Buzzz Caribbean Lifestyle Magazine

One of the most anticipated regional entertainment events will transpire in Jamaica's second city of Montego Bay in the western parish of St. James from Thursday, January 24 through to Saturday, January 26.

The 11th staging of the Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival at the Aqueduct on Rosehall promises to be one of the best ever on record, boasting an exciting array of top class performers from home and overseas. Legendary R&B diva Diana Ross, the timelessly sweet soul songstress Anita Baker, Mr. "Caribbean Queen" himself - Billy Ocean, and South African trumpeter and flugelhornist Hugh Masekela are among the celebrated foreign acts.

Seminal reggae band Chalice and gifted young violinist Jessica Yap are among the cadre of strong home-grown talent that spans generations.

The Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues festival has, over the years, successfully been able to bring together the sounds of jazz and blues, R&B, soul and Jamaica's best reggae music and even dancehall. We now take a look at some of the artistes scheduled to perform at this prestigious live music event.

Diana Ross -
'Supreme Queen'

To say that Diana Ross is a legendary musical treasure somehow still fails to adequately capture the enormity of her talent, the scope of her achievement and her impact on global entertainment across four decades.

With a mellifluous voice like no other, she has, with consummate ease, managed to infuse romance and joy into the genres of soul, R&B, disco, jazz and pop. In a stunning career that helped to both defined and redefine the Motown sound, she has sold out venues from the Kremlin Palace in Moscow to Madison Square Garden in New York.

So iconic is the status of this American singer that the "Guinness Book of World Records" declared her as "the most successful female music artist of the 20th century". Beginning in the 1960s, when she was lead singer of the world renowned singing group The Supremes, and continuing throughout her subsequent solo career, Ms. Ross achieved the unprecedented feat of 12 number one singles in the United States. She is rivalled only by The Beatles for the position of the biggest hit group of that generation.

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Anita Baker -
'Caught up in the rapture'

There's nothing quite like the sophisticatedly smooth brand of romantic soul and R&B purveyed by eight-time Grammy Award-winning singer Anita Baker. Hailed as one of the "definitive quiet storm singers of the '80s" and among the most popular urban contemporary artists of the '90s, her three-octave range is nothing short of spectacular.

Her major label debut "Rapture" in 1986 established her as a household name, spawning chart hits like "Sweet Love", "Caught Up In the Rapture", "No One In The World", and "Same Ole Love". By the end of the album's chart run, it had sold 8 million copies worldwide and also earned Baker her first two Grammys.

To read more pick up your copy at the nearest bookstore

Billy Ocean -
'In The Love Zone'

Billy Ocean's impact on the world of R&B and pop music has not been stated enough. During a career that has spanned over 25 years, he has sold in excess of 30 million singles and albums worldwide. This has earned him the prestigious title of being the biggest selling British black artist of all time.

Born Leslie Sebastian Charles in the Caribbean island of Trinidad, his period of greatest success started with the album "Suddenly" in 1984. It contained his signature hit "Caribbean Queen", which went on to be a million selling worldwide phenomenon that earned him a Grammy award the following year. The album's title ballad also became a hit, as did the track "Loverboy".

Billy Ocean's 1986 follow-up "Love Zone" also enjoyed success with the hit singles "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" and "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)", which was a U.S. number one, and also a major UK hit.

To read more pick up your copy at the nearest bookstore