Jazz Jamaica

Jazz Jamaica is a London Jazz-/Reggae-Musik-Gruppe founded and led by double bassist Gary Crosby. It was described by The Independent as "one of the UK's leading 'Good Time' bands '.

History

Jazz Jamaica was founded in 1991. Crosby gathered a group of musicians from the jazz and reggae. The band was inspired by the rhythms of traditional Jamaican music and Caribbean music and is oriented in its improvised character in jazz. She plays a fusion of mento, ska, reggae and jazz. The repertoire consists of both classical and modern jazz standards as well as Jamaican folk songs and ska and reggae standards.

The band has been increased more and more in the course of time. Crosby and his musicians have acquired as members of this musical fusion, which is also called Skazz worldwide recognition.

In March 1999, Crosby extended the occupation of Jazz Jamaica Big Band, by a number of guest soloists has enlisted as Denys Baptiste, Andy Sheppard, Soweto Kinch, Juliet Roberts, Orphy Robinson, Guy Barker, Kevin Robinson, Ashley Slater, Annie Whitehead and Alex Wilson. This led to the Jazz Jamaica All Stars, a 20 - piece band with vocals, five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones and a rhythm section of piano, guitar, bass and drums.

In 2002, Jazz Jamaica won the award for best band at the BBC Jazz Awards.

In 2004, Jazz Jamaica worked with Hugh Masekela, and a choir of young people for a concert at the Barbican Centre as part of the City of London Festival program for the tenth anniversary of South Africa's democracy.

In 2005 they released Motor City Roots, an album, with ten Motown songs and toured in the UK and Europe.

Disco Graphical Notes

• Skaravan (1993; Skazz, reprinted in Hannibal )
• Double Barrel (2002, Hannibal )