Jamaican Rhythms | Sony Centre | June 28th, 2012 Feel the rhythm of Jamaica! Join us for an evening of music created by artists from a small nation with a big voice. JAMAICAN RHYTHMS will walk through the five decades of reggae music with icons from each decade. BUY TICKETS TODAY!
JAMAICAN RHYTHMS will feature the five decades of reggae music with icons from each decade.
FAB 5, Jamaica’s hottest live band, will present the rhythms of the 60’s; JOHN HOLT will strut through the 70’s; Reggae Queen MARCIA GRIFFITHS (member of Bob Marley’s I Threes) will rock the 80’s; Grammy nominee KING YELLOWMAN, will chant the rhythms of the 90’s; And Silky Smooth, Grammy nominee MAXI PRIEST will have Sony Centre swooning through 2000; And BEENIE MAN, Grammy winner and King of the Dancehall, will jump into this decade. JAMAICAN RHYTHMS will play tribute to Reggae icon BOB MARLEY, whose international reach has touched people on every corner of the planet.
Denise Jones the Soul of Jamaican Rhythms
Named one of the Toronto Star’s “People With Clout” in the entertainment industry, Denise Jones, president of Jones and Jones Productions, will be producing the upcoming Jamaican Rhythms. The Jamaican dynamo, who oversees numerous top events globally and owns Jambana, the world’s largest Jamaican festival, has a history of producing successful artists, and has seen her company earn multiple gold and platinum records, as well as JUNO awards for its contribution to the Canadian music industry.
With Denise’s talent and connections, in addition to her commitment to pull out all the stops for this 50th anniversary celebration of Jamaica’s independence, Jamaican Rhythms promises to be one of the year’s top events.
Jones is excited to present this event, and feels it is vital to the celebration and perpetuation of Jamaica’s independence and prosperity. “Jamaica’s culture is one of the most dynamic culture’s on this planet,” says Jones, and she intends to present that culture to the Toronto through various categories at Jamaican Rhythms.
It is music, however, that has always been at the heart of Jamaican culture, and it is only appropriate that it form the foundation of the Jamaican Rhythms.
“The rhythm of Jamaica’s music, dance, talk and food has always made up the core of its culture and society, and by extension the country as a whole. In this, the golden anniversary of Jamaica’s independence, it is only appropriate that we give the culture its due. We look forward to seeing you all at Jamaican Rhythms, the much- anticipated celebration of one country’s journey to One Love.”
“As we celebrate our 50th year of independence in a three-hour „rocumentary,‟ we will showcase the best of our performance arts as we present highlights of the finest works of our first 50 years of independence, reinforcing the Jamaica brand”- Denise Jones
Nadine Spencer, Communications Co-Chair
Reggae's Influence By Lionel Gayle
When the Canadian Reggae Music Awards (CRMA) started to highlight the talents of established and emerging reggae artists, critics of “innovative exercise” had expected it to be short-lived. But it lasted 24 years and many of the awardees are now familiar on the Canadian music scene.
Even though the CRMA has been in hiatus since 2009, there’s no doubt that its showcases and awards presentations over those 20-odd years have helped to raise the profiles of the artists and thus cement reggae as an integral part of the Canadian musical mosaic.
Reggae covers the whole gamut of the Jamaican popular music – from ska, rock steady, dub, version, to the contemporary dancehall craze.
Now, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) seems to have given full recognition to the music, and at least two mainstream radio stations in Toronto are playing more Canadian reggae. Add to those: community radios are playing more of the locally produced stuff, more reggae artists are recording their music in Canada, a few artists are getting airplays outside the country, and non-reggae artists have included reggae tracks on their albums.
“So there’s a bright light ahead for us in reggae music,” says Jay Douglas, Top Male Singer recipient at the 2007 Canadian Reggae Music Awards and one of the Canadian-based artists featured in the Jamaican Rhythms show on June 28. He adds that the reggae artists in Canada have to thank the community radio deejays who are playing the music and believing in the work being produced.
To read more about Reggae artists influence on the Canadian music scene watch for the Summer edition of Sway Magazine in stores on July 7.
Reggae Powerhouse Marcia Griffiths By Ashante Infantry Toronto Star
Griffiths, the only woman featured, best known as a member of Marley’s backing vocalists The I-Threes, actually has a career spanning the entire period of liberation.
“I’ve never had voice training in my life,” she said, “music was just a part of me.”
“When I started working with Bob, I saw it was not just entertainment, it went much deeper. I saw how serious this man took his music. We can touch people’s souls.
Griffiths has had a respectable solo career which yielded a crossover hit, 1989’s “Electric Boogie,” soundtrack for the dance Electric Slide. It’s the highest-selling single by a female reggae singer. She still tours occasionally with Rita Marley and Judy Mowatt...
“When I started in the business, it was strictly male dominated,” Griffiths said. “Today, it’s 50-50 and my greatest achievement is to hear female singers say I have been an inspiration to them.”
Fulll article
http://www.marciagriffiths.net/home.html
Men of Dancehall: Beenie Man and Yellowman Jamaican Dancehall Favourites
Yellowman has had a substantial influence on the world of hip hop. He is widely credited for leading the way for the succession of reggae artists that were embraced by the growing hip- hop community in America during the '80s. He was the undisputed King of the Dancehall – the top-selling artist in JA and abroad, and also of a new ruler of a nastier, ruder form of DJ style of lyrics knows as "slackness".
Yellowman's Greatest Hits: Zungguzungguguzungguzeng
Beenie Man is one of Jamaica's most crucial DJs combining culturally themed raps with a hardcore dancehall sound. Beenie Man has won several contests and is an excellent artist worldwide known by his amazing music.
Beenie Man - Dude
The Must Attend Show for 2012. Buy Tickets Today! TICKETS Available at Ticket Master: $35, $50, $75, VIP $150