A Reggae Night

30.06.2006

Live at Miles Davis Hall

With Prince Buster & The Delroy Williams Junction, Eek-A-Mouse, Prince Malachi

In 1966, when he was at the height of his fame, Prince Buster got to the top of the charts with "Hard Man ƒe Dead": a hard man to come to terms with. This title is not for nothing, it describes pretty well this living legend with his strong, bold, spectacular character without the need for any backup symbolises the 60s Kingston version of the young Jamaican "rudeboy".

Prince Buster, the first "all-in-one" personality of Jamaican music , has taken on lots of different roles. Singer, producer (the legendary hit "Oh Carolina" by the Folks Brothers in 1961, the founding anthem to Ska music), sound system selector, deejay or promoter, with all these facets he still remains intuitive and visionary. He launched Toots and The Maytals, to cite but another legend in Jamaican culture. A man with a prolific output, he didn't slacken off until the 70s. His efficient compositions, simple words, hit the jackpot: that's how he entered into the "pantheon" of living legends of Ska and Rocksteady, also known in England as BlueBeat. After over forty years of career, here is back headlining the Reggae evening at the 40th Montreux Jazz Festival: stars never go out!

Same place, same poster, another encounter: The Twinkle Brothers, yet another Reggae myth. Heroes of the most noble causes imaginable, The Twinkle incessantly deliver a message that's militant, that defends social and cultural rights (the outocme of Africa, human rights, rasta philosophy)...At the Miles Davis Hall, the past and the present will meet up and express hope for the future. (FFJM © 2006)