February is Reggae Month in Jamaica and among the festivities the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) has planned for the month is a weekly series of free concerts each Wednesday at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. Tonight (February 2, 2011) the reigning “Kings of Mento” will perform among other acts in the first in the series, branded ‘Heritage’.



Mento is a style of Jamaican folk music that predates and has greatly influenced ska and reggae music and The Jolly Boys are the embodiment of this genre. The Reggae Month concert will feature music ranging from Folk and Mento to Jazz, Classical and Drumming. Performances will include The Jolly Boys, Dennis Rushton, & more. The show starts at 7:30 pm. Come out tonight and see The Jolly Boys among other great acts!

Since ending their recent winter tour of Europe Jamaica’s own mento maestros have been spending some quality time on home soil. Lucky locals have had a couple of chances to see them in action and the island’s hosting of 2011 installment of Caribbean Marketplace-the regions largest tourism trade show was once such opportunity.



Held at the newly constructed Montego Bay Convention Centre last week (January 16-18) The Jolly Boys were featured as part of a line up of musicians who performed on the event’s opening night. The event saw attendance from up to 1400 candidates from 30 countries and a host of exciting booths, prizes and giveaways. In case you missed it, see a bit of what it was like in the clip posted above!

NEGRIL, Westmoreland — The Jolly Boys, the world-acclaimed mento group out of Portland thrilled patrons during an electrifying performance at Bourbon Beach last Saturday. Fresh from their European tour, the mento music ambassadors delighted the mostly tourist crowd from the moment they hit the stage just before midnight.



From singer Albert Minnot strumming his guitar and belting out the first line from Wata Boy, to numbers like Iron Bar, Talking Parrot and Linstead Market, the group captivated the audience.
Read more: Jamaica Observer

The Jolly Boys are looking forward to a lot of performances in the new year and are excited to be starting things off in their homeland Jamaica with spots on a number of the island’s key shows. First on the list is this year’s Caribbean Marketplace! Set to be held at the newly constructed Montego Bay Convention Centre from January 16-18, 2011.



The event’s opening night, Sunday January 16 will feature a lineup of top quality Jamaican entertainment which includes performances by our very own masters of mento music, The Jolly Boys. The Jolly Boys are also scheduled to appear at the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival (set for January 23-29) before making their American debut with a show at at the Hiro Ballroom in New York on February 24th, 2011. Stay tuned for more updates on The Jolly Boys, this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Due to unforeseen circumstances The Jolly Boys’ American debut performance scheduled for January 13th at the Hiro Ballroom in the Maritime Hotel in New York has been postponed until Thursday, February 24th, 2011.



We sincerely apologize to all our fans who had made plans to attend on the original date but as we say in Jamaica “soon come”.

Jamaican fans of The Jolly Boys are in for a treat this New Year’s Eve. Fresh from their successful winter tour of Europe and just a few weeks away from their United States debut at Hiro Ballroom in New York, ‘the boys’ will be having a performance tomorrow night in Jamaica!



First, at 11:00 p.m The Jolly Boys will be at Geejam Hotel‘s Bushbar for a performance for the guests staying at the hotel. The hotel is in the breathtakingly beautiful parish of Portland Jamaica so if you’re in the area (or are up for making a drive well worth you’re while) come out and ring in the New Year with Jamaica’s very own Kings of Mento.

Since being snowed in in London at the end of their tour of Europe a few weeks ago The Jolly Boys have been enjoying some well earned time in the sun in Jamaica while preparing to take modern mento to The United States for the 1st time ever with a show set for January 13th at the Hiro Ballroom in New York! In the meantime we have for you a special treat; three of the most viewed YouTube videos of The Jolly Boys on their adventures on tour. First up here are some highlights from the exciting trip the mento masters made to the Maldives where they performed at the Soneva Fushi Resort‘s 15th anniversary in October, 2010:



Up next is another fan favourite featuring The Jolly Boys in a jam session outside their hotel just after rocking The Secret Garden Party in the U.K in July and before doing it again at the Cardiff Big Weekend in Wales:
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The Jolly Boys regret to inform our fans in Holland that our show scheduled for tonight at Melkweg, Amsterdam has been canceled due to adverse weather conditions. The Jolly Boys are stuck in London in the snow and while this is an anticlimactic end to our tour of Europe we will look forward to seeing our Dutch fans sometime in the near future. To all our fans in Europe The Jolly Boys would like to say thanks for all the great support, and in the words of Albert Minott “We love you over there!”



The Jolly Boys have been snowed in on this tour before. On the way to a show in Munich, Germany they found themselves stuck at London Heathrow Airport in The UK. While getting used to idea of sleeping in the airport The Jolly Boys decided to give those around them an impromptu performance. Posted below, for your viewing pleasure is footage of that performance:
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The Jolly Boys bid their fans in The UK farewell last night with the final UK performance of their current tour of Europe in a supporting slot with ska veterans Madness at Earl’s Court in London.



The Jolly Boys have now cemented their modernized mento versions of classic and contemporary Rock & Roll hits into the minds of their fans in Europe. Whether or not you’re familiar with what New Order’s “Blue Monday” sounds like with raspy-voiced vocals and a banjo doing the bassline in parts, this video is for you:
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Last night The Jolly Boys, in high spirits and fine style spread the melodious mento rhythms of Jamaica to all the fans who came out to see them Live at HMV Institute in Birmingham, UK.



It was an all around perfect night, which made The Jolly Boys’ performance of their cover of Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” even more appropriate. Don’t worry if you may have missed it, we have it right here, right now for your viewing pleasure:
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