage at Dockyard under Police protection.

He also complained that the Tourism Department has reduced its support for the Bermuda Jazz Festival since David Allen became the minister.

Mr. Allen could not be contacted for comment. Mr. Brannon said yesterday that a number of local producers had been going to Mr. Allen saying that they could produce the Bermuda Jazz Festival as well as Track Entertainment.

He added that Mr. Heiman, who has an option to renew the Bermuda Jazz Festival contract had left the Island feeling that Tourism had been reducing its support for the festival as an effort to "chase him out of the country" because of pressure for the business to be awarded to locals.

"There's a lot of people who put on shows in Bermuda and do very well. But how many people at the end of the day have the international clout to be able to pull off something that really demands having marketing pull in the States. . . ? They all have stages, they all have lighting systems. That's fine, but there's a much bigger picture that that."

He repeated a call for the Minister to resign. "Everything that comes out of David Allen's mouth is political, no matter which way you look. And this country is going to go down the tubes with that political speak."

He said Mr. Allen's record has been "abysmal" in the past three years with several initiatives proving to be an "absolute flop."

"I suppose what's going to be interesting to see is what their solution is going to be for Jazz Festival next year - even if they let it go on."

He said : "I think Track has said goodbye. In fact when I asked Lee Heiman are you coming back, he said 'are you kidding' ?"

Mr. Brannon criticised the Tourism Department for not doing their part to help market the Festival. There were no flyers in hotels and cruise ship terminals, he said by way of example.

"They produced a poster that they started banging up and down the Island six weeks ago. . . That's the sole extent that they have gone to. And even after they cancelled the whole thing, there was nothing on BermudaJazz.com saying it was cancelled."

There was a cancellation notice on the department's website. "That sort of thing the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing seems to be a common problem with the Tourism department."

He criticised as bad business practice that Tourism as the Government agency which hired Track Entertainment did not facilitate the issuing of work permits. Instead Track Entertainment was asked to use a local company and Immigration threatened to have the promoter arrested when funds to pay for the work permits were not passed on by the local agent, B First Entertainment.

When contacted Mr. Dodwell said he did not want to comment until he had studied Mr. Heiman's letter in detail. He confirmed that he had met with the promoter and had attempted to dissuade him from going to the overseas media with his complaints.

"The bottom line is that the Tourism Department obviously cannot manage their way with anything in my view," said Mr. Brannon. "They have failed miserably with Live Bermuda. They failed miserably at Cruise and Stay. They just don't know how to make a good business deal."