News from The Musicman

Back when the papers still cared more about music than about hype, the Musicman column by the ageless Sonny Bradshaw was the ONLY reason I picked up The Star (okay, okay, I may have 'glanced' at the Page Three girl, 'occasionally')

But Sonny is still going strong and his stream of consciousness reflections on what's happening musically remain as inescapable as ever. See for your self.


JAZZ NEWS by Musicman December 2007- January 2008



2008 Steve Pope new editor The Voice/Gleaner …. Is that still in…….Colour Telly Britain.s first black TV Station……..Two photographic Publications now out - 101 Men Change Makers by photographer Peter Ferguson and The 17 year Jazz Journal of The 17th Annual International JAMAICA OchoRios Jazz Festival…………….top Tenor Saxist Ruben Alexander died in Montego bay………..Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival is January 24 to Saturday 26 in Montego Bay with stellar pop stars Diana Ross, Anita Baker, Kool main vocalist, Jill Scott, and a local contingent lead by Marjorie Whylie with Myrna Hague singer …………….congrats to singer-entertainer Ritchie Stephens lifting the Gleaner Award.,…..good show for music……… sad passing of baritone jazz saxist Cecil Payne…………and then we lost master drummer Max Roach too…… jazz music radio is being smothered as the word ‘jazz’ is not good on the air at home and abroad……….news & Talk (x-Mona radio) is doing jazzman Monte Blake with ‘Merritone Brunch, on Sundays noon to 4 pm supporting Dermot Hussey ‘Riffin’ during the week Monday to Friday 8.35pm while Bunny Goodison –The Mighty Burner- on Sunday’s and new comer Lou Gooden is on the new Bess 105 on Sundays with Smooth Jazz 10-midnight………..but Errol Smith Hot 102 is still on in the mornings with ‘Treasures’ with Ella, Monk, and the like……. and singer Alton Ellis is recovering from hospital …. Good ….singer Tyrone Taylor of ‘Cottage in Negril’ also left us…………..bebop saxist Frank Morgan who visited Jamaica Red Bones Jazz Café & Ja. OchoRios Jazz fest many times died in The US …..and the New Year shocker was the departure of the world’s swingingest pianist Canadian Oscar Peterson……. What a loss…….. but good news was the further recognition of Jamaican Saxophonist 85 Year old Andy Hamilton of Birmingham in this years Queens Honours with an MBE………congrats you …….with the J.F.M . Jamaica Federation Of Musicians gone underground this 2008, we call on The Broadcasting Commission Hopeton Dunn & Cordell Greene to insist that the ‘blank label’ records of singers and musicians being played on our 21 radio stations be identified for credit either before or after playing so that we the musicians could get a little copyright returns (now called intellectual property) ……………a word to’ the new ‘, please do not ape first world radio, they can be quite backward too,,,,,,,,,,The International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) conference will be in Toronto this January 9-12 and will highlight a strong UK Jazz input involving established musicians Martin Taylor, Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone plus Dune Showcase with Gary Crosby Nu Troop plus talented saxist-composer Denys Baptise, trumpet star Guy Barker Nikki Iles, Ian Shaw and Courtney Pine will be there…………….prize winning newcomers Empirical Quintet will also make the heavily sponsored trip……………get set for The Summer Jazz event The 18th Annual International JAMAICA OchoRios Jazz festival June 7 to 15…June Is Jazz Month.