Morgan Heritage honoured to close Jazz Festival on Friday night

Kingston, JAMAICA:- Producer of the Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival, Walter Elmore, has

endorsed sensational roots reggae band, Morgan Heritage, as “a class act … who has maintained great appeal throughout their career”. Describing their onstage performance as “exceptional” Mr. Elmore hinted that this is the factor which has given the sibling group the edge to close the festival’s Friday night, the same night on which multi Grammy award winning singer, Mariah Carey, is scheduled to perform.

It was in 2006 that the Royal Family of Reggae last appeared at the Jazz & Blues Festival, and their return nine years later is certainly something to smile about. In fact, it is quite a significant stride in Morgan Heritage’s journey as they reclaim their rightful place on the musical landscape, doing it on local soil, but in an international way. Hailing the organisers for adding them to the line-up as the show closer on January 30, Gramps Morgan agreed with Walter Elmore that having the group on the event was indeed “tremendous”.

"Our first Jazz & Blues performance was at Cinnamon Hill and it was awesome. We are definitely looking forward to making our debut at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium even more memorable, especially knowing that we are performing on the same night that Mariah Carey makes her Caribbean debut. It is really a tremendous feeling and an honour to be closing a show of this caliber,” Gramps said.

In the last year and a half, the five-member group, which comprises Mojo, Lukes, Una, Peter and Gramps, has been kept busy working the international circuit, but has still managed to stay close to fans at home with a series of up close and personal concerts and new music blazing the airwaves. In between shows, Morgan Heritage has been making time to go into the studio for the production of the follow-up album to Here Come The Kings, the successful 2013 offering which announced the group’s musical re-entry as a unit. Entitled

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Strictly Roots, the upcoming album will – for the first time –  be released on the group’s own CTBC (Cool To Be Conscious) Music label, rather than VP Records, with whom Morgan Heritage has enjoyed a long and mutually satisfying relationship.

Known for hits such as Don’t Haffi Dread, Tell Me How Come, Down by the River, She's Still Loving Me, Your Best Friend, Nothing to Smile Bout and Perfect Love Song, Morgan Heritage promises fans a night filled with classic roots reggae and love songs, along with a taste of the new and exciting tracks from their soon-to-be-released album.

The 2015 staging of the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, The Art of Music takes place from January 29 -31 at the Trelawny Stadium and features Mariah Carey, The Pointer Sisters, Magic, Peter Cetera, Charlie Wilson, Soja, Arturo Tappin, Josey Wales, Johnny Clarke, George Nooks, Oscar B, Richie Stephens and others.