Rise Up, a documentary on the Jamaican underground music scene, has toured festivals and special events around the world. It has also been broadcast in U.S. TV earlier this year. But we thought that this great documentary deserved a wider audience so that everyone could be able to watch it.
That’s why United Reggae teamed with RiseUp Entertainment to show you the TV version of the movie (60 min) for free over 48 hours and also give you the opportunity to buy the original 90 minute theatrical version, before its official release, exclusively on United Reggae…
On the Man Recordings blog, our friend Daniel Haaksman yesterday published an article after recently meeting his mate Andreas Johnsen in Denmark. Johnsen is a film maker who has made himself a name with documentaries like »Mr.Catra – O Fiel« (2004), »Good Copy, Bad Copy« (2007) and »Natasja« (2008):
When I received a copy of one of Andreas’ recent movies about Danish reggae vocalist Natasja, I was shocked to learn about her fate. Natasja was the voice of one of the biggest dance tunes of 2007, Enur’s »Calabria«. Shortly before the single was released and became a world hit, Natasja, who also been a professional jockey, tragically died in a car crash in Jamaica. »Natasja« very subtly tells her touching life story.
Not the most thrilling storyline, not the most innovative camera-work but still a very decent journey back into time – a journey back to 1980:
straight into the heart of the Jamaican reggae scene, following legendary reggae artists Toots Hibbert and The Congos. [...] »Jamdown« contains some of the most electrifying live reggae footage ever captured on film.
»Superstonic Sound: The Rebel Dread« is a documentary about the Letts family legacy that mirrors the history of BASS in the UK from Dub, Reggae and Punk to 80s pop, Hip Hop and Dubstep; a musical, cultural and personal link between past and present.
Currently touring film festivals, out later this year. Can’t wait for Notting Hill Carneval by the way…
On January 20th, Rocksteady pioneer Nerlynn Taitt died from cancer in Toronto, Canada.
“Lynn Taitt was a musician’s musician,” prominent music selector/historian Winston Blake told Splash. [...]
“He played a role in Bob Marley’s career, and touched the lives of countless reggae greats,” was how well-known musicologist Roger Steffens remembered Lynn Taitt. “He will be remembered by historians as one of the major contributors to the internationalisation of reggae, particularly for his work in spreading the music in Canada,” the reggae historian added.
Taitt began playing the guitar at the age of 14. He came to Jamaica in the early 1960s and was booked by the late Byron Lee to perform on the 1962 Independence celebrations. While here, he played in a number of bands, including The Sheiks, The Cavaliers, The Skatalites, Baba Brooks and Tommy McCook and the Supersonics.
He later started the first of two outfits, and — according to Winston Blake — Lynn Taitt and The Comets was one of the best dance bands Jamaica had. He went on to form The Jets in 1966, which included such stalwarts as Hux Brown, Headley Bennett, Hopeton Lewis, Gladstone Anderson and Winston Wright, which was his most successful aggregation.
The musical virtuoso was highly rated for his inventive and unconventional guitar styling. He has been widely credited as having crafted the first rocksteady bassline on the song Take It Easy by vocalist Hopeton Lewis. (via Jamaica Observer)
When doing some quick research on Taitt, I came across the trailer you can watch above.
