A few weeks ago, some of Jamaica’s most notable musicians came together at the legendary Blue Note jazz club in New York City, for a one-time-only series of performances sponsored by LargeUp. The “A History of Reggae + Jamaican Music” shows brought jazz pianist Monty Alexander and longtime collaborator/guitar great Ernest Ranglin —the two have played together for some 50 years—together with reggae’s brightest new star, Chronixx, performing as a representative of the music’s next generation.
Alexander, Ranglin and fellow musicians riffed on classics from the Jamaican songbook before being joined by Chronixx and his Zinc Fence Redemption band for renditions of their hits like “Odd Ras” and “They Don’t Know.”
In our latest LargeUp TV episode, filmed backstage at the Blue Note, musicians discuss how important learning from older musicians has been to them — Alexander recalls learning from Ranglin, just as Chronixx discusses being inspired by the musicians he shared the stage with. Watch the webisode below, and revisit the shows with Martei Korley’s photo series.