Freddie to speak in NY at reggae music event

The State of Reggae Music reception, the Coalition to Preserve Reggae (CPR) Music's main event for Reggae Month takes place today at 6:30 p.m in New York.

This year's State of Reggae Music keynote speaker will be veteran artiste Freddie McGregor whose career spans more than four decades. The child prodigy who grew to become the first chairman of the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association made his presence felt recently when he withdrew from the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival to protest against the event's treatment and portrayal of Jamaican artistes.

The reception is also the launch of the fourth season of CPR's Community Conversation series, the popular forums that keep a wide community abreast of developments in the reggae world.

In keeping with the format of the forums, the evening will proceed in three-part harmony with commentators and the audience joining in to engage the keynote speaker in a robust conversation.