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Archive for April, 2010

Toots mixes it up again with new album

By CURTIS ROSS | The Tampa Tribune
Published: April 29, 2010

Toots Hibbert describes "Flip & Twist," the new Toots & the Maytals' album, as "R&B, gospel, some country style and a little rock & roll."

And, of course, reggae.

The mixture of styles he mentions, in fact, sounds similar to the one that made Hibbert one of the major figures in Jamaican music.

Hibbert, 64, and the original Maytals -- Henry "Raleigh" Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" McCarthy -- helped bring reggae into existence with a string of late '60s and early '70s singles that bridged the faster-paced, dance-oriented ska style with the slower, deeper beats and grooves of reggae.

The trio was a popular ska attraction, recording with some of the music's most notable figures including Coxsone Dodd and Prince Buster.

Hibbert's arrest and conviction for marijuana possession in 1966, though, put the group on ice.

It's the inspiration for one of Hibbert's best-known songs, "54-46, That's My Number." The song declared his innocence, something he maintains to this day.

"I never did that," Hibbert says by telephone from his home in Jamaica.

He blames rivals, saying the arrest was an attempt to sabotage his career.

"They tried to hold me back," he says.

It didn't work. Once out of prison, the rechristened Toots & the Maytals released ground-breaking singles such as "54-46," "Do the Reggay," "Monkey Man" and "Pressure Drop."

From there it was on to a trio of still-revered albums in the mid-'70s: "Funky Kingston," "In the Dark" and "Reggae Got Soul."

The original lineup split in 1982, but Hibbert carried on, winning a Grammy nomination for his 1988 album, "Toots in Memphis."

In 1990, he revived the Maytals moniker and has recorded under it ever since, finally winning a Grammy for 2004's all-star collaboration "True Love."

"Flip and Twist," released digitally April 20 with a physical release set for May 18, has "something for everybody," Hibbert promises, "good vibes and no negativity."

The tour, which began Thursday in Orlando and reaches New Port Richey tonight, will feature "old music and new music, popular music and beautiful music and a No. 1 performance," Hibbert says.

From Tampa Bay Online.

Don't forget - you can find the link to Localspice on our Jamaican "Groceries" page! I wish them great success. Support the farmers!

Localspice: growing Jamaica one pouch at a time

Published: Monday | April 26, 2010
Nashauna Drummond, Lifestyle Coordinator

Fraternal twins Marvin and Marlon Stuart are on a mission to grow Jamaica, one pouch at a time. While there may be conflicting reports about who is older, there is no conflict about what they hope to achieve with their Localspice Complete Seasoning.

A paste of allspice, scallion, hot pepper, salt, thyme and black pepper, one pouch takes care of all your seasoning needs whether you are cooking fish, chicken, pork or beef. Marvin notes the product is for "people like us, the average person who comes home from work and has to cook for the family. It is to make life easier."

When Marvin was about to get married eight years ago, he and his bride-to-be wanted to do something different for their wedding guests gifts. They came up with the idea of a sachet of seasoning listing the ingredients as love, happiness etc. After the wedding, persons kept asking them where they could purchase it.

So in January this year, when he became tired of working in the corporate world, he called his brother Marlon. They knew they wanted to manufacture something but it had to be a product that was recognised globally and had to support Jamaica.

His wedding came to mind and after numerous phone calls and emails, Localspice was born.

100 per cent Jamaican

The brothers pride themselves on their product being 100 per cent Jamaican. The ingredients are bought from local farmers, the box is made, printed and the seasoning packaged in Jamaica. "It is made in Jamaica and will never be outsourced," Marvin notes emphatically. The duo is confident about the future success of their product. "Everything is achievable with hard work. You have to think I'm faster, and better then everybody else going into that market. Everything is Usainable," notes Marvin, the mouthpiece of the two. Read the rest of this entry »

Top Reggae, Soca Acts to Descend On Queens, NY

CaribWorldNews, QUEENS, NY, Fri. April 30, 2010

Southeast Queens, New York is set to come alive with the music of the Caribbean this weekend, as reggae and soca takes center stage at the 29th annual International Reggae & World Music Awards.

