Best of both worlds delivered reggae on a platter

Of the endless string of Jamaican music imports landing here every other month for local entertainment, the presence of Freddie McGregor and Tarrus Riley was a rare blessing; a combination of fresh and enduring reggae sounds worth soaking up.

As the legendary McGregor navigated his “Big Ship” into Guyana on Saturday last at the ‘Best for Both Worlds’ concert, waves of conscious reggae vibes steeped in the inspiring sounds of Duane Stephenson splashed across the National Park, signalling the start of something memorable.

A little Jamaica blooms in the heart of the desert

There’s no greater disciple of reggae music in Las Vegas than Stan Rankin T.

He writes reggae music. He fronts a reggae band and has released six reggae CDs. He owns a reggae record company — Patois Music — and a reggae store — Caribbean Lifestyle, 1151 Las Vegas Blvd. South — where he sells reggae recordings and Caribbean-style clothes.

Marley’s a Legend on iTunes

Bob Marley’s album Legend continues to top iTunes reggae charts in every major reggae market except Japan.

Downloaders in 17 of the 22 listed countries are buying Marley’s 1984 album above any other reggae album on iTunes, arguably the Internet’s most popular online music store. Marley tops the iTunes chart in the US, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Iceland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. These online sales will add to the album’s worldwide sales which have surpassed 20 million, according to Forbes and iafrica.com. The only countries in which Marley does not top the iTunes chart is in Japan, Italy, Greece, Denmark and Finland. On these countries charts it is filled with indigenous specific reggae.

Dancing up a storm

Jamaica is a musical country, an auditory mecca of sound and soul. While this jewel of the Caribbean may be world famous for her Bob Marley beats, a trip there proves Jamaican music isn’t confined to reggae alone.

Dancehall music, loosely defined as high-energy rap with a Reggaeton rhythm, is extremely popular among local youth. Kingston, the island’s capital and largest city, is one of the best places to check out this trend, live and in-stereo.

Patrons sit out dance moves

As more complex dance moves are created, patrons have been reduced to mere spectators in the dancehall instead of active participants.

Patrons danced more during the days when the late dancer Bogle did his suave moves, as the steps did not require much energy and were easy to follow. However, in the post-Bogle era, many new dancers have appeared with increasingly complicated moves, as they try to outshine each other with their acrobatic skills.

Lucky Dube death verdict delayed

The Johannesburg High Court has delayed the verdict in the trial of three men accused of killing South African reggae singer Lucky Dube.

One of the men recently confessed he had taken part in the crime and said all three deserved to be punished. They had originally denied murder.

Deadly Shoot Out

Three policemen were yesterday shot and injured and a gunman shot dead in a dramatic early morning gunfight at a house owned by reggae singer Luciano at Westminister Crescent in Kingston.

The incident, which started about 5:00 am, ended shortly after 7:00 am when police broke down a door to the entertainer’s house and cut down the gunman, later identified as Andrew Senior, who taunted and dared the cops to come in after him.

Reggae Legend Gregory Isaacs and Tarrus Riley Perform at Reichhold

The Reichhold Center for the Arts continues its 30th anniversary season with a blockbuster reggae concert featuring reggae icon Gregory Isaacs with special guest Live Wyaa Band, along with singer Tarrus Riley (“She’s Royal”). The concert is scheduled for 8 p.m., Saturday, March 28. The night will feature the reggae legend paired with one of the hottest up and coming artists out of Jamaica today.

Isaacs has a string of hits that spans more than 35 years in the music industry. It is estimated he has released up to 500 albums (including compilations) in Jamaica, the United States and Europe combined. Songs such as “Night Nurse,” “Number One,” and “My Only Lover” have earned him fans worldwide and respect as one of the pioneers of conscious reggae.

Excerpt from the Jamaica Journal – Lady Saw – raunchy artiste!

The flamboyant exhibitionist DJ Lady Saw epitomises the sexual liberation of many African Jamaican working-class women from airy-fairy Judaeo-Christian definitions of appropriate female behaviour.

In a decisive act of feminist emancipation, Lady Saw cuts loose from the burdens of moral guardianship. She embodies the erotic. But one viewer’s erotica is another’s pornography. So Lady Saw is usually censured for being far too loose or ‘slack’, in the Jamaican vernacular. Or worse, is dismissed as a mere victim of patriarchy, robbed of all agency.

Of hypocrisy and the Noise Abatement Act

The seemingly selective application of the Noise Abatement Act, which sees some promoters facing rigorous enforcement while others are allowed to operate with impunity, is becoming a source of increasing concern in the entertainment industry.

Three weeks ago, Negril-based promoter Clive ‘Cubba’ Pringle, who is also chairman of the Negril Entertainment Committee, was hauled before the Savanna-la-Mar Resident’s Magistrate Court and fined $50,000 because the Bob Marley Birthday Bash, which he staged at MXIII Lawn, contravened the Noise Abatement Act as it went beyond the legal 2 a.m. cut-off time.