Tributes continue to pour in for reggae pioneer U-Roy, who died on Wednesday in Kingston, Jamaica.
“We are very sad to announce that the pioneering DJ who revolutionized the sound of Jamaican music in the early Seventies — Ewat Beckford aka U — Roy has passed away at the age of 78 yesterday in Jamaica, RIP U Roy, The Originator,” announced Trojan Records on Twitter.
U-Roy’s passing prompted a host of remembrances, music and memories from record companies, reggae websites, performers and everyday fans remembering the DJ for his pioneering melodic style in reggae, dancehall and dub.
Known for toasting — accompanying music with improvised rhythmic speech — and remixing, U-Roy was an influence on early hip-hop performers.
“U-Roy brought us great tunes such as ‘Wake the Town,’ ‘Things You Love’ and many others,” tweeted the venerable Kingston-based Institute of Jamaica last week. “His contribution to Jamaica’s musical history will live on.”
“Daddy U Roy earned his crown as King of the Dancehall for the role he played in pioneering the art of toasting on sound system rhythms,” said Jamaica Culture and Entertainment Minister Olivia Grange, reported the Gleaner last Thursday. “His Stur Gav sound system launched the careers of many of reggae’s stars including Charlie Chaplin, Josey Wales and Super Cat. “Who can forget his ‘Wake The Town and Tell the People’ and ‘Wear You to the Ball’ — just two of the songs that will remain forever in the rich legacy of Jamaica’s reggae music culture,” she told the Gleaner.
U-Roy’s passing wasn’t forgotten in the United Kingdom, where the Reggae Britannia platform recalled his greatness in tweets last week.
Seeking a researcher
Documented, the nonprofit community-based news site covering New York City’s immigrant communities, is trying to meet the news and information needs of the English-speaking Caribbean immigrants — and they’re hiring a researcher to help them.
Deadline for applications is Feb. 28 for the “Information Ecosystem Assessment Lead” position for the project, conducted in collaboration with the Listening Post Collective community media initiative.
“The main goal and timeline of this job are to work with members of the Listening Post Collective and Documented to execute research and surveys with Caribbean New Yorkers on what their information habits and needs are,” according to Mazin Sidahmed, a co-executive director of Documented. “We’re looking for a researcher who can lead this assessment in partnership with us.”
The position includes “researching and reaching out to key groups in the Caribbean community; recruiting and managing local community liaisons to support survey distribution, host focus groups and listening sessions and provide other assistance as needed; building and supporting relationships with media makers, community organizations, and residents interested in supporting local information needs; and to help organize a public forum to share the final assessment with community stakeholders.”
It’s part-time work — 5 to 10 hours a week of work between March and May, 2021 — at $30 an hour. For information, visit http://bit.ly/Documented_Researcher
Get some ‘Riddim’
The “Riddim Section” — the free livestreamed Afrobeat, calypso, chutney, kompa, reggae, R&B presentation from the Jamaica Center for Arts and Living — opens Wednesday with a virtual performance by R&B musician and flutist Lea Anderson.
“This has been such a treat,” said Andrew Clarke, curator of Riddim Section. “I’m bringing the musical influences of my life and training to a series that is rich, textured and showcasing a potpourri of sounds, styles and rhythmic patterns from different corners of the world. I’m excited to give the main stage to music genres that don’t always receive great attention.”
Courtney Ffrench, interim artistic director of JCAL, said ” With Riddim Section, JCAL is proud to extend our tradition of offering live music performed by diverse, multicultural musicians, to the public. We wish we could invite everyone into our 99-seat theater — Riddim Section has to be live-streamed for now, with social distance — but if you check out our YouTube, everyone can be a part of these concerts.”
After Anderson’s show, free concerts are scheduled for March 24, April 21, May 25 and June 23.
JCAL’s Youtube will air the Lea Anderson show and RSVPs are required. Register at http://bit.ly/riddimsection2021. Visit www.JCAL.org for information on upcoming shows in the series.
Osaka’s on a roll
She did it again! Naomi Osaka won her fourth Grand Slam title yesterday by winning the Australian Open final in Melbourne, by defeating American Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-3, reported the Associated Press.
The win is impressive. Osaka — born to a Japanese mother and Haitian father — improved to 4-0 in major finals, the first woman to start her career that way since Yugoslavian Monica Seles did it 30 years ago.
“Thank you for coming and watching. It feels really incredible for me,” said Osaka, whose 2020 U.S. Open title in New York as won before in empty stadiums due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2020 AP Female Athlete of the Year, Osaka is on a 21-match winning streak that dates to last season — which includes a championship at last year’s U.S. Open, the U.S. Open in 2018, and the Australian Open in 2019.
Osaka was seeded No. 3 and is now assured of moving up to the No. 2 spot. Only two active women own more Slam titles than Osaka: Serena Williams, with 23, and her sister, Venus, with seven.
“She’s such an inspiration to us all, and what she’s doing for the game is amazing in getting the sport out there,” said Brady, who was seeded 22nd. “I hope young girls at home are watching and inspired by what she’s doing.”
‘Haitian History’
The monumental revolution that successfully ended French colonial rule and established the independent nation of Haiti is a high point of Black history and one of the topics to be addressed in “Haitian History is Black History,” a virtual session presented by the Haitian Roundtable on Tuesday.
The Zoom event, 5-6:30 p.m., features humanitarian Marguerite Erasme Lathan, City Council member Farah Louis and Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for The Nation.
To RSVP, visit bit.ly/haitian-history. Necessary Zoom information will be provided upon registration.
‘Legends’ rescheduled
The Magnolia Tree Earth Center’s presentation of its “Legends on Legends” Black History Month series has been rescheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Sponsored by the Vanguard Independent Democratic Association, the Brooklyn event features former Assemblywoman Annette Robinson reminiscing about the accomplishments of Magnolia Tree Earth Center founder Hattie Carthan, Bedford-Stuyvesant community leader Herbert Von King and former City Councilwoman Mary Pinkett.
To register, visit http://bit.ly/MagnoliaEarthCenterrescheduled. For information, send email to Wayne Devonish at wmdkaos@aol.com or call (917) 297-2365.
‘Mixed Bag’ of art
“It’s a Mixed Bag,” an art show at the Dorsey Gallery in Brooklyn, can be seen online and in person — with COVID-19 restrictions.
Artists Otto Neals, Karl McIntosh, Joseph Bell-Bey, Donovan Nelson, Doba, Emmett Wigglesworth, Deborah Shedrick, and Adbul Ahmad are featured in the show, which opened on Feb. 14. It ends Feb. 28, with a closing reception 3-6 p.m.
The show is available for viewing on the Dorsey Gallery website, dorseyartgallery.com.
In-person viewing, by appointment, is available through Saturda.
The Dorsey Art Gallery is at 553 Rogers Ave. in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn.
With safety in mind, no one will be admitted without a mask and no more than 10 visitors will be allowed into the gallery at one time. Visitors will have their temperatures checked.
