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Tracing Marley's footsteps

Bob Marley may have performed only two times in Belgium, but he certainly made a mark on that European country. A four-member crew from Belgian television station, Nostalgie, is in Jamaica filming a documentary commemorating the 30th anniversary of his death.

Marley

Sur Les Traces de Bob Marley (In The Footsteps of Bob Marley) will be 52 minutes long and will be aired by Nostalgie on May 11, the day Marley died from cancer in 1981.

It is directed by Brice DePasse, head of music at the Brussels-based station.

"Bob has been big in Belgium since he performed there in 1977. His music never stops playing there," DePasse told The Gleaner during filming at the Bob Marley Museum last Saturday.

DePasse and his crew interviewed several persons who knew Marley for Sur Les Traces, including Ibo Cooper, founding member of Third World, Herbie Miller, now a director of the Jamaica Music Museum, and engineer Stephen Stewart of Harry J studios in Kingston where Marley recorded songs for his early albums with Island Records.

The documentary is one of three Marley projects the Nostalgie team are working on. The others are feature-length articles for the Cinaravua magazine and La Vanir newspaper.

Marley rose to superstardom on the strength of monumental tours of Europe.

Two of his albums for Island were recorded live.

The first was the memorable Live! which was done at the Lyceum in Britain in 1975. The second, Babylon By Bus, heard him performing in Paris, Copenhagen, London and Amsterdam.

Marley performed twice in Brussels at the 7,000-seater Forest National venue in 1977 and 1980.

Shauna keeps it official on debut set

When singer Shauna Dixon started work on her debut album two years ago, one song she was keen to cover was Officially, which is also the title of the recently released set.

Officially was a big hit for bass player-singer Lloyd Parks in 1974 and remains his signature song. Shauna says it has always been one of her favourite tunes.

"It's a song I wanted to do for years. I tried to stay true to the original, but at the same time put a Shauna-esque flavour to it," she said from her Fort Lauderdale home.

The 15-track album was co-produced by Shauna and Hugh Palmer. It also includes a cover of Roberta Flack's quiet storm hit, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, as well as Show You Love which Shauna first recorded six years ago for Paul 'Dr Paul' Hamilton, best known as bass player of the Riddim Kings and Ruff Kut bands.

Most of the songs were written by Shauna, who was born in New York City to Jamaican parents. She said she grew up around music as her father Perry La Touche was a musician on the Big Apple music scene in the 1970s and 1980s.

Shauna moved to South Florida in the late 1980s, and that's where her recording career started. One of her first songs was Live in Harmony which was produced by Willie Lindo, whose Heavy Beat label has produced massive hits by Boris Gardiner and Beres Hammond.

Show You Love, a mini album, was produced in 2005 by Dr Paul, who also showed her the ropes of studio engineering.

"I love engineering. I love that you can manipulate the different sounds and get something wonderful from it," she said.

As a studio and live show engineer, Shauna has worked with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, Glen Washington, Sanchez, Frankie Paul and Turbulence.

Wild Hare calls it a day

The Wild Hare reggae club in Chicago will close its doors for good on May 15 after a 25-year run. Some of the biggest names in Jamaican popular music have played the venue which was founded by members of the Ethiopian reggae band, Dallol.

Zeleke Gessesse, an owner of the Wild Hare, said he and his partners will be returning to Ethiopia to help rebuild their country.

"We came to Chicago as political refugees from Ethiopia, it was a tough time and there was a civil war. Now is a good time to go home and get involved in the transformation of the country," Gessesse said last week.

The Wild Hare is a popular spot for reggae lovers in the 'Windy City'. Its weekly roster includes a dancehall night, hip-hop night and a live spot for veteran and upcoming reggae acts.

Journeyman unit, the Ark Band and the Chicago All Stars are among the Wild Hare's closing week performers.

Gessesse was a member of Dallol, a band that was once signed to Bob Marley's Tuff Gong label. They also toured as opening act for Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers.

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