Ramblings (12/13/2011)

On this

December 13, I send out birthday greetings to General Trees, and ace musician Roland “Nambo” Robinson. Trees has been a long time favorite of mine. His days with Black Scorpio with Shoka Shine as selector, and with sparring partner Lord Sassasfras, will be treasured forever! I remember when I first brought them to the Biltmore Ballroom in Brooklyn. It was in the midst of the summer of 1986, and man, Biltmore was corked to the brim, Trees arrived in a jockey outfit (with whip and all) and just mash-up the place…that same night I saw the true talent of Shelly Thunder, she was awesome…I believe Echo Minott also made his New York debut that night…really, of all the many dances I’ve promoted over the years, this one stands out a lot.

According to reports reaching me, the Shaggy & Friends Benefit Concert, scheduled for Dec 30 (the day after the election) has been rescheduled for Saturday, January 7. After Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced Dec 29 as election day, calls began pouring in to me, asking if I think the election before the concert would hurt it, I know if it were me, I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable with it, knowing the history of elections in Jamaica. I do think Shaggy made the right decision in changing the date. I am hoping to attend this one. Man, January is hot!  Rebel Salute, Jazz Fest, and now Shaggy & Friends.

Congratulations to Sean Paul and Alexis Jordan for capping the No.1 position on both the New York and South Florida charts with “Got To Luv You.” The video (which is posted on the home page of this blog) is very interesting, the productions is superb.

One of my favorite blue-eyed soul singers, Michael McDonald, is reportedly recording some Bob Marley covers for an upcoming album. The tracks are not yet identified, but whatever they are, they will most likely be McDonald’s favorite Marley songs. This is just added royalty to Marley’s estate and more reasons for the family to continue its infighting over the million of dollars being generated every year. Imagine, over $10m annually, and the fights continue…do I hear greed?