CaribPR Wire

CaribPR Wire, MIAMI, FL, Weds. Jan. 6, 2010: Jazz musician, Jon Saxx and his band, the Irresistible Journey, on Tuesday night walked away the winner of the 2010 South Florida Jamaica Jazz Fest Quest.

 Saxx and his group were last night declared the unanimous winner of the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival amateur music contest before a packed house at the Ginger Bay Cafe in downtown Hollywood Florida.

 Jon Saxx and the Irresistible Journey beat out five other bands to win the annual talent search competition and the chance to be flown to Jamaica later this month to perform in the birth place of reggae legend Bob Marley.

 Judges Willie Stewart, an original drummer of the famed group, Third World;  Joy Schaaffe, of Air Jamaica; Karlene Shakes of the Jamaica Tourist Board;Noel Jones of Ginger Bay Café and Lukee Chung of Frame by Frame and Island Stylee.com agreed with the audience that Saxx and his band performed phenomenally.

 Jon Saxx and the Irresistible Journey will perform at the Caribbean’s best music festival, the 2010 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival in Trelawny, Jamaica between January 24 and 30, 2010.

 Saxx was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, attended college at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and graduated with a degree in Manufacturing Engineering.

He has been voted Best Local Jazz Artist in South Florida by Miami New Times in 2008 and has performed with Najee, Montell Jordan, Howard Hewitt and at the Monthly National Anthem Performances for the Miami Heat.

Other competitors of the Jamaica Jazz Fest Quest South Florida on January 6th included Saxx  Kehv, the prince of reggae soul; Soul Stank, The Kirk Green Project, Larry Dogg and Da band and Narda “Nadiva” Malcolm.

 Jamaica Jazz Fest Quest is part of the Art of Music segment pushed by Turnkey Productions, the producers of the annual Jamaica Jazz Festival, as a way to help spotlight up and coming musical talent and assist possibly in getting them their big break in the music industry.

 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.

SOURCE: CaribPR Wire

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.