Third World looking forward to ‘really cool’ Grammy Museum debut

On Tuesday, December 17, 2020, Grammy nominee, Third World, will have a bona fide Grammy Experience, which they are anticipating will be “really cool”.

The reggae ambassadors will be the featured act at the ‘An Evening With’ series, hosted by Grammy Museum Experience Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey. The series, according to the producers, aims to provide intimate, moderated conversations with iconic recording artistes about their creative process, history, current and future projects, forthe benefit of the Newark community.

Mark Conklin, the centre’s director, artiste relations and programming, told The Gleaner that since opening in 2017, the Grammy Museum Experience has committed to showcasing diverse talent and programming. “We are proud to welcome nine-time Grammy-nominated reggae group, Third World, in celebration of their Grammy-nominated album More Work To Be Done,” Conklin said.

Speaking to The Gleaner last Friday from St Maarten, where they were scheduled to perform, cellist and guitarist Cat Coore said the group was thrilled about the upcoming event. “This will be very exciting. We’ve never done it before and it should be a really cool experience,” he stated.

With regard to their recent Grammy nomination, Cat emphasised that it “means a lot” to Third World. “We are humbled and grateful, and we wish all good luck. Big up Koffee. We send all our love and we are in very good company.”

‘An Evening with Third World’, while it does not include a live performance by the group, the agenda includes a conversation and Q&A with audience members, as well as video and audio selections from More Work To Be Done.

Past Grammy Museum Experience Prudential Center summer events include Spotlight: Bobby Bandiera; Spotlight: Brandy Clark; An Evening With Philip Bailey; An Evening With DJ Khaled, An Evening With The Zombies, and An Evening With LAUV.

In October, recording artiste and actor Spragga Benz made history as the first dancehall/reggae act to be featured in the Spotlight Series at the Grammy Museum Experience.

Third World is one of the longest existing Reggae bands of all time, and one of Jamaica’s most consistently popular crossover acts among international audiences. Mixing in elements of R&B, funk, pop, rock and, later on, dancehall and rap, Third World’s style has been described as ‘reggae-fusion’.

Third World’s 22nd studio album, titled More Work to Be Done, produced by multi-Grammy Award-winning artiste/producer Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley, features Chronixx, Tarrus Riley, Busy Signal, Pressure Busspipe, Tessanne Chin and Jr. Gong.

Conkling, in summing up Third World’s impact, told The Gleaner, “Forty-five years after inception, the group continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the reggae world.”