Edward Seaga to release album - Reggae Golden Jubilee: The Origin of Jamaican Music

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Former Jamaican Prime Minister, Edward Seaga, has entered the realm of music as he set to release a new album commemorating Jamaica’s 50th anniversary as an independent nation.

The 100-song box set entitled, Reggae Golden Jubilee: The Origin of Jamaican Music  will be released via New York-based record label, VP Records on November 6 and will feature music, from ska to Reggae to Dancehall.

On Friday (Oct 19) Mr Seaga hosted an official launch of Reggae Golden Jubilee at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston. . During his speech he urged Jamaicans to pay more attention to the social value of their music while expounding on the creative and cultural forces that Reggae has on the island.

Many famous Jamaican artistes to appear on Reggae Golden Jubilee album include Ken Boothe, Freddie McGregor, George Nooks, Ernie Smith, Noddy Virtue and Mutaburuka. Additionally, Reggae Golden Jubilee features classic tracks such as My Boy Lollipop (by Mille Small), Trenchtown Rock (by Bob Marley and The Wailers), Land of My Birth (by Eric Donaldson), No, No, No (by Dawn Penn), Untold Stories (by Buju Banton) and Black Woman and Child (by Sizzla).

Dancehall is also well represented on Seaga’s box set as tracks like Who Am I (by Beenie Man), Gimme The Light (by Sean Paul), Welcome To Jamrock (by Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley), Boombastic (by Shaggy) and On The Rock (by Mavado) are all featured on Reggae Golden Jubilee. Other high-profile Dancehall acts such as Bounty Killer (Fed Up), Lady Saw (Sycamore Tree) and Elephant Man (Pon Di River) also appear on the album.

Reggae Golden Jubilee: The Origins of Jamaican Music is currently available for pre-order. The album also showcases a 64-page booklet filled with track-by-track notations as well as photographs documenting Jamaica’s 50 years as an independent nation. Furthermore, Seaga showcases his own musical talents as his first ever production, Dumplins (by Byron Lee and the Dragonnaires) is the second track off Reggae Golden Jubilee.

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BAMcinématek dedicates film series to Jamaica 50

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Do The Reggae, a BAMcinématek film series dedicated to one the most influential art forms from Jamaica. The 14-film series, which runs from August 2nd through August 6th—the 50th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence—will feature classic and rare reggae films ranging from Ted Bafaloukos’ seminal film Rockers to Alan Greenberg’s outstanding documentary Land of Look Behind.

The series, the first of its kind in New York aslo includes films starring or featuring priceless footage of Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Toots and the Maytals, Desmond Dekker, Gregory Isaacs, Burning Spear, and many more!

BAMcinématek is dedicating this 14-film series dedicated to the country's unique and widely influential musical tradition. Throughout decades of political unrest in Jamaica and racial violence against Caribbean immigrants in Europe and North America, reggae in all its forms has endured as an essential conduit for social protest, individual expression, and spiritual exploration.  It has also single-handedly paved the way for rap/hip-hop, the remix (invented in the early 70s in Jamaica), not to mention later cross-pollinated genres like drum and bass, reggaeton, and dubstep

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Jamaican Photographer, David L. Muir releases novel, “Pieces of Jamaica, The Real Rock Edition"

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The highly anticipated coffee table book, “Pieces of Jamaica, The Real Rock Edition,” from fine art photographer David I. Muir, is garnering much attention both in Jamaica and the Diaspora.
 

Muir, who has just returned from a whirlwind pre-publication book tour in Jamaica, is excited about the interest and accolades his pieces have received and the enthusiasm surrounding the publication of this, his first book of photographs.


While in Jamaica, Muir exhibited a number of photographs from his popular “Pieces of Jamaica” collection at the Bolivar and Grosvenor art galleries in Kingston as part of the annual Kingston on the Edge (KOTE) -- a weeklong art exhibition. According to Muir, “People are intrigued by both the work and the media it is displayed on, especially the tiled pieces. They are excited to see the mirror effect of the pieces, which show the real Jamaica, beyond the scenery.”

David I. Muir

 Muir also had the opportunity to present his work and discuss the book in interviews on national features for TV and print media, including TVJ's Smile Jamaica and CVM's Jamaica Beat, as well as on iVU TV's WKNDR and Your MONEY eZine.

“Any apprehension I had about how my work would be received has dissipated,” the fine art photographer said.  “People are enjoying the work with a sense of pride and are excited about seeing the book, which is currently being published and will be released in early August, just in time to coincide with Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of independence and the London 2012 Olympics.”

High off his Jamaica pre-publication tour, Muir returned to Florida to more accolades including being recognized as one of the 100 most accomplished Caribbean-Americans of South Florida by ICABA and was able to showcase the book during a Literature Presentation for the Venetian Arts Society at the ArtServe Gallery in Fort Lauderdale.

In “Pieces of Jamaica, The Real Rock Edition” Muir celebrates authentic Jamaica in gripping photographs accompanied by stirring captions by writer, poet and journalist, Sonia Morgan. She uses prose, poetry and patios to capture the essence of the photos and add intrigue to the book.

Accomplished British-Jamaican author, Leone Ross wrote a candid Foreword and the book has already received numerous accolades from top experts of Jamaican art and culture including Karl 'Jerry' Craig, Dr. Susan Davis and Dr. Garth A. Rose. “Pieces of Jamaica” also received praises from renowned artists such as GrammyWINNER Sean Paul and Rory of Stone Love.

The book, which Muir dedicated to his wife Ghenete Wright Muir, deftly presents Jamaica in a fresh, authentic way -- sidestepping the typical and capturing the everyday aspects of Jamaican life and the spirit of the people that make the country so diverse and beautiful.

“Pieces of Jamaica, The Real Rock Edition” will intrigue, inspire nostalgia and show Jamaica unedited and uncut to be enjoyed by Jamaicans living at home or abroad and friends and lovers of Jamaica and its culture.

For more information or to get a copy of “Pieces of Jamaica, The Real Rock Edition,” visit WWW.PIECESOFJAMAICA.NET

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The Tennors releases "Jamaica 50"

Monday, June 18, 2012

Rocksteady Legends The Tennors are pleased to announce the release of Jamaica 50. “Music can take a long time to circle the globe. We wanted to make sure that Jamaica 50 wouldn’t be a song that is played for a week at independence, but that it instead got a chance to seep into the hearts and minds of the people”, said founding member George Murphy aka Clive Tennors.

The Tennors are best known for their smash hits Pressure and Slide, Cleopatra and Ride Yuh Donkey. The trio recently reunited after a 35 year hiatus. Along with Murphy, the group includes original member Ronnie Davis (who was also a member of The Itals) and new member Henry “Sadiki” Buckley, Jr. “We could think of no better way to celebrate our reunion, than to create this beautiful love song about Jamaica,” said Davis. 

The single made its worldwide debut on top Jamaican Radio Personality Richard “Richie B” Burgess’ Hot Mix program on Hot 102 FM on Tuesday, April 17.

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