Chat-bout.net - Reggae with a touch of R&B

Reggae with a touch of R&B

Live music returns to the Labor Day calendar in Queens, New York, this Sunday with the Reggae Rhythm and Blues Festival at the Roy Wilkins Park.

Things were a bit quiet last year with the cancellation of the popular Irie Jamboree show, which had attracted the biggest names in dancehall music since its inception in 2003.

The inaugural Reggae Rhythm and Blues Festival has Tarrus Riley, Mavado, Monica and Babyface as headliners. Soca king Machel Montano is also scheduled to perform.

Disc jockey Bobby Clarke of Irie Jam Radio, promoters of both shows, said that the time was right to give West Indian fans something different.

"We're bringing R&B to the Caribbean market. We expect Babyface and Monica to attract a wider cross section so it should be a bigger event," Clarke said.

He added that Irie Jamboree consistently drew 18,000-25,000 fans to Queens.

Many are Jamaicans who live in nearby Connecticut, New Jersey and Philadelphia, or from Toronto.

Irie Jamboree is expected to return in 2012 with "a full Caribbean line-up", Clarke said.

Several factors forced promoters to halt the 2010 event. One was the cancellation of US visas of top dancehall artistes by the US Embassy in Kingston.

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