Third World, Air Supply share stage at For the Children concert

Tomorrow, Third World shares the stage with Air Supply and Koffee at Couples Sans Souci in Ocho Rios, St Ann, at the For the Children concert.

Presented by the Issa Trust Foundation (ITF) and Couples Resorts in association with the RJRGLEANER Communications Group, the proceeds from the biannual event will go towards the paediatric and neonatal units at the Annotto Bay and Savanna-la-Mar hospitals. The initiative is one the group says they are fully in support of.

“It’s a pleasure for us to do this. We support the initiative 100 per cent. We’re going to the hospitals tomorrow (today) to have a look for ourselves to see what the initiative intends to achieve. We hope they do well. And it’s an honour to perform with Air Supply,” Cat Coore said.

This concert marks the start of their world tour as the musicians have dates in Greece, France, Germany, and the island of Malta before performances in Morocco, South Africa, and then the United States. They will spend some time in the midst of their performances imparting knowledge. They have partnered with the Institute for Reggae Studies at the University of Minnesota, where they will spearhead a workshop and concert this summer.

“It’s not something we’re unaccustomed to,” Coore told The Gleaner. “We’ve done it before, but the University of Minnesota will be a very unique one. I can’t tell you I remember us doing it at a university before, but in music schools, we did it in Nigeria and Ghana,” Coore shared.

With over 40 years in the industry, customarily, they offer a synopsis of Jamaica’s musical history through the genres during such workshops. “We try to show the difference between all the various beats and show the different styles of African drumming – how that affected reggae, how we are affected by the sounds and rhythms of Africa,” he shared. Calypso and soca are not left out of the presentations. “We try to show the essence of all the different rhythms and blend history – how slavery affected the Caribbean and how it has shaped the music. That’s how we do our workshops.”

The University of Minnesota’s International Summer Institute for Reggae Studies will take place from June 24-28, and the programme includes celebrated Jamaican arranger Ian Hird as artiste in residence, Jamaica Music Museum’s Herbie Miller as keynote scholar in Residence, and Michael Fletcher from the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts as musical director in residence.

Europe and Africa tour

The reggae ambassadors make their first stop in Athens, Greece – where they will share the stage with Damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley. “As far as Jr Gong is concerned, this is a special thing for us. He has been associated with me, particularly, since he was two or three years old. He and my son grew up in my house together. Seeing him as a grown person now and looking at how wonderful it is to see how great he has become, that’s fabulous. And he’s producing our record – he’s producing his uncles,” Coore shared.

Jr Gong will executively produce the album due out in July. Coore continued, “The way that he and Stephen have shaped their whole musical life ... . It will be great to be going to Greece; that’s the start of our European/African tour.”

After Athens, the band will visit Paris, France – followed by a few dates in Germany, including the Dusseldorf Jazz Rally, making their way to Malta before venturing to Africa.

Coore said that the group is excited about the Africa leg of the tour, especially their stop in Ghana, which he said is special. “To me, it (Ghana) looks like Jamaica, feels like Jamaica. It’s a great experience for me to go because you can see so much of your own experience from a Caribbean country because the influence is tremendous.”

Third World will also be travelling to South Africa for a redemption performance at the Soweto International Jazz Festival. The band went to the festival last year, but when they arrived, they learned that it was cancelled.

“Since it was cancelled, we just did a free show in a nightclub there. So this visit is kind of redoing what we tried to do last year. So we’re very thrilled about that. I love South Africa – it’s a very beautiful country. Johannesburg is a magnificent city, and Soweto is history. It’s a fabulous place,” Coore gushed.

In Morocco, they will perform at the Gnaoua Festival, which attracts more than 30,000 music lovers, before heading back to the United States for Groovin’ in the Park in Queens, New York.

“We’re really looking forward to this summer. I just look forward to the events that we’re privileged to be a part of. It’s special to be able to carry Jamaica’s name and flag to these places. We’re very thrilled to be doing this,” Coore reiterated.

Additional stops include the Ghana World Music Festival, Rototom Sunsplash, Reggae Lake in Amsterdam, North Sea Jazz in Curaçao, and the Hollywood Bowl on July 7. “As far as the Hollywood Bowl is concerned, it’s one of the most prestigious venues in the world. We’ve done it already, and we’re gonna do it again with Damian.”