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 and western star Kenny Rogers, fell woefully short of the brilliant set he played in 2004;
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 alike, are feeding many of the critics.
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. How to kill a sound you had to go into the dancehall and the crowd going.
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 to the masses is obvious — “We time to enjoy the Carnival.†As a Synergy Soca Star, Manning said she will remember the extraordinary experience for the rest of her life.
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 and is now making strides on various overseas reggae charts.
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) with its fully computerised rhythm, marked a shift in reggae, which had previously been dominated by Bob Marley-style roots reggae.
Local selectas confront dancehall’s gray-market
For DJ Smoke One, collecting dubplate “specials” is a passion. Over the last six years, he’s meticulously built up his collection of unique versions of dancehall reggae hits personally voiced by top artists like Junior Reid, Cutty Ranks, Sizzla, Louie Culture, Ninjaman, Luciano, Yami Bolo, and Yellowman. He’s traveled to New York, Miami, and Jamaica to track down people with connections, usually studio engineers or acquaintances (called “runners”), in addition to obtaining specials from Jamaican musicians passing through the Bay Area.
Luciano believes music can make a better world. In his native Jamaica, Luciano is a bona fide superstar. Now, the leading light of roots reggae in its modern post-dancehall incarnation is bringing his conscious sounds to Australian shores for the first time.
Sean Paul Gets Serious About Jamaican Violence
Reggae superstar SEAN PAUL is set to launch a one-man campaign to stop youth violence in Jamaica on his new album. The GIMME THE LIGHT singer insists his upcoming dancehall release won’t be full of party anthems, but will deal with issues that concern him about his native country. Paul tells MTV News, “The content is just a little different than what people expect from me. “It’s not about partying, it’s not about ladies; it’s about the kids with the guns in the streets. It’s more reality.”
60 SECONDS: Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry is a Grammy award-winning dub and reggae artist and producer who’s worked with Bob Marley, King Tubby and the Mad Professor. Also known as The Upsetter, he has a reputation for being a bit mad and claims he burned down his old recording studio. He now lives with his wife and two children in Switzerland. His album, The Upsetter Selection, is out now, as part of Trojan Records’ 40th