Courtney Pine and Morgan Heritage Join Lineup for the 2012 St. Kitts Music Festival

Courtney Pine

BASSETERRE (29th March, 2012): Two more world-class musical icons have been added to the “Sweet Sixteen” edition of the Annual St. Kitts Music Festival, which takes place on Thursday June 28th to Saturday June 30th, 2012, at the historic Warner Park Stadium in Basseterre, the island’s capital city.

Chairman of the Festival’s Executive Committee, Faron Lawrence, revealed that Courtney Pine and Morgan Heritage will perform on the second night of the three night festival, Friday June 29th. Both acts are the gems of their respective genres, with Morgan Heritage being referred to as “reggae royalty,” and Courtney Pine as one of Britain’s premier jazz musicians.

“A mixture of great acts in one incredible destination results in an experience like no other,” Lawrence said. “I certainly have no doubt that the blending of Morgan Heritage and Courtney Pine with their roots-like music styles, both with a history of exhilarating performances; will solidify the reputation of the St Kitts Music Festival as the most diversified musical event in the Caribbean.”

Courtney Pine is one of the UK’s most celebrated and original saxophone musicians. But he is also known to be a multi-instrumentalist who studied the clarinet and excels in playing the flute and keyboards. His most recent music has integrated modern British music like drum and bass and UK garage with contemporary jazz styles. He runs his own band and integrates many contemporary musicians in his performances.

Key to Pine’s success is his willingness to stretch the boundaries of his genre. Pine has, sometimes controversially, combined traditional acoustic jazz with reggae, soul, drum ‘n’ bass and afro-beat. He has covered Nirvana, played on the main stage at Glastonbury and appeared at Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday concert at Wembley Stadium.

Pine, who has been on the forefront of Britain’s jazz scene for the past 20 years, was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2000 and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 Queen’s New Year Honours for services to jazz music.

Morgan Heritage

Morgan Heritage is more than just a legendary reggae band. They are a revolution, a family, a force of nature and a crew of five independent artists on an unsurpassed musical mission whenever they get together. Lukes, Una, Gramps, Mr. Mojo and Peter Morgan – all children of roots reggae icon Denroy Morgan – draw on new wave, punk, hip-hop, dancehall, and R&B, but manage to ground all of their musical explorations in the sound that is in their blood: Roots Reggae.

That finely honed modern roots identity has made Morgan Heritage one of reggae’s most enduringly successful acts. The group is known for top-charting hits such as “Don’t Haffi Dread”, “Reggae Bring Back Love”, “New Time, New Sign”, “Down By The River”, “Meskal Square”, “Jah Seed”, “Three In One”, “She’s Still Loving Me”, “A Man is Still A Man”, “Three In One”, “Your Best Friend”, “Tell Me How Come?”, and “I’m Coming Home”.

Courtney Pine and Morgan Heritage are just the latest of an impressive St. Kitts Music Festival lineup that is expected to be announced over the next two weeks. Damien Marley and Roberta Flack have already been announced as performers for the upcoming June event.

Now in its 16th year, the Festival attracts both locals and visitors alike. It features a wide range of musical styles on the popular market, including R&B, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Soca, Calypso, Gospel and Contemporary music. Past artists have included such prominent acts as John Legend, T-Pain, Michael Bolton, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, UB40’s Ali Campbell, Wyclef Jean, Ne-Yo, Air Supply, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, The Commodores, Dionne Warwick, Billy Ocean, Sean Paul, Boyz II Men, King Konris, Stephen Marley, Regina Belle, Maxi Priest, Biggie Irie, Bunny Wailer and Lord Nelson.