MAR 2016 #03.03 M A G A Z I N E ROOTS / ROCK / REGGAE / RESPECT featuring SAHRA INDIO ROOTS RESPECT AURA LEWIS KEIDA ROCK KELISSA JOAN WEBLEY SHANIQUE KAYLA BLISS RETREAT ISET SANKOFA DO ROAD: MIDNITE OLIVIA WILMOT IRIEMAG.COM ISSUE #03.03 / MARCH 2016 “ Never limit yourself because of others’ limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination.” -Mae Jemison First African-American Female Astronaut Nicholas ‘Nico’ Da Silva Founder/Editor in Chief IRIEMAG.COM TABLE OF CONTENTS. ROOTS. ROCK. REGGAE. Aura Lewis Joan Webley Sahra Indio The Chronicles of Reggae Nanook Enterprise Original Bush Mama RESPECT. RETREAT. RIDDIMS. RELEASES. Kindah Touch The Road Irie Trax March 2016 One Family Do Road: 2016 Roots. Rock. Reggae. New & Upcoming Releases ROOTS. AURA LEWIS Photograph Credit: The Telegraph UK Aura Lewis (born Aurelia ‘Aura’ Grace Msimang on March 4, 1947) was a South African singer FOLLOW Irie Magazine who worked with Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff and recorded an album with Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry in the late 1970s. Early Life and Career Aura was born Aurelia Msimang in Western Native Township, Johannesburg, South Africa. After growing up in Johannesburg, she moved to the United States in the early 1970s and enrolled at New York’s Hunter College. She married a jazz musician and became known as Aura Lewis. It was in 1972 when she became interested in reggae after seeing The Wailers perform at Max’s Kansas City, a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South, in New York City, which became a gathering spot for musi- cians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s. Aura moved to Jamaica in 1976 where she enrolled in the Drama department of the Jamaica School of Arts, and began working with Cedric Brooks in the group United Africa. She was introduced to Jimmy Cliff, WEBSITE who asked her to join him on his 1977 West African tour as a backing vocalist, the tour filmed and iriemag.com/chronicle/ released on video as Bongo Man. Cliff’s band stopped off in London before returning to Jamaica, where she was taken to Island Records by Cliff, while Lee Perry and Bob Marley were working on ‘Punky Reggae Party’ (released on Bob Marley & the Wailers’ ‘Exodus’ album). Perry was looking for an additional backing vocalist and asked Lewis to contribute to the recording, joining Candy MacKenzie. IRIEMAG.COM Back in Jamaica, Lewis became a regular backing vocalist for Perry at his Black Ark studio, and began working on a group project called ‘Full Experience’, along with another Black Ark session singer, Pamela Reed. Perry agreed to produce an album by the group, and drafted in Candy MacKenzie to make the group up to a trio. They recorded eleven tracks in 1978 with a backing band including Mikey ‘Boo’ Richards, Winston Wright, Geoffrey Chung, Michael Chung, and Sticky, including a version of Nina Simone’s ‘Young Gifted and Black’, retitled ‘Young, Gifted and Broke’, and the track FOLLOW Irie Magazine ‘Full Experience’ (originally called ‘Stricly Roots’), which featured Boris Gardiner on bass guitar. The tracks recorded also featured versions of the Swahili songs ‘Malaika’ and ‘Haposamane’. The album was never issued in Jamaica, amid tensions between band members. Eventually, Lewis was able to obtain a tape containing five tracks from the sessions and these were licensed to the French Blue Moon label, and released in 1990. The album sleeve features an image of Lewis superimposed on a photograph of the outside of the Black Ark studio. ‘Full Experience’ was included on the album Baffling Smoke Signal: The Upsetter Shop Volume 3 in 2002. A wanderer and an activist, Aura Lewis eventually settled in Johannesburg where she was part of the Founding Members of the recently formed ‘Reggae Promoters Association’ RPA (SA). She also became heavily involved in different youth projects. On November 30, 2015, an email subscription arrived in our inbox. It was from Aura. She had written a beautiful introduction and also thanked us for the magazine and for giving reggae a positive voice. In the early morning hours of Christmas (2015), Aura suffered a stroke. She unexpectedly passed WEBSITE away on December 28, 2015. iriemag.com/chronicle/ As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we ask that you join us in keeping Aura Lewis in your hearts. We will miss you, Aura! We dedicate this issue of IRIE Magazine in your loving memory. IRIEMAG.COM JAM ROCK. JOAN WEBLEY Nanook Enterprise ROCK. JOAN WEBLEY Nanook Enterprise Photography By: Seala Media FOLLOW Joan Webley Joan Webley’s love of music is one of her primary reasons for trying to aid the development of the arts in Jamaica. This passion for music, combined with a multicultural upbringing, has shaped Joan’s career. She studied and worked in the entertainment industry in Melbourne, Australia for seven years. While completing her music business and law degrees, she worked in the fashion and music industries. Upon admittance to the Supreme Court of Victoria, she continued legal representation