Sean Paul, Machel Montano, Julian Marley, Gramps Morgan, Queen Ifrica and Tarrus Riley, Tony Rebel, Alison Hinds, Barbee, Dean Fraser, the New Kingston Band, Mutabaruka, and Brigadier Jerry are among the nominees and scheduled performers for the event, set for Sunday, May 2 at York College Performing Arts Center, at 94-45 Guy R. Brewer Blvd in Jamaica, New York.

Montano has received five nominations this year while Sean Paul, Julian `Ju Ju` Marley and Macka Diamond have each received four nods each. Barbee, Beenieman and Vybz Kartel each have three nominations.

However, neither Beenieman nor Kartel will be in attendance since both no longer have visas to fly to the U.S.

Meanwhile, Taurus Riley`s third album, Contagious, is up for `Best Album/CD` and his single, `Good Girl Gone Bad` a duet with Konshens received a `Best Song` nod. Tarrus is also up for `Entertainer of the Year,` `Best Male Vocalist` `Recording Artist of the Year`, and `Most Culture/Educational Entertainer.`

Reggae veteran Freddie McGregor is nominated for `Most Consistent Entertainer,` while his sons Stephen has been nominated for Producer of the Year) and Chino for Most Improved Entertainer.

Da'ville, son of Jah Thomas, is nominated for `Best Male Vocalist` while Junior Reid`s sons, Andrew and Wadada Blood have received a nod in `Most Improved Entertainer.`

Femi Kuti, son of Nigerian legend Fela Kuti, has been nominated for the `Best African Entertainer.`

In addition to accolades to Reggae music, the IRAWMAs recognizes artists in Gospel, Salsa, Latin, Reggaeton, Calypso, Soca, African, Soukous, Compas, Racine and Hip Hop.

For more visit www.irawma.com.

via CaribWorldNews.com - Global Caribbean Daily Newswire.

It is said that Ian Fleming, who created the world's best known secret agent, loved Jamaica and appreciated the privacy he enjoyed there to do his writing. He not only wrote all of his James Bond novels there but three of them have Jamaican settings - Dr. No, Live and Let Die, and The Man With the Golden Gun, as well as the short story, Octopussy.

Fleming was a British naval intelligence officer turned newspaper man. After World War II, having fallen in love with Jamaica (see article below), he asked a friend to find a dream home for him there and the friend did exactly that - found a beautiful 14-acre strip of land on the north coast near Oracabessa in Saint Mary parish where Fleming built himself his simple home & retreat, Goldeneye.

Many think Goldeneye was given a similar name to the Spanish "Oracabessa" (or Goldenhead), but Goldeneye was reportedly the British Naval Intelligence Division's code-name for a Spanish wartime operation which was masterminded by Fleming. Oracabessa is, however, the “beautiful little banana port” which James Bond drove through in Live and Let Die.

In 1947 Fleming wrote a portrait of his adopted home in Horizon magazine, and it caused a postwar tourist boom among wealthy Britons and Americans. “I have examined a large part of the world,” he wrote. “After looking at all these, I spent four days in Jamaica in July 1943. July is the beginning of the hot season and it rained in rods everyday at noon, yet I swore that if I survived the contest I would go back to Jamaica, buy a piece of land, build a house and live in it as much as my job would allow.” He did just that, as foreign manager for Kemsley Newspapers.

Adjoining Fleming's property is James Bond Beach, just east of Oracabessa, and about 30 minutes east of Ocho Rios. It's signposted just off Main Street along Old Wharf Road. In the mid-1990s, the Island Outpost corporation, owned by Chris Blackwell, bought 70 acres of prime coastal land and opened the James Bond Beach Club. The facilities are open every day except Monday from 9:30am to 6:00pm. There is a small admission fee, but James Bond Beach has really nice changing rooms with toilets and showers, so I find it well worth the small fee for upkeep! You will usually find watersports like boats and jet-skis for rental. There's also a two-story open-air restaurant and bar called Moonraker (and yes, you can get a martini, shaken, not stirred, if you wish!!). The grounds are quite large and quite often host parties and live music shows. The beach is beautiful and usually not crowded so bring swimsuits and a good book and relax for the day!

