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Staggabakk

STAGGABAKK, a United Kingdom-based singjay, says he is set to have a major impact on the industry come this year.

“I have this freshness about me that forms the perfect blend of reggae and dancehall music. I believe through my songs, people will get to understand my journey and know who Staggabakk is.

Produced by Eva Entertainment Limited, he still has high expectations for his 14-track debut album Wot a Gwan in released in the last quarter of last year. Singles Mamas Bwoy and Evidence are his hit picks. According to the artiste, Mamas Bwoy tells the story of the struggles his mother endured inorder to raise him into the man he has now become.

Staggabakk, whose given name is Christopher Sappleton, 24, said he discovered his ability to write lyrics while growing up in Spanish Town.

“Growing up in Spanish Town, I used to perform at various talent shows. My family and friends have always and continue to be the driving force in my life. In 1999, my mother persuaded me to travel to the UK in order to experience a wider culture of music, learn from other musicians and develop into a much more versatile artiste, like my idol Bob Marley did.

On January 24-26, thousands of persons will be making their way to Trelawny to see top local and international acts on the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival.

The Knutsford Express has come on board to provide transportation throughout the three-day festival, to and from the venue for patrons who choose not to drive.

Located 30 minutes outside of Montego Bay, the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium is home to the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival for the fourth time. Knutsford Express transportation services will be available at a cost of $2,400 from Negril, $1,900 from Ocho Rios and $2,900 from Kingston, while Montego Bay Jazz patrons will only have to find $1,400 for their round trip to the Festival. One-way deals are also available for persons who prefer that option. Parking has also been identified in the facility for patrons who opt to drive, and a ‘Jazz’ shuttle service will be available from the general parking area in Falmouth to the venue.

Patrons are urged to leave homes and hotels early as the usual drive may take longer on show days. Usually, two and a half hours from Kingston, the route takes travellers across the famous Flat Bridge, up the winding but interesting Mount Rosser main road to Moneague and Claremont and through Ocho Rios to Runaway Bay.

A left off the Falmouth bypass takes patrons to the bright lights of the Trelawny Stadium.

According to Junior Taylor of the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival organising committee, things are in place to accommodate a smooth transportation experience for Jazz fans.

“All our shuttles will drop off patrons by the front of the venue, so there will be little walking to access the venue. There will be ample parking for everyone.

Sizzla

No one can accuse Sizzla Kalonji of resting on his laurels. The 36-year-old reggae entertainer, who, during his 22-year career, has won critical acclaim and enjoyed commercial success, has released an estimated 65 albums. Yet another is set to be released this year, the entertainer has revealed.

The album, to be titled The Messiah, is in the final stages of production.

“It’s already being mixed and mastered. It’s a spiritual-conscious album for the people. The album, which was recorded at 40 August Town Road, is exclusively Sizzla.

“I’ve always wanted to label my albums with great titles like Black Woman and Child, Thank You Mama, and now The Messiah is coming,” he said.

“This is just a solo album with Sizzla – pure Sizzla.”

Coming soon

No release date has been set but the album is expected in the coming weeks.

Sizzla capped a busy year with a sterling performance at Sting 2012. He also delivered stirring performances at Sizzla Unplugged concert, the Sir Arthur Guinness concert and at the Rumble on Jamrock fight card at the National Indoor Sports Centre on December 8, when Nicholas Walters created history by becoming the first Jamaican to win a world boxing title on local soil. He was very pleased to be part of the historic event.

“It was a great feeling, a lovely event. Being there, two Jamaicans, one an artiste, one a boxer – that gave me a thrill … being there representing your community, representing your country, knowing that we have been fighting for so long. We fought a lot of wars and here we are, spiritual again, trying to get ourselves out to the world to let them see and know what we are as a people. We use the music as much as sports to express ourselves. I was really overwhelmed by the response of the people.”

That ability to constantly deliver powerful, soul-stirring performances, he explained, comes from a meta-physical link he shares with his fans and his penchant for reaching out to the wider community.

“I think it’s a spiritual connection and the physical beauty around the fans, being able to be reached at times when you have community services and charitable works, playing and being a part of activities in and around your community and being consistent in recording and just showing the love, highlighting the people of the world, showing them right from wrong; they really like that and I think that’s what has kept Sizzla going.”

Toots and the Maytals

GRAMMY-nominated reggae pioneer Toots and the Maytals is the only Jamaican reggae act listed on the line-up of the popular Raggamuffin Reggae Festival in New Zealand.

This event, scheduled for February 1-2 in Rotorua (three-hour drive from Auckland, five from Wellington), has, in the past, hosted local reggae acts such as Shaggy and Sean Paul.

Toots and the Maytals, one of the biggest touring reggae acts, joins the slate of international reggae artistes on the roster for this festival.

From a Jamaican perspective, the most familiar of the other performers is Italian reggae artiste Alborosie, who many recognise from his hit duet Jah Blessings recorded with Etana . Another somewhat familiar face is that of Ali Campbell, the former front man for the British reggae group UB40.

This year, the headliner for the popular Kiwi festival is Grammy-winning hip hop artiste Lauryn Hill, who is no stranger to Jamaica having performed here on a couple of occasions, recorded a duet with reggae king Bob Marley (Turn You Lights Down Low) and has five children from Marley’s son, Rohan.

The rest of the line-up is occupied by a slew of reggae bands and artistes from the US west coast, the islands of the Pacific as well a native New Zealand reggae acts.