of filmmakers, animators, musicians and other entertainment professionals, before returning to Jamaica in 2008. Since then, Joan has been steadily drawing on her experiences, and collaborating with the local creative community, as she pioneers Jamaica’s first creative hub: Nanook. Nanook Enterprises is based on Burlington Ave., in Kingston’s unofficial Entertainment District. The word started as Joan’s childhood nickname, and has Inuit Indian origins, but has evolved into an acronym that guides her approach: Nurturing All Nuances Of One’s Kreativity. It provides a “safe space” to facilitate the developmental, showcasing and networking needs of its eclectic, root-ical, creative and cultural entrepreneurs. Signature Events, including Level UP!, Sankofa Sessions, Ayni Meditations and various workshops and film screenings are held in the hub. It has also provided a meeting space for for other industry groups including the Jamaica Design Association, Manifesto Jamaica and the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association. While developing the Nanook space WEBSITE Joan has worked alongside these organisations, and used her legal training, to advise individuals and nanookonline.com advocate for legislative changes in support of Jamaica’s creators and culture locally. Holistic, practical and innovative: Nanook has piloted several programmes and services to facilitate artists and entrepreneurs with access to the solutions they need. It’s multipurpose, co-working space IRIEMAG.COM includes an outdoor lounge with a bar and fire pit to meet the social and business needs of the com- munity. It’s products and services are geared at managing intellectual property assets, integrating innovative design and technology, and facilitating healthy peer collaboration and cultural exchange. Last year saw 7 members of the community space undertaking an independent exploratory tour of European markets (UP!Tour 2015). And, this year has already seen the exciting addition of ‘The Nook’, an on-site 9-bed hostel, allowing visitors to Kingston the unique opportunity to stay and genuinely FOLLOW Joan Webley connect with the local creative community. Nanook is doing all it can to help build bridges for people to ‘mek it inna life’ (make a better life) through respect for Jamaican indigenous culture and pursuit of their creative passions. “The next few years will be about constantly evaluating the impact of our activities. Refining the Nanook Approach locally, and deepening the cultural exchange with our international community,” says Joan. “I’m also becoming more aware and comfortable with my role as a community leader and wanting to bring myself more in alignment with the approach I advise. I truly believe that our culture and creativity are the keys to social and economic freedom, and it’s time for me to live that, and turn UP!” WEBSITE nanookonline.com IRIEMAG.COM USA REGGAE. SAHRA INDIO ORIGINAL BUSH MAMA REGGAE. SAHRA INDIO Original Bush Mama FOLLOW In 2003, Sahra Indio (Olumeye Records) released her first album entitled Good’s‘ Gonna Happen’ Sahra Indio (one of four full-length albums), marking her arrival on the reggae scene. ‘Good’s Gonna Happen’, considered a pop-reggae crossover album by many, became Sahra’s signature song, winning the Unisong International Contest, Reggae Song Of the Year Award in 2004. Featured Single In 2007, Sahra’s second album ‘Change’ released featuring a strong reggae offering with production by legendary reggae guitarist, Tuff Lion. ‘Change’ showed a consistent backing of the artist with beautiful harmonies and live musical arrangements. ‘Change’ was created for the love of music and not for the music business. ‘Jah Fire’, one of the favorites of the album, also appeared on both ‘Hawaiian Roots Music Compilation’ (2009) and ‘Dread & Alive: Kindah Vol. 1’ (ZOOLOOK Label, 2010). Sahra Indio’s EP entitled, ‘Marijuana Music’ released in 2009, featuring four award-winning contest songs in The Marijuana Music Contests (2009-2011), including the bonus track ‘Down At the Awa Bar’ (video). The EP was created to share at hemp festival performances in Amsterdam, Canada, California, Come with the Fyah and Washington. June 02, 2015 Sahra’s Album, ‘Tru I’ (2012), is a collection of heavyweight reggae & dub tracks from talented composers from Hawaii, Jamaica, France, The UK, Italy and Austria. Good found Sahra in meeting Co-Producer Digikal Roots of Roots Lab Intl. (now Para-Void Records) and again in having all WEBSITE contributions skillfully blended and mixed by Don Fe Studio with mastering at MIA Studio (Spain). sahraindio.com ‘Tru I’ was recorded at Solar Edge Studio with family support from her partner Owen (Executive Producer), brother Moon (‘Testify’ Saxophone) and cousin Reggie (backgrounds, composing). Sahra sounds off to critical concerns and affairs, then soothes the mind with flowing dub poetry. IRIEMAG.COM In 2012, Recycle Hawaii invited Sahra to participate in the organizations Educational Program, ‘Artists & the Environment Presentations’ in schools around the Big Island of Hawaii.