Goldeneye is now part of Chris Blackwell's new development and can be rented as a villa. If you're interested in seeing photos of the area and progress photos of the development on Low Cay Beach, visit Goldeneye Development's site. I love the classic wood-clad Caribbean cottage designs! It's going to be a beautiful resort.

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Ian Fleming in Jamaica (1946 - 1964)

Ian Fleming vowed that after the war he would build a house in Jamaica. He had visited there briefly for a U-boat conference during the war and had fallen in love with the country.

So in 1946 he acquired 15 acres of land on an old donkey racecourse above a little cove with a coral reef. He constructed a plain bungalow and named it Goldeneye, most probably after a wartime operation with which he had been involved. It was near the banana port of Oracabessa.

At the time he was employed as foreign manager of Kemsley newspapers. He wangled, characteristically perhaps, a contract from them whereby he could spend two months – January and February – at Goldeneye.

The house was very basic and not comfortable, and his neighbour, Noel Coward, called it "Goldeneye, nose and throat". He was looked after devotedly during all his time there by Violet who lived locally.

It was there in 1952 that he and Ann Rothermere were finally married after a long but intermittent affair. Noel Coward was one of the witnesses. In all likelihood it was Ann who encouraged him to get on and write the book that he was always talking about.

Casino Royale was the result.

Thereafter, every January and February at Goldeneye, he wrote another adventure of James Bond. Read the rest of this entry »

Bob Marley's "Legend (Rarities Edition)" Is Released

By Carl Bookstein
Kingston : Jamaica | Apr 28, 2010

The rarities edition of Bob Marley and the Wailers' greatest hits album "Legend" was released this week. Bob Marley, in his short lifetime, was a magnetic performer and a prolific songwriter - the undisputed King of Reggae music. "Legend (rarities edition)", originally issued as the second disc of the 2 CD deluxe version of the album, is now available on its own.

Released in 1984, 3 years after Marley's death at age 36, "Legend" is reggae's best-selling album ever, selling 20 million copies worldwide.

In his lifetime, Bob Marley created a rich resonant body of work that reaches out beyond the confines of simply reggae music. Marley was an impassioned topical songwriter and a spiritually compelling front man who helped spread Jamaican music to a worldwide audience.

The original Wailers included Marley, Peter Tosh and "Bunny Wailer" Livingston, who played together in the 1960s and early 1970s. Marley's stardom continued to grow following Tosh and Livingston's departure from the band after the 1973 album "Burnin".

"Legend (Rarities Edition)" is a whole set of rare mixes, remixes and more.

The opener "One Love/ People Get Ready" is present in its extended version format. "One Love" is a gorgeous cry for the unity of human kind: "Let's get together and feel all right" Marley sings. The extended version is fascinating as well as different from the well known recording, with more focus on the instrumentals and their easy groove.

If you already own "Legend", the differences here are not so great that you need to run out and buy this rarities edition. For the diehard Marley fan however, these alternative remixed takes may be compelling.

"Waiting in Vain" is a touching love song. "Three Little Birds" offers soothing pearls of wisdom: "Don't worry about a thing, because every little thing is going to be all right". The song continues into a fine dub version that you don't get on the original "Legend" album.

The rarities release includes a lovely rendition of "No Woman No Cry" and a novel moving version of "Lively Up Yourself".

Both Marley's songwriting and performances carried awesome power. His music was and remains a truly global phenomenon.

From AllVoices.com.

The Harder They Come: story that taught the world to love reggae

Jamaican superstar Jimmy Cliff talks about the stage version of his film "The Harder They Come" as it starts a new UK tour .

By Gervase de Wilde, Published: 6:22PM BST 28 Apr 2010

Jimmy Cliff, holder of an honorary degree in literature, likes to be referred to as “Doctor Cliff”. I’m wary of those who insist on titles, but the person who meets me at a cafe in Paris, where he lives, is friendly and unassuming. Only rainbow-framed glasses and the gold studs that glint in one ear hint at the pop star behind the professorial demeanour.

Cliff has released more than 20 albums and had a string of hit singles in the late Sixties and early Seventies, but it’s his starring role in the movie classic The Harder They Come for which he is best known.

Its combination of knockabout drama and familiar, feelgood tunes consistently attracted enthusiastic crowds – and led to a further revival which is touring the country.

