We are super excited to host Adam Reeves book launch. He will do a talk on the history of this legendary school in Jamaica run by Catholic nuns which started a musical revolution.
Grab signed copies of the book and hear vinyl sounds from Ska.Beat.Soul.
‘Alpha’s story must be told and re-told.’ OLIVIA GRANGE, Minister of Culture, Jamaica ‘
There was never a school like it.’ CHRIS SALEWICZ, author of Bob Marley: The Untold Story
‘Alpha Boys’ School is at the roots of the explosion of Jamaican music.’ CHRIS BLACKWELL, founder of Island Records.
A comprehensive overview of the impact of Kingston’s famed Alpha Boys’ School, the institution that spawned some of the greatest jazz, ska and reggae musicians ever to come out of Jamaica. Told in a narrative style with a wealth of archive and original photographs, this landmark book sheds light on the life and works of over forty of Jamaica’s most creative and influential musicians.
Behind Jamaica's global musical reverberation lies the unlikely story of a boarding school run by Roman Catholic nuns, with a brass band that helped shape the sound of some the world's most beloved musical forms. Under a strict disciplinarian regime, 'wayward boys,’ many of whom were orphaned or from deeply troubled backgrounds and hailing from some of the toughest streets in the world, went on to lay the foundations of Jamaican jazz, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dancehall and dub.
Alpha Boys School: Cradle Of Jamaican Music takes a look at the lives of over forty of these influential musicians who against a backdrop of extreme poverty, gun culture, street gangs and an urban civil war, attained virtuoso musicianship to create their own sonic revolution. Told in a narrative style with a wealth of interviews, exclusive photos and archival material this book is a long overdue look at the lives and impact of the Alpha Boys.
Noted Alpharian musicians include Tommy McCook, Don Drummond, Johnny ‘Dizzy’ Moore, ‘Deadly’ Headley Bennett, Johnny Osbourne, Albert Malawi, Yellowman, Leroy Smart, Bobby Ellis, Cedric ‘IM” Brooks, Joe Harriott, Eddie ‘Tan Tan’ Thornton, Vin Gordon, Rico Rodriguez, Owen Gray and Leroy ‘Horsemouth’ Wallace. Each has their story of how Alpha saved them from challenging early life circumstances by giving them the gift of music.
7-11pm
Free entry