Jamaica’s Ambassadors of Mento began their month and a half adventure touring Europe as the opening act for grammy-winning R&B songbird Sade on Friday April 29, 2011 in Nice, France with a rocking performance at Palais Nikaia. Since then they have gone on to do the same everywhere from Zurich to Dublin, culminating in a stellar final performance at the O2 Arena in London on May 31,2011.



Along the way The Jolly Boys had a chance to return to their fans in Germany. Moments before taking the stage at Olympiahalle in Munich on May 19, 2011, lead singer Albert Minott sat down for this interview with Reggaeville’s Markus Hautmann! Now just in case any of you missed out on any of the action along the way, join us as we recap The Jolly Boys’ journey from Frankfurt to London on their tour as R&B singer Sade’s opening act throughout April and May 2011.
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The Jolly Boys have been making strides and swaying crowds touring as R&B songbird Sade’s opening act in Europe, and all while celebrating the U.S release of their widely acclaimed album Great Expectation. The album, which features Mento interpretations of 12 contemporary classics including Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab”, Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger”, Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” and Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” has been getting reviews from the press all over.



The album was recently reviewed by Banning Eyre of NPR‘s “All Things Considered”. You can listen to the review (spliced with great samples from the album) here:
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Yesterday (May 3, 2011) marked the highly anticipated first North American release of The Jolly Boys’ album Great Expectation which features Modern Mento interpretations of 12 contemporary classics including Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab”, Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger”, Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” and Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”. Though the album has only been live for a little over 24 hrs it is already being well received by fans and critics in the U.S.



Mento is the original sound of Jamaica and a forerunner to reggae and ska, the two genres of music Jamaica is most known for. Modern mento is the name given to the new genre birthed by The Jolly Boys with Great Expectation. Among a number of other media outlets, the album was reviewed yesterday by Dan Aquilante of the New York Post and this is what he had to say:
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Jamaica’s reigning Kings of Mento have taken their raspy-voiced vocals and soothing tropical rhythms to the streets once more with the U.S. release of their highly anticipated album Great Expectation on Wall of Sound Records! It’s been merely hours since it’s release and already the International press is giving the album praise.



Great Expectation is the first North American release from the legendary Jamaican band the Jolly Boys in 20 years. Mento is the original sound of Jamaica and a forerunner to reggae and ska, the two genres of music Jamaica is most known for. The album, which received rave reviews after its UK release late last year, is a collaborative project between Geejam Recording’s Jon Baker and Wall Of Sound’s Mark Jones and features Mento interpretations of 12 contemporary classics including Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab”, Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger”, Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” and Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”.
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It was a journey 50 years in the making. After months of anticipation The Jolly Boys made their electrifying Big Apple debut to a jam-packed audience at the Hiro Ballroom at The Maritime Hotel in New York on February 24, 2011. Performing songs from their repertoire of classic and modern mento hits The Jolly Boys made an exceptional impression on an audience that had never before seen the Jamaican sensations in action.



( via Chad Batka for The New York Times )

Upon arrival in New York, an appearance on East Village Radio with DJ Max Glazer of Federation Sound got the buzz going for American fans who might not yet have known The Jolly Boys were in town. While interviews with Jesse Serwer of Largeup.com and Sherman Escoffery of the Jamaica Observer made sure the fans back in The Caribbean got their slice of the pie as well. So by the time ‘the boys’ took the stage (at around 10pm) their big day had already seen a lot of activity, though judging by their energetic performance one would not have been able to tell.
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The Jolly Boys’ latest album release “Great Expectation” is doing well according to the charts at amazon.co.uk. We are now ranked #9 among the Bestsellers in Folk & Songwriter category. The album features 12 stunning mento interpretations of contemporary classic rock and roll hits including Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger”, Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day”.

Congratulations to The Jolly Boys on their success, it comes as no surprize that the world is responding so well to the rebirth of mento music. Let’s keep them climbing to the top! If you haven’t gotten your copy of “Great Expectation” yet you can get it in the UK at any one of these locations: itunes, amazon.co.uk, play.com, hmv.com and 7digital.com .

It’s September 14 and our raspy-voiced, former fire-breathing lead singer Albert Minott turns 74 today! Yes, 74 years old and still going strong, a testament to the longevity of The Jolly Boys and their music, they must be doing something right.

