Songs
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- country:Jamaica
- style(s):Reggae, Ska
- label:Passage Production / Zulus Tour
- type:Band
- artist posted by:Full Force Production
Line up
- Bunny Robinson
- Johnny Moore
- Scully Simms
- Sparrow Martin
Links
For the last 5 years, the Jamaica All Stars have been building an ever-growing faithful fan base in Europe.
Not a mean feat for a such a recent band, by all accounts : still, it has to be said they have some trump cards up their sleeves.
But before revealing their secret formula, the time is right for a little history.
This musical adventure took shape in the mind of French director Pierre Marc Simonin, as a logical development to his Portraits of Jamaican Music documentary, which he shot in Jamaica in the second half of the 1990s.
As he had struck lasting friendships with some of his main interviewees n all of them being major actors and pioneers of their island es musical scene n it became all too clear for him that these people had never really reaped what they had sowed, and even less so on an international level, despite the fact that some of them had remained cult acts through the years in a few places (mainly the UK, USA and Japan).
Packing up his filming gear and moving on was simply too abrupt an end in the Frenchmanis eyes, who had then been inoculated with the Jamaican music cirus : the story couldnit be over.
Thus, its next stage would be to pay a lasting tribute to Jamaican music history and some of its veterans.
What better way of doing so than by offering them an opportunity to reach places where their names didnit mean much ?
Soon, a line-up of talented young musicians most of them tutored in the famous Alpha Boys School of Kingston joined a core of selected veterans such as trumpeter Johnny Moore ( founding member of the legendary Skatalites), Justin Hinds (one of the greatest Jamaican singers, jusrtin passed in march 2005, we miss you all) , Noel "Scully" Simms (one of the earliest of Jamaican singing stars, and an internationally acclaimed percussionist), not to forget the essential Sparrow Martin, head music director at Alpha Boy School who also worked as a drummer in many major bands, playing ska, jazz and more. Lately the great Bunny Robinson from the first recording artists in jamaica Bunny & Scully duet joined the inner circle.
Such pillars could only be an asset to a band whose aim was at once to bring back the foundation music of Jamaica to the fore and give an opportunity to a younger generation of musicians who too often get a raw deal in today's scene n to carry this tradition further and shine in their own right.
Consequently, new doors have opened for their authentic sounds : the Jamaican All Stars, whose line-up involves young and older artists, are now reaching beyond the generation gap thanks a musical formula which has proved very successful with eclectic audiences.
From kids to senior citizens, from the long-time aficionado to the new convert, almost everyone is bound to fall under the charm of their live performances.