Reggae Photos Jamaica Insula

Junior Reid (artist), 1999 - Kingston.

2012-02-23T07:04:00.001-08:00

Hot Water from Bath

2012-02-08T01:02:00.000-08:00

Take a hot shower at Bath, in the middle of the river. If you walk up the river, you'll quickly find some wonderful pools where to bath, surrounded by nature - paradise lost ?

Port Royal, shame & splendour.

2012-02-02T23:21:00.000-08:00

Port Royal used to be the heart of Jamaica. In the late 17th century, before Kingston was built, it sheltered some of the most vicious men of the New World. William Dampier, L'Olonois, Sharpe, Coxson or Henry Morgan were based is this settlement, known for its numerous taverns and its prostitutes. A lot of weird things happened in Port Royal but it was mainly a place of business for the merchants of Jamaica. In 1692, a dreadful earthquake shook the island and a part of Port Royal sank in the bay. People swam across the bay, reached the shore of the Liguanea plain and those who survived the following months decided to build a city there, Kingston. Nowadays, Port Royal is a quiet little town, far from the days of Morgan and all.

This advertising of the most famous beer of Jamaica, welcomes you at the gate of Port Royal. I love the contrast between the joyful greetings and the dull look of the wall, the garbage. It looks a lot like the old Port Royal, full of shame and splendour.

Marcia Griffiths, one of the I-Three Queens.

2012-02-02T01:17:00.001-08:00

On my way to Bath.

2012-01-31T05:20:00.000-08:00

The hot waters of Bath were discovered by a runaway slave in the 18th century. It is nowadays a touristic centre of the St Thomas parish. There are no official guides to lead the tourists from the road to the source itself, in the mountains. Every one in the community thus try to make a living by offering some massages at the source or a simple tour. The general atmosphere thus gets a little bit irritating after a while - but nothing can spoil the beauty of the place !

RYGHIN MARTIN

2012-01-30T02:10:00.000-08:00

EXTRAIT DU PORTRAIT DE L'ENNEMI PUBLIC N°1

DES ANNEES 40 EN JAMAIQUE :

CLIQUEZ SUR L'IMAGE !

Vincent Ryghin Martin (1924-1948) : his criminal life inspired the movie The Harder They Come to Perry Henzell. Jimmy Cliff embodied the gunman in the movie. Click on the picture to access to the extract of the portrait of Ryghin published in LES HOMMES ILLUSTRES DE LA JAMAIQUE by Thibault Ehrengardt (in French).

This is... Rockfort Rock !

2012-01-29T22:48:00.000-08:00

Inspired by a south american tune, the Rock Fort Rock riddim (Studio One) is one of the best reggae riddims ever. It was a tradition to baptize an instrumental from a place or a street. The Rock Fort was built in 1693 to prevent a French invasion from Saint-Domingue (Haïty). Built at the foot of the Long Mountain, it guarded the access to Kingston and could also control a part of the bay with its guns. There was originally no space between the fort itself and the sea but as soon as the late 1700's, the historian Edward Long noted that the mud coming from the mountains at the rainy season would gain some ground on the sea. Nowadays, as the picture above shows, a 4 ways road runs in front of the fort (you pass it anytime you go to the Norman Manley airport). The fort is under the responsability of the nearby factory and very well restored. The guns still stare at the bay but people come here to enjoy the swimming pool - the water comes straight from the mountain above. When I went there, the place had been locked for a long time for some rehabilitation work but I had the opportunity to talk to someone who let me in. As a Frenchman, I particularly enjoyed my walking over the guns - 300 years earlier, some Englishman would have shot me right away.

Treasure Isle studio 2009.

2012-01-28T04:03:00.000-08:00

Bond Street, on the JLP side of Kingston - the famous Treasure Isle studio, operated by Duke Reid in the 60's and early 70's. The recording studio was upstairs (some people live here, now - the current owner of the building, the guy in yellow pants). Downstairs was the liquor store where Duke's wife was selling liquors and the records of the family. The place still looks beautiful, very "art déco" and is in good condition. The owner has opened a small studio downstairs, in collaboration with the singer Horace Andy (one of Horace's sons his the engineer of the studio). The youths from the corner hang around and record some demos. If you concentrate long enough, you can almost see the Duke, sitting on his chair, in front of his store, with his two guns on the hips, his carbine and the amos across his chest, listening to some little guy singing a capella for him, dreaming of going upstairs for a session. Ah so the legend was written down at 33 bond Street...

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO : Terry Linen's rehearsal in Kingston.

2012-01-27T00:18:00.000-08:00

Brrrr ! Goose flesh...

BACK TO / RETOUR A JAMAICA INSULA

2012-01-26T00:02:00.001-08:00

BACK TO / RETOUR A JAMAICA INSULA

------------ cliquez sur le visuel ! / clik pon the picture !

