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GENTING INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL 2008 (GIJF) >TIGHTEN UP! JAZZ JAMAICA PRESS
JAZZ JAMAICA SUPERSTARS TO SHINE AT GENTING
One of the biggest jazz bands with several awards under their belt is coming to Malaysia to perform at the 2nd Genting International Jazz Festival.
The band plays an amalgamation of jazz and reggae, also known as ska.
In the mid-20th century, ska was the most popular and dominant music form in Jamaica and this in turn, was imported to Britain. Caribbean calypso grooves are very evident, along with lots of big band horns and horn riffs that are also characteristic of ska.
Jazz Jamaica was the brainchild of double-bass jazz player Gary Crosby. In 1991, he used the rhythms of Jamaican music and jazz, and put them to work in arrangements of jazz standards as well as Jamaican folksongs.
It was an instant hit, and the band became a name associated with “skazz” – its main appeal was that it was tremendously dance-oriented, had catchy melodies, attracted a young audience that was not usually appreciative of mainstream jazz music, and was just full of vigour and spontaneous fun.
The band has undergone different projects since its inception. When it was called the Jazz Jamaica All Stars in 2002, they won the BBC Radio Jazz Award for Best Band. After that, they did a Motorcity Roots tour where they incorporated Motown music into their songs.
In 2006, they were awarded the UK Parliamentary Jazz Award for being Ensemble of the Year.
Jazz Jamaica’s newest project is called Tighten Up! This is the show that they will be bringing to Genting Highlands in April 2008 as the last act to end the Saturday night of the Genting International Jazz Festival.
In this, they are joined by special guest Myrna Hague – the Jamaican star singer who brought to fame the hit song “What About Me?”
Also in the band are some of the top names in the industry. With these talents, Genting organizers expect a superb, souped-up show that will end the festival with a whoop and bang.
Find out more about tickets and packages for the festival by calling the hotline number 03-2718 1118 or visiting the website www.gentingjazz.com
The festival will run over Friday and Saturday, the 4th & 5th of April. There will be 10 bands on stage, each bringing some of the most amazing music and showmanship you have ever witnessed – all in the name of jazz.
Yeoh Jun Lin
Artistic Director
Genting International Jazz Festival
One of the biggest jazz bands with several awards under their belt is coming to Malaysia to perform at the 2nd Genting International Jazz Festival.
The band plays an amalgamation of jazz and reggae, also known as ska.
In the mid-20th century, ska was the most popular and dominant music form in Jamaica and this in turn, was imported to Britain. Caribbean calypso grooves are very evident, along with lots of big band horns and horn riffs that are also characteristic of ska.
Jazz Jamaica was the brainchild of double-bass jazz player Gary Crosby. In 1991, he used the rhythms of Jamaican music and jazz, and put them to work in arrangements of jazz standards as well as Jamaican folksongs.
It was an instant hit, and the band became a name associated with “skazz” – its main appeal was that it was tremendously dance-oriented, had catchy melodies, attracted a young audience that was not usually appreciative of mainstream jazz music, and was just full of vigour and spontaneous fun.
The band has undergone different projects since its inception. When it was called the Jazz Jamaica All Stars in 2002, they won the BBC Radio Jazz Award for Best Band. After that, they did a Motorcity Roots tour where they incorporated Motown music into their songs.
In 2006, they were awarded the UK Parliamentary Jazz Award for being Ensemble of the Year.
Jazz Jamaica’s newest project is called Tighten Up! This is the show that they will be bringing to Genting Highlands in April 2008 as the last act to end the Saturday night of the Genting International Jazz Festival.
In this, they are joined by special guest Myrna Hague – the Jamaican star singer who brought to fame the hit song “What About Me?”
Also in the band are some of the top names in the industry. With these talents, Genting organizers expect a superb, souped-up show that will end the festival with a whoop and bang.
Find out more about tickets and packages for the festival by calling the hotline number 03-2718 1118 or visiting the website www.gentingjazz.com
The festival will run over Friday and Saturday, the 4th & 5th of April. There will be 10 bands on stage, each bringing some of the most amazing music and showmanship you have ever witnessed – all in the name of jazz.
Yeoh Jun Lin
Artistic Director
Genting International Jazz Festival