CaribPR Wire

 

CARIBPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Dec. 28, 2009: January 18, 2010 will be D-Day for the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Band Quest in New York City.

 Officials of Jamaica’s and the Caribbean’s best annual musical festival is set to host its New York City audition at SOB’s – 204 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014-4809 – from 7 p.m. this January to allow a lucky amateur musician the opportunity to perform at the prestigious event at the Greenfield Stadium, Trelawny, Jamaica.

 Musicians and bands will be selected to audition based on the best entries submitted at http://affiliate.kickapps.com/_BAND-QUEST-2010/group/106886/134639.html.

 The New York audition is being presented by Link Up Media Group, Jamrock Magazine and Turn Key Productions, producers of the annual festival.

 The winner will be flown to and hosted free of cost on the beautiful island of Jamaica and the chance to perform before thousands of fans in the birthplace of Bob Marley.

 “It was the next logical step for us and developing our Art of Music idea,” says Walter Elmore, head of TurnKey Productions. “Talented amateurs wishing to enter will have to visit the Festival’s savvy website and become a member of the JJ&B Fan Zone. With that membership, persons will be able to upload their music and performance clips.”

 The winner will be judged by a selection of qualified persons, selected by the Festival organizers and fan votes.

 A separate audition will be held in Florida from 7 p.m. on January 5, 2010  at the Ginger Bay Café , 1908 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, FL.

 The annual Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival will be held from January 24-30, 2010 in Jamaica.

 The festival has become synonymous with the culture of Jamaica and will feature not just local performance but a slew of international acts including multiple award winners Gladys Knight, Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds, Erykah Badu, Billy Ocean, Joe Roy Jackson, Kelly Price, Tamia, Deborah Cox, Hall and Oats, Jon Secada, Monty Alexander, Roy Ayers, Third World, Machel Montano HD, Marion Hall, and the Max Klezmer Band.

 Jamaica Jazz since its introduction in 1996 was known as the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, has attracted thousands of patrons from the USA, Europe, the Caribbean and Jamaica.

 This year the festival is again being presented by key title sponsor, the Jamaica Tourist Board. Other sponsors include Air Jamaica, Iberostar, Rose Hall Resort, CVM TV, Link Up Group, Jamrock Magazine and The Gleaner Company among others.

 Tickets and packages are available at www.jamaicajazzandblues.com.

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CARIBPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Dec. 22, 2009: It will be a Grammy Affair at the Caribbean`s best musical festival this January – the 2010 Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival – as acts like Gladys Knight, Kenneth `Babyface` Edmonds, Billy Ocean, Erykah Badu, Third World and The Whispers, take to the main stage in Trelawny, Jamaica.

 The line-up of the 14^th staging of the annual event recently expanded with the addition of multiple Grammy-winners, `Babyface` and Erykah Badu.

 Babyface will take to the stage on Thursday January 28^th at The Greenfield Stadium in Trelawny along with The Whispers, Joss Stone, Monty Alexander and Joe Roy Jackson.  Babyface has won over 10 Grammys for hits like `Two Occasions,` `Never Keeping Secrets` and `For The Cool In You.`

On Friday, January 29^th, fans can get ready for Erykah Badu, Billy Ocean, Machel Montano, Robin Banks and the Queens Project – featuring Tamia, Kelly Price and Deborah Cox.  Badu is sure to thrill the Jamaican audience with hits like `Tyrone,` `Bag Lady` and `Didn`t Cha Know?` while Ocean, Montano and the Queens Project are sure to keep things jumping.

The festival wraps up on Saturday January 30^th with the Empress of Soul, Gladys Knight along with Third World, Hall & Oates, Jon Secada and Marion Hall.

The addition of two top tier acts was precipitated by the unavailability of Jennifer Hudson for the Festival. Hudson was forced to cancel her confirmed appearance to accept an invitation from senior music executive Clive Davis to perform at the Grammy Awards.

`The date for the Grammy Awards had to be moved up, due to the Winter Olympics,` explained Festival Executive Producer Walter Elmore. `Changes in schedules are sometimes unavoidable, but they are also opportunities,` Elmore said of the revised line-up.

 In a statement, her representatives indicated that, `Jennifer is very much looking forward to performing at next year`s festival as she is unable to perform for the 2010 event due to scheduling conflict.`

 The 2010 staging of the JAMAICA Jazz and Blues Festival will be a seven-day long celebration of The Art of Music that will see the North Coast engulfed in the awesome sights and sounds of the Turn Key Productions event from January 24-30.

 Jamaica Jazz festival officials are urging all music fans in the U.S., U.K. and Canada to give themselves an early Christmas gift now by booking a package to the festival to experience the sights, sounds and magic of sunny Jamaica, West Indies.

Hotel rates are available from as low as US$46 per person or US$92 for single occupancy and most hotels will offer shuttle service to the venue. Tickets and packages are available at www.jamaicajazzandblues.com or by calling your favorite travel agent. 

 Jamaica Jazz since its introduction in 1996 was known as the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival. It has attracted thousands of patrons from the USA, Europe, the Caribbean and Jamaica.  International artistes that have performed at the festival include Diana Ross, Alicia Keys, Kenny Rogers, Kool & the Gang, Brian McKnight, Erykah Badu and Michael Bolton among others. 

This year the festival is again being presented by key title sponsor, the Jamaica Tourist Board. Other sponsors include Air Jamaica, Iberostar, Rose Hall Resort, CVM TV and The Gleaner Company among others.

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