Macka honoured with full turnout Heat waves passed through cool, cool Mandeville on Saturday at Fayors Entertain-ment Centre; the occasion, Macka Diamond’s Birthnite Bash. Top entertainers turned out to honour one of the industry’s leading ladies on a night she will not likely forget. Anywhere the ladies are, Beenie Man will be there. Early in [...]
Groove train to freedom Get on the groove train at the Footscray Community Arts Centre when legendary Natty Wailer and his seven-piece blues and reggae band the Reggae Vibes perform. This Sunday, a free concert at the centre will have bodies swaying to Caribbean beats and African rhythms. The band will play a combination of [...]
Linton Kwesi Johnson Interview Lyricist Linton Kwesi Johnson was born in Jamaica but has become Britain’s most celebrated black poet. He immigrated to England as a child, part of the succeeding waves of West Indians who arrived in the UK in the last several decades. “My generation is the second generation,†he says. “I call [...]
Spectrum 2K7: a roller coaster ride For the massive crowd that turned out for Spectrum 2K7, held at the University of the West Indies (Mona) Students’ Union, last Friday evening, there were many high points, but the event was not without a few disappointing moments. The vibes really got on the way around 1 a.m [...]
Mixed bag as reggae intrudes on jazz On a night in which reggae invaded jazz’s space, the expected spark was missing as while a few acts were good, Friday night’s penultimate night of the 2007 Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival was lukewarm at best. While he managed to satisfy his less demanding fans, country [...]
Music – a firm economic ‘bass’ It has been maintained that tourism and agriculture are Jamaica’s two economic mainstays. What is sometimes overlooked is how lucrative Jamaican music is as foreign exchange earner. Though some of the lyrics have become controversial and face criticisms from the Church, the Government and ordinary citizens, reggae and dancehall [...]
Jaro attacks in self-defence Killamanjaro has had a reputation of being a ‘rude boy’ and even ‘bad man’ sound system over the years? Does this have any basis? Well, I don’t know how they arrive at that. Killamanjaro had to defend themselves on numerous occasions. The sound was so good, everyone wanted to kill it. [...]
Energy Goddess Manning dares to be different Khalifar Manning is a Synergy Soca Star with a difference, who fuses traditional calypso and soca with a soulfully blended melody, and a powerful voice to create a soca medley that impacts her audiences to the maximum. Manning wrote the tune entitled “We Time,†herself, and its appeal [...]
Chuck Fenda’s Living Fire goes to Greensleeves Living Fire, the sophomore album from cultural/ conscious deejay Chuck Fenda, will be released next month by London’s Greensleeves Records. The 16-track set will be led by the international release of the single Coming Over Tonight, which features actress-singer Cherine Anderson. The song has already topped local charts [...]
Jamming With the King Davina Morris is jamming with the Legendary King on his new album and his passion in the Reggae music industry. Legendary Jamaican producer Lloyd ‘King Jammy’ James is regarded as the man who launched dancehall’s digital era. The release of his 1985 hit Under Mi Sleng Teng, (sung by Wayne Smith) [...]