The Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival will take place from January 23 to 29 at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium near Falmouth. Jazz legend Natalie Cole will be the headline act on the opening night on Saturday. The line-up for the concert also includes Air Supply, Laura Izibor, Maroon 5, Committed, Regina Belle, Ron Isley, Alison Hinds, and many others.

The Jamaica Gleaner writes, “dubbed as the ‘last stud in the crown’ by Jamaica Jazz and Blues associate producer Junior Taylor, Cole has her own share of accolades and awards to make her a nice fit for the 15th anniversary of the festival.”

U.S. singer and songwriter Cole became a hit with R&B songs “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)”, “Inseparable,” and “Our Love.” She re-emerged as a pop artist with the 1987 album, Everlasting, and her cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Pink Cadillac. In the 1990s, she re-recorded standards by her father, resulting in her biggest success, Unforgettable … with Love, in which she sang 22 of her father’s collection, selling over seven million copies and winning numerous Grammy Awards. “Unforgettable”—the song for which she used her father’s original recording to perform a duet—reached number 14 on Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100 chart, number 10 on the R&B chart, and went gold.

According to Taylor, Natalie Cole has long been a “true daughter of Jamaica.” The singer has performed here before, her last appearance being in 1996, though she continues to come to the island for vacation. Taylor said, “I think she is a great addition, her repertoire and Grammy library, she has eight or more Grammys to her name, she has won American Music Awards and more, her appeal crosses all borders other than her being the daughter of a legend.”

For full article, see http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110115/ent/ent1.html

For full schedule, see http://jamaicajazzandblues.com/jazz2011/