He might consider the successful release of The Jolly Boys’ album “Great Expectation” amidst rave reviews an early birthday present and we wish him continued success and a wonderful day!

It’s been only hours since the release of The Jolly Boys’ album “Great Expectation” and fans from all over the world are already hitting up cyberspace to let everyone know how excited they are to finally have their hands on a copy of the album and to encourage those who haven’t yet made the purchase to get out there and do so.

The folks at In the Spotlight in an article published earlier had this to say about the release of “Great Expectation”:

Describing their music as “Jamaican Mento meets Modern Contemporary” the Jolly Boys new album “GREAT EXPECTATION” is out today and fans can hardly wait to order online. Congrats on the success, Jolly Boys, and especially to the man who put it all together, music producer and hotelier GeeJam’s Jon Baker.
Read the rest of the article here.

Here’s just a taste of what the fans on Twitter are saying:

@The1nbetweener: If you want a brilliant album get the new Jolly Boys. It’ll put a smile on your face.

@thetylerpeters: Does anyone else want the new Jolly Boys album? It sounds ‘rad’!

@corkdavid1970: Jolly Boys CD yesterday. Loving it right now. Highly recommended. Getting a Buena Vista vibe going here in the rain

@mjcotty: Everyone go out and buy Great Expectation by the Jolly Boys. These lads will make you happy with their music – guaranteed. @jollyboysmusic

Also, here are some reviews by some customers on itunes:
Richard Spencer: Nice (4 stars). Some great takes on some good songs, some songs, like rehab, are better than the original! If you like easy star all stars, get downloading!
countossie:Great Album (5 stars). Superb Album. Go and buy it right now

If you still haven’t purchased your copy get it now! The album is available for purchase in the UK on itunes, amazon.co.uk, play.com, hmv.com and 7digital.com .

You’ve all been waiting for so long and the moment is finally here! The mento masters The Jolly Boys have released their album “Great Expectation” on Wall of Sound Records and already the International press is giving the album praise. The highly anticipated new album is a collaborative project between Geejam’s Jon Baker and Wall Of Sound’s Mark Jones and features Mento interpretations of 12 contemporary classics including Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab”, Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger” and Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”.

Here’s what The Guardian UK has to say about “Great Expectation”:

There’s already no contest for cover version of the year; it’s Amy’s “Rehab”, as delivered by the champions of Jamaican mento, the calypso-flavoured folk precursor of reggae. Fronted by the charismatic, gravel-voiced Albert Minott, the Port Antonio veterans apply their banjo ‘n’ maracas shuffle to another dozen numbers from the rock canon; songs by Blondie, the Doors, Iggy Pop and more. The results are erratic, if always charming. Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” fits their earthy style perfectly, and Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” is transformed into a lilting Caribbean reflection.
See the review for yourselves here.
Mento is officially reborn and the world is ready! The album is available for purchase on itunes, amazon.co.uk, play.com, hmv.com and 7digital.com so what are you waiting for? Get your hands on a copy right now!

seen. [zi:n] is a Munich-based brand named after the Jamaican term for understanding. It was founded at Dead End Beach, Montego Bay, Jamaica, in 2004. Following reggae music’s long tradition of mash-ups and remixes and looking at Kingston as the all-time capital of Planet Rock, seen. blends a German design approach with a Caribbean sense of street style, pride and consciousness.
The carried a blurb on the Jolly Boys.
“For nearly sixty years, The Jolly Boys have been integral to the fabric of Port Antonio’s musical landscape and cultural heritage. Masters of mento, one of Jamaica’s original musics, this band has rocked innumerable private soirées, charmed the traveling elite and toured the world, leaving an indelible mark on everyone who has heard them.
Their new album »Great Expectation« – on which »Jamaican mento meets modern contemporary« – will be out in August and feature the following set of tunes:
01. Passengers
02. Perfect Day
03. Rehab
04. Nightclubbing
05. Telephone
06. Do it Again
07. Riders on the Storm
08. Golden Brown
09. I Fought the Law
10. Ring of Fire
11. Blue Monday
12. You Can’t Always Get What You Want