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Ocho Rios Jazz Fest presents Twin Double: The Art of Two

Published:Thursday | June 7, 2018 | 12:00 AM
Singer Myrna Hague on stage at IOJ with fellow musician Marjorie Whylie, who accompanies her on the piano.

As part of the Ocho Rios Jazz Festival, The Jamaica Music Museum will present Twin Double: The Art of Two, a concert featuring two different duos comprising four leading figures in jazz. Engaging in musical dialogue will be Americans Stephen Scott on piano and the double bassist Curtis Lundy opposite Jamaica's Myrna Hague with vocals and Marjorie Whylie on piano.

At the concert, which will take place this Saturday at the Institute of Jamaica, each musician brings to the duo setting a combination of their highly individual voices and diverse backgrounds to present a programme exploring a range of music through composition and improvisation.

Lundy and Scott will perform music by black composers, including Edward Kennedy 'Duke' Ellington, William Thomas 'Billy' Strayhorn, Thelonious Sphere Monk, Thomas 'Fats' Waller and modernists of our time such as Wayne Shorter and Bob Marley.

Performing in Jamaica for the first time, pianist Scott said, "In the present environment, I think these events are necessary. I love playing and sharing my music and my natural talent. I also love to work with other musicians, especially from other cultures. I get to know them and their country better. So, it's a two-way street. When I do these performances, I am getting to better understand the culture and people of Jamaica."

Reflecting on his duet performances with pianist Stephen Scott, bassist Curtis Lundy said: "It's an exciting adventure, the sounds that can emerge in this musical setting. The sounds that shape the music show that it's really not all about music; it's also reflecting the spirit of the universe in which we exist."

Hague and Whylie have worked together in a variety of settings over the years, but this is the first time they will perform as a voice and piano duo.