REGGAE’S ROYAL FAMILY AND UK JAZZ MUSICIAN ADDED T O ST.KITTS MUSIC FESTIVAL LINE-UP

The St.Kitts Music Festival Committee announced today that Reggae’s Royal Family Morgan Heritage along with UK Jazz Saxophonist Courtney Pine are the latest additions to the 16th annual St.Kitts Music Festival.
The Morgan Family and Pine joins Damian “Junior Gong” Marley son of reggae icon Bob Marley and R and B Legend Roberta Flack.
The popular Reggae Band are know strangers to St.Kitts-Nevis as they have performed on numerous occasions at various events including the Tempo Channel Launch in Nevis as well as the Labour Party Elections Campaign when they endorsed Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas and the ruling Labour Party.
Morgan Heritage is a reggae band formed in 1994 by five children of reggae artist Denroy Morgan, namely Peter “Peetah” Morgan, Una Morgan, Roy “Gramps” Morgan, Nakhamyah “Lukes” Morgan and Memmalatel “Mr. Mojo” Morgan. In two decades, they have had a number of successful reggae albums.
They made their first appearance at Reggae Sunsplash in Jamaica. They were subsequently signed by MCA and released their debut album Miracles the same year. They have since criticized Miracles album as being overly pop-influenced.
After the release of Miracles, the family moved to Denroy’s homeland of Jamaica. In this period, three family members left the group. Once in Jamaica, Morgan Heritage began working with famed reggae producers Bobby Dixon and Lloyd James, resulting in the release of their critically acclaimed second album Protect Us Jah (1997), followed by One Calling (1998), and the spiritually-inclined Don’t Haffi Dread (1999). They have released three compilation albums by “The Morgan Heritage Family and Friends”, and a live album, Live in Europe!, recorded on their 2000 tour. Following the release of their 2001 album More Teachings… Morgan Heritage toured Europe again, and they have returned several times since.
Their sixth studio album, Three in One, came out in 2003. They have released two successful DVDs, “Live In London” and “Live Over Europe 2003”, and their seventh studio album Full Circle was released in 2005. Their latest album, Mission In Progress, was released on April 15, 2008. It includes the singles “Faithful” and “Raid Rootz Dance”.
They have worked with many of the top reggae bands and DJs of today including Capleton, Junior Kelly, Luciano, Gentleman and Beres Hammond
Pine studied the clarinet, although he is known primarily for his saxophone playing. Pine is a multi-instrumentalist, also playing the flute, clarinet, bass clarinet and keyboards. On his 2011 album, Europa, he plays almost exclusively bass clarinet.
In 1986 Pine’s debut album Journey to the Urge Within became “the first serious jazz album ever to make the British Top 40 (significantly earning a Silver Disc), the last two decades have seen him go on to achieve considerable international acclaim. Prestigiously cracking the American jazz charts along the way, while constantly remaining an inspirational figure to many young, upcoming black British musicians”.
His recent music integrates modern British music like drum and bass and UK garage with contemporary jazz styles. He runs his own band and integrates many contemporary musicians in his performances. He also presents Jazz Crusade on BBC Radio 2, the seventh series of which was broadcast during spring 2007.
In 1988 he appeared as himself in a jazz quartet in the Doctor Who serial Silver Nemesis.
Pine was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2000, and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for services to jazz music.[3] He was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Westminster on 6 December 2004. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Southampton on 15 July 2010.
The announced acts thus far for the 16th annual St.Kitts Music Festival are Damian “Junior Gong” Marley, Roberta Flack, Morgan Heritage and Courtney Pine.

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