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>> Hot tips for the three-day Montreal
International Reggae Festival

SON OF GONG: Kymani Marley

by MOSS RAXLEN

The fourth edition of the successful Montreal International Reggae Festival unfolds this weekend down in the Old Port district, and the Mirror has asked Moss “Mossman” Raxlen, founder of the long-running Dub Lounge nights and historian of Jamaican music, to pick out a few highlights of the schedule:

Black Uhuru: A real treat for fans is the reforming of this ruling conscious reggae supergroup, performing for the first time in many years in Montreal. Black Uhuru put their first album out in 1977 as Love Crisis, and re-released it in 1980, remixed and overdubbed, as the crucial Black Sounds of Freedom, which featured the classic “I Love King Selassie.” Other important albums followed as they continued to work with the riddim kings of Jamaica, Sly & Robbie, who helped bring Black Uhuru all the way to the Grammys—they won the first reggae Grammy in 1983 for Anthem. At that point, they were the top reggae group in the world, touring with the Police and the Rolling Stones. This will definitely be one of the key sets of the fest, with Michael Rose and Duckie Simpson at their very best. With Gyptian, I Wayne, Admiral Bailey, Turbulence and Mikey Dangerous at Quai Jacques-Cartier on Saturday, July 14, 9:30 p.m., $40–$50

Tony Rebel: Patrick “Tony Rebel” Barrett grew up in the Jamaican parish of Manchester, and soon entered the dancehall scene, working with various soundsystems, most notably Sugar Minott’s Youthman Promotions. By the late ’80s, Rebel’s “sing-jay” style was in fine form, and he scored big with one of his first hits, “Fresh Vegetable,” on the Penthouse label. It was with Penthouse that he started to work with the likes of Buju Banton, Marcia Griffiths and Cutty Ranks. It’s been non-stop since then for this reggae renaissance man, who started his own Flames label, releasing music of his own and of other likeminded stars such as Everton Blender and Luciano. He also started up his annual Rebel Salute night in 1994, which now draws attendees from all over the world and is one of the largest one-night events on the island. With Third World, Frankie Paul, Kirk Davis, Tanya Mullings and Steele at Quai Jacques-Cartier on Sunday, July 15, 6 p.m., $40–$50

STAND UP AND SALUTE: Tony Rebel

Kymani Marley: Marley family fans will be happy to know that this year, not only will Kymani be on hand—last year, he missed his flight up, so he couldn’t do the show—but his show will be free, as there has been a change at the Reggae Fest. From now on, admission to the Friday night shows will be free. Get ready to hear Kymani’s hits like “Dear Dad,” “I Pray” and “Ghetto Soldier,” and at least one or two of his father’s anthems. At Place Bonsecours on Friday, July 13, 8 p.m., free

Turbulence: This very current cat boasts a fine modern sing-jay style that comes close to Sizzla’s—the pair toured together for two years recently. Those that follow the underground mash-up scene will know the remixes of his “Notorious,” which have been bumping in clubs from here to Tokyo. Now comes the show, and it looks to be another hype one. Try to count how many of the hits he has that you can sing along to, and you’ll quickly realize that it’s every number on the set list. Always something nice coming from this artist who’s not afraid to try new vocal styles.

Luciano: A true don of the modern roots scene, Jepther McClymont, aka Luciano, was a huge contributor to its resurgence in the dancehalls of the ’90s,
most notably with producer Phillip “Fattis” Burell and his Xterminator label. Their work together solidified Luciano’s career, and he continues to shine to this day with his timeless Dennis Brown style. Here’s a chance to see him in a very new way, as this will be a special unplugged boat-cruise show that will also feature his regular back-up, Dean Fraser and Mikey General. Sunday, July 15, aboard the Cavalier Maxim, boarding at the Old Port’s Quai Alexandre at 11 p.m., departure 12:30 a.m., $65–$70

Admiral Bailey: The Admiral grew up in the Waterhouse ghetto, one of the roughest neighbourhoods in downtown Kingston—and also a musical hotbed, the home of King Tubby’s studio and a large number of artists, like Black Uhuru. After starting up on U-Roy’s legendary King Sturgav Hi-Fi, fellow deejay (which, in Jamaica, means rapper) Josey Wales brought him to King Jammy’s studio in 1986, and from that point on, the hits came flying out. Bailey banged out such memorable titles as “One Scotch” with Chaka Demus, “Politician,” the banned “Punany,” “Jump Up,” “Science Again,” “Big Belly Man” and countless others. His output went on strong until the mid-’90s, when he started to venture into other fields. He’s now a soccer coach at a youth club in Jamaica and, from time to time, does shows throughout the world.

For full info, go to
www.montrealreggaefestival.com