At the end of March, on the 30th to be exact, several veteran reggae and dancehall artists will be at Colonel Lawn in Stewart Town, St. Mary (Jamaica) for Little John‘s Birthday Celebration. Members of the public will be gladly received, providing they pay the cover charge of $6,000 JMD at the gate.
Ken Boothe, Errol Dunkley, Professor Nuts, Leroy Sibbles, Terry Ganzie, Josey Wales, Carl Dawkins, Peter Metro, Fred Locks, Danny English, Fantan Mojah, Louie Culture, George Nooks, Admiral Bailey, Determine, Duane Stephenson, V.C, and Nitty Kutchie, are just some of the names that will be at this event.
The record label that gave us hit compilations like Rock All Riddim, World Rebirth Riddim, and Reggae Sax Riddim, to name a few, is back with another mellifluous project. This past Friday, February 9th, Reggae Vibes Music released their latest juggling; a ten-track reggae anthology dubbed Natural Vibes Riddim. It features Busy Signal, Jah Cure, Turbulence, Pressure Busspipe, Powerman, Lutan Fyah, Kurtiouss, Jay Shephard, Rufftop Rock I, and Ginjah.
Curious to find out how they were able to get a song from Jah Cure, who is currently confined in The Netherlands, I reached out to Reggae Vibes‘ CEO Marlon Folkes, who explained:
“GM MJ. In October 2021 I reached out to Jah Cure for some dubplates because I had a few dj gigs coming up. He sent only one of three dubplates because he had shows in Europe and was working at his own pace and vibe.
At one point I mentioned I have a reggae riddim that I was planning to start working on in a few months. He insisted that I send it to him asap. The dubs were delayed and the events were approaching so I reminded him. He said he was feeling great and the vibe in Europe made him more inclined to record a track on the nameless riddim, which eventually became the Natural Vibes Riddim.
Again I insisted on the dubplates because I really wanted them for the events. Jah Cure, as he is known for, did his own thing and recorded “How Can I Explain’ [his song on the compilation]. A few days later the unfortunate incident occurred.”
The above statement is confirmation that this song from Jah Cure is conceivably one of his last recordings before being locked up. That knowledge, coupled with the fact that all the artists delivered masterfully, are reasons enough to get a copy of this album. Natural Vibes Riddim can be streamed and/or downloaded from iTunes, Deezer, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon, and all other streaming platforms.
Catch A Fire Reggae Fest, the African festival known for merging both established and upcoming talents, will take place on March 9th at the Soweto Theatre in South Africa.
Pressure Busspipe, who hails from Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, will perform alongside South Sudanese award winning singer, DJ, and producer Dynamq. Tickets and additional information are available on sowetotheatre-dot-com.
Legendary soul singer Freddie Jackson will be performing at Hope Gardens in Kingston, Jamaica this Saturday, February 11th. Jackson will be supported by local acts Sanchez, Alaine, and Remone Watson, the 2023 Digicel Rising Star winner.
Freddie Jackson began his professional music career in the late 1970s, and by the mid eighties he was a household name with hits like You Are My Lady and Have You Ever Loved Somebody. For additional information about this event visit lovinthegardens-dot-com.
Reggae Month’s Young Reggae Ambassadors series will be in full swing this Saturday – February 10th – at Island Village in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. This is a free event that will begin at 8:00 PM sharp.
The Young Reggae Ambassadors confirmed for this staging are Aza Lineage, D-Medz, Royal Blu, and Eesah. Veteran reggae artist Richie Spice will also be performing as a special guest.
Alwayne Love is one of reggae music’s best-kept secrets. After having two breakout singles many years ago under the moniker J Love, and then subsequently taking a long hiatus from the industry, Alwayne is back!
Born Jermaine Alwayne Love in St. Mary, Jamaica, he – in consultation with his new management team – opted to change his artist name from the former J Love to now Alwayne Love. A native of Broadgate, a small district in the aforementioned parish, Alwayne had a difficult childhood, one that unfortunately involved deeply distressing experiences. As a result, he was raised by his biological mother and stepfather, as well as with foster parents. His academic achievements were attained at Broadgate Basic, Mahoe Hill Primary, and St. Mary High School. Sadly, he did not complete the latter.
With all that he had to deal with at home, young Alwayne spent a lot of time at the local church, which is where he first started singing. In fact, he credits the word of God coupled with his childhood trauma and rejection as his main sources of inspiration. And although he is most known for performing reggae and dancehall tunes, he has made it clear that he has, and will continue to include gospel and inspirational music in his catalogue.
As he steps back into the music industry, Alwayne Love is coming with the very thing that has allowed him to work with Gyptian, Box Lunch Production, Tad’s International, and other credible artists and labels; good music. His come back tune, which will be released shortly, is a nostalgic reggae song called Africa The Motherland.
Alwayne Love is now under the management of Mark Burke of T25 Records.
On January 11, 2024, Boston-based roots artist JahRiffe released Closer, a song that is the epitome of authentic Rasta reggae music.
According to JahRiffe, he was inspired to write this one after reflecting on how much he appreciates his relationship with The Creator, and how his commitment to the Most High has resulted in his sense of security, inner peace, and overall well-being. Although Closer is an extremely strong faith-based record, it is also equally relaxing, and as such, possesses the ability to put listeners into a meditative state.
The beautiful one drop reggae rhythm was created by David “JAH David” Goldfine who played the drums, bass, percussion, lead keyboard, and lead guitar, and Laurent “Tippy I” Alfred who added the rhythm guitar and keyboard. Backing vocals were done by Ruel Klyve Moncrieffe, and it was mixed by Goldfine and mastered by Tom Waltz.
Reggae selectors in receipt of the track who are more drawn to conscious roots music have been celebrating Closer. It is already enjoying steady rotation from several deejays, with some pledging to always have it on their playlists. For his part, JahRiffe says he would like listeners to: “seek to be the best of you by knowing there is a higher part of you connected beyond the earth but the earth is where you bring it out. So always bring out the best of that.” He also added: “give thanks for the support please keep supporting and spreading good vibes in the world.”
MARIA JACKSON 27 MAGAZINE 