Inspired by the rhythms of traditional Caribbean music, the band around bassist Gary Crosby fuses jazz improvisation with Mento, Ska and Reggae. The roots of their music are to be found in the London Jazz scene of the 1940s and 1950s when the first immigrants from the Caribbean arrived in London, introducing their musical traditions into the soundscape of the metropolis.
The group comprises three generations of musicians, aged between twenty-four and seventy-two. Their music articulates very diverse musical styles and experiences. Worth mentioning here is the work of the band’s saxophonist, Denys Baptiste, who has set to music the lyrics of Nigerian writer Ben Okri in a piece entitled "Let Freedom Ring", written in honour of Martin Luther King. At the House of World Cultures, Jazz Jamaica will give a concert on the occasion of the Black Media Congress and the presentation of the first Black German literature prize on 30 October 2004. Youth workshops with the group’s instrumentalists are also under consideration.With friendly support by the British Council.
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