Mel Cooke

A story behind every note - Ja Music Museum grows, space needed to display artefacts

Published:Friday | November 25, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

As he walks into the building at the Institute of Jamaica on East Street, Kingston, where the current Jamaica Music Museum exhibition is housed, a line creases the brow of the museum's director/curator, Herbie Miller. It is not caused by the change...

'Curating Music' pieces heading to France

Published:Friday | November 25, 2016 | 4:42 PMMel Cooke

On December 6, the exhibition, Curating Music: Building a National Collection, will come to an end at the Institute of Jamaica, East Street, Kingston. While the exhibition will not be transported as a whole, some of the exhibits - primarily musical...

Ganja Extravaganja launch party at UWI tomorrow

Published:Thursday | November 24, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

Tomorrow evening at the Students Union, University of the West Indies, Mona, there will be a party to preview an event which takes place on the campus next February. And while music will also be involved in the Ganja Extravaganja from February 3-4,...

A peace concert is a suggestion, not a solution

Published:Wednesday | November 23, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

A few days ahead of the Entertainers Against Crime and Violence concert in Montego Bay on December 4 and the 40th anniversary celebration of the Smile Jamaica concert - both of them free events - I am reminded of a misconception about efforts at...

Story of the Song | Cocoa Tea sang support for Barack Obama

Published:Friday | November 18, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

As US President Barack Obama conducts his global farewell tour in the position of his country's 44th head of state, it is a good time to revisit Jamaican popular music songs that reflected the joy and optimism that accompanied his 2008 campaign and...

Age-old musical divisions (pt 2)

Published:Wednesday | November 16, 2016 | 1:36 PMMel Cooke

There seems to be some consensus about the time periods of the various genres of Jamaican popular music's emergence and their dominance. Texts which give a chronology of Jamaican popular music such as The Rough Guide to Reggae, third edition (Barrow...

Double volume on Prince Emanuel launched

Published:Monday | November 14, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

On Sunday evening, the Undercroft of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, resounded with drumming and song to cap off the launch of a double volume on Price Emanuel. Written by Ionie Matthews Wallace, The Black Christ Unveil: The Biography...

Story of the song | Cocaine confession turns concert encore

Published:Friday | November 11, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

This year, the date of Gregory Isaacs' death (October 26, 2010) was close to when he was awarded a posthumous Order of Distinction in the 2016 edition of the annual ceremony at King's House, Old Hope Road, St Andrew.Isaacs, the Rastafarian who cut...

Age-old musical divisions (Pt. 1)

Published:Wednesday | November 9, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

I got a rather humorous age check a couple of weeks ago through Alkaline's song, Champion Boy. However, as personally funny as it was, I was reminded about divisions in our popular music that do us a great disservice.So, after getting five-gallon...

French animation festival a dual celebration

Published:Tuesday | November 8, 2016 | 12:36 PMMel Cooke

The 2016 French Animation Film Festival was held over two weeks but still managed to span two months, after the official opening on Wednesday, October 26, screenings later that week, and then in early November.The festival, organised by Alliance...

Story of the song | Two volts from John

Published:Friday | November 4, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

The death dates of Gregory Isaacs (October 26, 2010) and John Holt (October 19, 2014) passed recently without much musical fanfare, although Isaacs was accorded a national honour at the 2016 ceremony on National Heroes Day.This is unlike the...

Story of the Song | Heroes at Independence

Published:Friday | October 28, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

As Heritage Month ends, the Story of the Song's revisiting of National Heroes in Jamaican popular music closes with a look at Derrick Morgan's Independence hit, Forward March, in which he names two politicians who went on to become officially heroic...

Discount time - Year-end reduction on new, used vehicles

Published:Friday | October 28, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

It is the last Sunday in October and already there are advertisements on radio about Christmas sales and there has even been a New Year's Eve ball announcement. In the business of buying and selling cars, a transaction is not as easy as walking into...

French Animation Film Festival opens at UWI - Fifth staging in Jamaica, 15th internationally

Published:Thursday | October 27, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

French and English were cheek and jowl in the Multifunctional Room at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, on Wednesday evening at the 2016 French Animation Festival's opening. This was the case not only for the audience members,...

40 years of the Edna Manley College- Celebration runs through academic year

Published:Tuesday | October 25, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

It has been 40 years since the various schools which compose the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts were brought together at 1 Arthur Wint Drive, St Andrew,...

Three hours of Tosh at Pulse

Published:Sunday | October 23, 2016 | 5:09 PMMel Cooke

For three hours on Saturday night into Sunday morning, the music of Winston Hubert McIntosh, OM, simply Peter Tosh as a member of The Wailers or a solo performer, was presented to a large appreciative audience at 38 Trafalgar Road, New Kingston.The...

Story of the Song | Ifrica requires heroes in 'Times Like These'

Published:Friday | October 21, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

Throughout the month, 'The Story of the Song', has done a revisiting of songs involving Jamaica's national heroes. This week, the lyrics under examination are from Queen Ifrica's, Times Like These...

Strong voice from a wheelchair - Low turnout for first of three Frankie Paul benefit concerts

Published:Monday | October 17, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

Before singing at the House of Dancehall on Saturday night Frankie Paul told The Gleaner that he is "always looking forward to a performance." - even if it was his first time singing from a wheelchair, as the 'Alive and Well' concert was a fund-...

Story of the Song | Third World remembers hot day in Morant Bay

Published:Friday | October 14, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

The Sunday Gleaner continues to revisit songs about Jamaica's National Heroes in October, ahead of National Heroes Day 2016.Third World's 1865 (96 Degrees in the Shade) is especially relevant, bearing in mind the government's determination to have...

Confusing catalogue with conclusion

Published:Wednesday | October 12, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

In addition to the twists, twirls and twinkly toes, singer Ken Boothe threads a near standard narrative through his set. Part of his patter is connecting the songs to the personal history of audience members, saying that some persons grew up on...

Chalice reworks 'A Song' well

Published:Sunday | October 9, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

I must admit that I have done Chalice's album A Song great disservice in my listening for review purposes. After I listened through three or four times, I have ended up playing from track nine (Youth Man) through to the closing track 14 (A Song)...

Story of the Song | Chalice says heroes would make a difference

Published:Friday | October 7, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke

In the month when Jamaica honours its national heroes, Story of the Song revisits four songs which speak about them. The first is Chalice's Heroes, which is part of the band's new album, A Song, which adds new voices to some of the group's all-time...

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