“The Harder They Come reflects my life story,” says the singer. “It’s the tale of a boy from the country who comes to town - I came from the country to Kingston [Jamaica] with the intention of pursuing a career in the music business. I won a few of the talent parades and got my songs recorded.”

Cliff’s own life differs from the film’s hero’s in one crucial respect: “The only part of the story that doesn’t fit with my own is the outlaw part, the gunman part. That was based on Rhyging, the first gunman in Jamaica, somebody I heard about when I was growing up.”

While getting his career off the ground, Cliff helped two of reggae’s other international stars get their own break with Leslie Kong, the Chinese-Jamaican producer who released his early hits. Read the rest of this entry »

Let's visit Kingston's Devon House today. Devon House is really beautiful and worth a visit. The 127 year old home is located in the heart of Kingston, in the area formerly known as “Millionaire’s Corner” at Trafalgar and Hope Road.

The Gleaner article which follows has some  dated information about Devon House "today", so here is the necessary information if you plan to visit.  You can take the 20 to 30 minute Mansion Tour on Monday through Saturday between 9:30am and 5:00pm.  Price: US$5.00 for adults, US$2.00 for children under 12. There are also about a dozen shoppes and two restaurants to enjoy, and this area is open between 10:00am and 6pm, also Monday through Saturday. (The food establishments are open until 10:00pm.)  I love the design of the shoppes with their quaint red bricks & white trim, all designed with the 19th Century in mind.  (I visited at Christmas time in 2008 so those are Christmas lights you see on the shoppes in the last photo!)  You may also want to enjoy the beautiful gardens and park daily from 9:30am to 10:00pm, except Good Friday & Christmas Day. This would be the perfect spot for a picnic beneath the giant trees!

In any event, be sure to stop at the famous and very popular I Scream for a tasty treat (their ice cream is scrumptious), enjoy a meal at Norma's on the Terrace, another of Jamaica's popular restaurants,  and check out the Wassi Art Pottery store (I love their pottery.) We also bought some great body oils and candles from Starfish Oils. Enjoy!

Devon House

SET BACK from the main road and nestled behind majestic trees is eye-catching, regal splendour of the Devon House mansion. An outstanding tribute to Jamaican craftsmanship, Devon House stands a proud symbol of Jamaica's past and its history is compelling. In the late 19th century, the corner of Trafalgar and Hope Roads was known as Millionaire's Corner. There, three of the island's richest men had built mansions ­The Verley Family's Abbey Court, Daniel Finzi's Reka Dom and George Steibel's Devon House.

In the early 1960s, Abbey Court was bought and demolished to make way for Abbey Court apartments and Reka Dom now houses the YMCA. Steibel's Devon House almost suffered the same fate as Abbey Court in the 1960s but it was saved and preserved for posterity as a historical landmark and heritage site. Upon hearing of developer's plans to turn the grand old house into condominiums, the then Minister of Development and Welfare, Edward Seaga, issued an interim preservation notice under the National Trust Act to prevent Devon House from falling to the developer's axe. Devon House was later purchased by the government and, under Seaga, the concept of creating a centre for craft work, food and drink around the historical monument began to take shape. Its environs were transformed into the historic house museum, park, refreshment and shopping complex it is today, all of which were aimed at helping render the restoration and preservation enterprise self-sustainable.

A portrait of George Steibel

GEORGE STEIBEL

Many say that Steibel's life resembles a fairy tale. Born the son of a Jamaican housekeeper and a German Jew in the 1820s, young George was subjected to harsh treatment due to his mixed parentage. At 14, he left school and went to work as a carpenter's apprentice, and at 19, was involved with the reconstruction of the famous Ferry Inn, between Kingston and Spanish Town. Read the rest of this entry »

Food Kartel rocks curry fest

Published: Tuesday | April 27, 2010
Adrian Frater, News Editor

While most of the top acts sparkled, it was the little-known deejay Food Kartel who stole the spotlight as he left patrons in a euphoric tizzy at Sunday night's concert phase at the 2010 Westmoreland Curry Festival at the Mannings School in Savanna-la-mar.

It was a case of offering patrons, who had spent the earlier part of the day sampling a wide array of curried delicacies, a musical desert as screams of delight and spontaneous dancing greeted the food-based lyrics, which Food Kartel delivered with confidence and authority.

