Like ‘Catch A Fire’? Then you’re gonna ‘LOVE MOTOWN!’

Big news! I’m bringing Jazz Jamaica All Stars back to the Royal Festival Hall, London this summer for another great gig: Love Motown! 

We’re revisiting the Motown project I did as an album project with the 10-piece Jazz Jamaica back in 2005 (Motorcity Roots, Dune Records DUNECD012), but super-sizing the band like we did last time we were at the RFH. We’re also coming with some new arrangements by master music arranger, Jason ‘Yardie’ Yarde – who did the music for Catch A Fire.

When we did Motorcity Roots originally, the economics of it meant we could only record it with our regular line-up and some guest vocalists (Omar, Juliet Roberts, Mary Pearce, Zara McFarlane, Wesley Lucas, and bringing gravitas to the proceedings, the great Sir [now Lord] Bill Morris). Although it was a good album (and still is), I’d always heard it in my head as Jazz Jamaica All Stars with all the trimmings. So, when Southbank Centre invited me to create something for their Festival Of Love, I jumped at the chance to revive this project and realise that big phat sound I’d heard in my head all those years ago.

So, we’re upscaling the band to 32-piece, augmenting the regular band with big band horns, ‘Dem Three‘ (remember our brilliant backing vocalists from Catch A Fire?), strings section from Urban Soul Orchestra, 200 voices from the incredible Southbank Centre Voicelab Choir, and adding two of the most soulful voices in the UK: the wonderful Beverley Skeete and Noel McKoy.

It’s been a while coming, but I know it’s going to be a great show. BOOK NOW to get best seats (not that you’ll be sitting down for long once the music starts!)