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Jah9 with Dubtonic Kru with Dubtonic Kru

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Here’s your chance to witness two of Jamaica’s best-kept secrets: Jah9 and Dubtonic Kru. With the guidance of the legendary Beres Hammond, Jah9’s debut record “New Name” lit a fire in Jamaica’s Neo-Reggae scene. Jah9 has been bringing her “jazz on dub” sound to reggae festivals all of the world. Jamaica’s award-winning Dubtonic Kru will be warming up the stage, then backing Jah9 as she sets the stage ablaze!!

Jah9

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www.jah9.com/#gratitude

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Artist Bio

When Jah9 sings, hearts and minds awaken. Old school blues improvisation, meets hard hitting lyrical prowess, in a rich imaginative blend of vocal clarity and complexity. She sings with a voice that belies the dimensions of her physical body, from a soul much older than its current vessel. Her philosophy is profoundly spiritual, and her style is Jazz on Dub.

Born Janine Cunningham, Jah9 spent her first eight and a half years in Falmouth, Trelawny, on the rural western edge of Jamaica. It was an idyllic place, where everyone knew everyone else, and where the daughter of the Baptist minister first found her singing voice, at home and in the church choir. But everything changed when her father took a job as chaplain at a high school in Kingston and the family settled in a house on the school grounds.

In the city, the transplanted country girl found comfort in music and words, and blossomed in both. She sang in the church, school and youth choir; and found an outlet for her feelings in the words she wrote down on the page. Growing up in a socially conscious family, she’d always been aware of the injustices all around, but it wasn’t until university that everything came together in her mind and she really began to find her own voice.

The catalyst was a group of Rastafarian friends she made on campus while gathering by the fire to steam and reason. Long hours of talking opened her up to the teachings of Haile Selassie 1, as well as her ears to the swirling beauty of dub music and roots reggae. Suddenly the nickname of Jah9, which she’d adopted while still a little girl in Trelawny, made perfect sense.

Already a staple on Jamaica’s underground poetry scene, in the music she found a place where her words could live, and the songs she started to write found plenty of eager encouragement. Jah9 began recording with producer Sheldon Bernard and her demos caught the attention of the legendary Beres Hammond, who later began helping to develop her recording technique. She later teamed up with dancehall producer Donovan Bennett of Don Corleon Records for popular singles like “Keep Holding On and” “Warning.” A unique process outside of Jamaica, the recording of Warning was broadcast, with the track coming out the very next day. What followed was Jah9 becoming one of the most powerful female voices in Jamaican music.

But she hadn’t switched her allegiance: her heart was still firmly with roots music, and she started recording “Mr. Right” with producer Roy ‘Stone Love’ Gilligan. The pair worked so well and easily together that the project with Hammond was put on hold so she could continue to work with RoryStoneLove. The single quickly became an album, resulting in New Name,released to rave reviews a year later in February, 2013. The influential Achis Reggae Blog raved: “I cannot remember a debut album which was as lyrically strong as New Name,” also declaring it album of the year, while United Reggae’s Angus Taylor praised Jah9 for having “a jazz soloist’s fluidity, a singer’s voice and a poet’s flow.”

With New Name, Jah9 arrives fully-fledged into the spotlight. But there’s more to her than flow and melody. She lives what she speaks. A community activist, Jah9 has been heavily involved in youth development work. She’s helped develop programs for at-risk youth in Kingston, worked on the creation of Healing of the Nation public awareness campaign and been at the center of the creation of the non-profit youth and arts advocacy group known as Manifesto JA.

“Jamaica’s best-kept secret” – as Mikey Bennett of Grafton Studios once called her - is now out in the open. With New Name, Jah9 takes a journey through Jazz on Dub passing deep into the heart and mind.

Dubtonic Kru

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www.dubtonickru.com

Imagine heavy baselines, one drops, psychedelic guitar riffs, echoing keyboards, popping percussion and conscious lyrics

Now imagine roots reggae, imagine dub, rock…

Put them all together and you get a new breed of Jamaican music called DubTonic Kru

Like their style of music, Dubtonic is a mixture of two words "DUB", relating to the heavy drum and bass aspect of reggae music and "TONIC", referring to medicine. The eclectic blend of music and musicians are certainly medicine to one’s soul and after listening you simply just want more of this TONIC

It's then no surprise, the level of positive energy that is shared through music between "Dubtonic Kru" and their listeners everywhere they perform.

Their versatility and capability in being able to serve the right dosage to their varying audiences was the edge they had over their counterparts when they were voted BEST NEW BAND IN THE WORLD" 2010 - 2011 at the Global Battle of the Bands World Finals in Malyasia, February 2011. After a fierce musical showdown of different genres that involved national finalists from numerous countries, the Executive Judges made the unanimous decision that awarded Dubtonic Kru top honours.

Founding members of Dubtonic Kru, “Jubba” and “Stone”, a dynamic Drum & Bass duo, who over the years contributed to the development of modern Roots Reggae, with their unique sound and approach that intertwines Jubba’s mesmerizing Reggae/Jazz Fusion drumming with Stone’s groovy, yet pulsating bass lines. The Duo has gained about a decade and a half of experience from touring and or recording with the legendary likes of Max Romeo, U-Roy, Burning Spear, The Mighty Diamonds as well as modern day artistes such as Bushman, Junior Kelly, Richie Spice and Lutan Fyah . A significant milestone in their careers was the composition of the “I Swear” rhythm, that took the Reggae arena by storm featuring artistes such as Richie Spice, Chuck Fenda, Sizzla among others.

With the addition of longtime friend and versatile guitarist Jallanzo, who added his strong vocal ability and the young, talented Luke Dixon on work stations, Dubtonic Kru became a more complete music machine Another turning point of the group’s dynamic came with the addition of very unique and powerful singer to round out the already electrifying dub compositions with sometimes spoken words and song writing by Jubba and Jallanzo. Kamau, “the Quiet Warrior”, brings a revolutionary voice to the Kru. Their songs and spoken words are consciously thought provoking, while their rhythm/dub section walks through the passage of time with a gritty sound that rolls stones and break fences. Some of their popular numbers like Sunshine Girl, Born Jamaican, World Crisis, Balance and Natty Dread are testimony to the group’s versatility.

2010 could be comfortably dubbed their year as they were also honoured by the United States House of Representatives and was presented with a Congressional Proclamation by Congress woman Yvette Clarke for their contributions through music to varying communities. The same year, they were awarded the Simba Award by CPR (Coalition to preserve Reggae Music). Certainly, their successes have given rise to a resurgence of bands on the local scene in Jamaica and they were once again honoured with the Jamaica Star’s "People's Choice Award" for "Band of the Year".

The Kru continues to give medicine to audiences through remarkable performances locally and across the world and solidifying their place in the Global music scene.

They are certainly dedicated and poised to raising the bar and keeping it interestingly spontaneous!

Dub and Tonic, the Dubtonic Kru is dedicated to keeping Bands and Reggae Alive…

Stick around for the ride.

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