Hitting the stage after stellar performances from the likes of Ken Boothe, John Holt, I-Octane and a dazzling Nesbeth, Food Kartel, nattily attired in red and white, took the venue by storm, as he ruled supreme with songs such as Come Cook Fi Me, Nah Get None and Last Dish.

When Food Kartel left the stage, Read the rest of this entry »

I love these old articles from the Jamaica Gleaner. Maybe while you're exploring the North Coast in and around St. Ann's Bay, you will come across the ruins of Edinburgh Castle. Today, learn all about its gruesome history and the Scottish madman who ran the place! YIKES!

Lewis Hutchison: The Mad Master

Not too long after Hutchison's arrival, travellers began disappearing without a trace... no one could ever have suspected the level of torture they experienced...

By Dr. Rebecca Tortello

LOCATED IN the Pedro district of St. Ann, on a low hill near to where the main road from St. Ann's Bay to Jamaica's south side used to run, lie the ruins of Edinburgh Castle, so named by a Scottish architect. Built in the 1700s it stood small and square with two-storeys and two circular loop-holed towers at opposing diagonal corners. The road no longer runs close to the building, once loftily titled a castle. To those passers-by of today it may seem like nothing more than an old ruin, yet those old stones bear the burden of one of the most evil pieces of Jamaica's history, the story of Lewis Hutchison, said to be the most feared and hated man of his day.

Hutchison, known better as the Mad Master of Edinburgh Castle, was born in Scotland in 1733 where he is believed to have studied medicine for a while. He came to Jamaica in the 1760s to run an estate on which a house known as Edinburgh Castle sat. Although he is said to have acquired the land legally, his collection of cattle was said to consist mostly of strays from neighbouring pens. Cattle stealing, however, was the least of red-haired Hutchison's sins.

Not too long after Hutchison's arrival, cases of travellers disappearing without a trace began to mount in number and suspicions ran rampant, but no one could ever have suspected the level of torture they experienced. Travellers would occasionally stop to rest at Edinburgh Castle, the only inhabited spot for miles on the way from St. Ann's Bay south not knowing that they would become the target of Hutchison's unerring aim.

Hutchison killed for sport, not money, as travellers of all shapes, sizes and income levels were equal game. It is said that he fed off the flow of blood and often dismembered his victims and left them in the hollow trunk of a cotton tree, a sinkhole, for the vultures to carry on where he left off. The hole became known as "Hutchison's Hole". Read the rest of this entry »

I fell in love with Dennis Brown's voice LONG AGO and never grow tired of listening to him. He ALWAYS brightens my day. Nice article below from NPR & be sure to have a listen to the video. It's an old favorite of mine & you rarely hear this sweet one! Mmmmmm hmmmmm... I'm in love! Gone too soon but he left us with so much of his music to enjoy.

Dennis Brown: The "Crown Prince" of Reggae

by Christopher Johnson, April 26, 2010

"If they say that Bob Marley is the king of reggae music, then Dennis Brown is the crown prince."

That's high praise coming from the king's youngest son, Damian Marley, and it's one of the genre's oldest debates: Who really rules classic reggae, Bob Marley or Dennis Brown? Even Bob Marley hailed Brown as the best reggae singer in the world.

The name "crown prince" stuck with Brown for much of his 30-year career, but his fans say he ranks second to no one. Reggae singer Freddie McGregor became friends with Dennis Brown in Kingston, Jamaica, where Brown was born in 1957.

"He was our child prodigy," McGregor says. "Although I started recording way before Dennis, when Dennis started recording, he immediately became successful."

They first met at Studio One, the same place Bob Marley got his start. Brown was already being billed as "the boy wonder singing sensation" when he stopped by Studio One to cut his first hit, "No Man Is an Island." He was 11.

Over the next three decades, he made more than 75 albums packed with hits. Dennis Brown was a force. The key to his success was his voice.

"Dennis Emmanuel Brown," Damian Marley says. "I would have to say... joy."

The word "joy" leaps off Marley's tongue. It's what Marley says he hears every time a Dennis Brown tune comes on.

"You just have to fall in love with the voice," he says. "With the lyrics behind it, it's just soothing." Read the rest of this entry »