Haile Selassie en Jamaïque - Part 1.

2012-01-25T23:56:00.000-08:00

Avril 1966.

Fire inna Kingston...

2012-01-25T23:50:00.000-08:00

... and they got no water.

Artwork Bunny Wailer.

2012-01-25T23:47:00.000-08:00

Jamaica by plane...

2012-01-25T03:35:00.000-08:00

The ship at the bottom of the picture is sailing towards the wharves of Kingston, inside the Kingston Bay that we see just after the Pallisadoes (the piece of land closing the bay where the airport and Port Royal stand). In the background, Kingston is leaning upon the cloudy Blue Moutains. If you're lucky, the plane will flight over the bay, make a u turn over the hills of Hellshire then come back to the airport. Relax and enjoy... the landing will be all right !

Fantan Mojah (artist).

2012-01-25T03:25:00.000-08:00

Piles of sleeves !

2012-01-24T03:32:00.000-08:00

Piles of (LP) records would be nothing without piles of sleeves ! GG's factory, Kingston.

Babylon Walls

2012-01-23T23:31:00.000-08:00

Sugar Roy (front) & Conrad Crystal.

2012-01-23T04:50:00.000-08:00

Haba, the coolest man inna di world.

2012-01-22T23:06:00.000-08:00

Haba is a taxi driver and Haba is cool. No explanation, just something about him... Smooth and easy, Haba (it means "talk a lot", he tatooed his nickname on his forearm) knows about cars and reggae music. He wears some cool darkers and some cool ear rings; even the way he lights his spliff is... cool. He often drives around Kingston with his son by his side. And guess what ? The kid is just as cool as his father !

Kingston by night.

2012-01-22T00:08:00.000-08:00

Tandis que la nuit tombe, une nouvelle Kingston naît des cendres de l'ancienne, évanouie avec les dernières lueurs du jour. La chaleur retombe, les gens sortent et les enceintes encombrent les trottoirs. C'est une Kingston sauvage qui se dévoile alors au gré des ampoules nues des petites échoppes, à la fois excitante et inquiétante. A Kingston, les bad boys savent que c'est la nuit que l'on tue. Et nul ne sait s'il sera encore en vie au petit matin...

You haven't seen Kingston if you haven't seen it by night. As the heat drops, people come out and a new life starts. It is exciting and a little bit frightening in this dangerous city. Bad boys know these are the "killing hours"...

The sun sets over the Blue Mountain, in Jamaica.

2012-01-22T00:03:00.000-08:00

His handywork...

Stormy weather at Port Henderson.

2012-01-21T01:52:00.000-08:00

Ce jour-là, l'orage menaçait la baie de Kingston, agitant les flots et couvrant les cieux d'un ténébreux couvercle. Sous la brise idoée, la chaleur tropicale couvait et les ordures s'amassaient sur les rives de Port Henderson, juste en face de Port Royal que l'on aperçoit à gauche, sur la ligne d'horizon. A droite, la pointe de Hellshire. Un point de vue qui rend bien compte de la manière dont on pouvait, avec quelques fortins, "fermer" l'entrée de la baie de Kingston.

A storm came on Port Henderson, the sky darkened and the sea started to get wild. The moisture and the tropical heat melted together and created a suffocating atmosphere. This picture shows the strategic points to control the access to the bay of Kingston. On the left, on the horizon, is Port Royal. On the right are the hills of Hellshire. Any boat entering the bay had to go through this tiny channel under a heavy cross fire, if necessary.

Chilling out at the Exodus dub plate studio.

2012-01-20T08:36:00.000-08:00

In front of every dub plate studio, you'll find a bunch of guys just hanging out, waiting for Godot... This one is just one of them. Some are genuine artists, others are just hustlers. The sight of a journalist usually fill them with joy and once you start to take a picture, you have to take 20 before the pressure drops. I've always loved the excitement of these rough sessions... and I have come across many unknown youths who later became big names in the business.

Artwork : the Kingston bay.

2012-01-20T08:35:00.000-08:00

Prince Allah (artist) in Greenwich Farm, Kingston.

2012-01-20T02:29:00.001-08:00

Prince Allah has remained faithfull to Greenwich Farm where he grew up and where he started his musical career way back in the 60's. He recorded a strong body of work for the local producer Bertram Brown (RIP). We went for him that day because we were looking for some fisherman of his community to carry us to Port Royal by boat. He appeared dressed up in a typical early 70's style, upon a modern bicycle - and man !, he sure looks cool.

Girl at King's House.

2012-01-20T00:54:00.001-08:00

When you reach King's House where one of the hottest jamaican artists lives, Capleton, you can tell by the amount of cars parked in front of the gate if the "King" is here or not. Anytime he hangs around his parents' house, dozens of guys and girls gather in the yard, waiting for some favour, or enjoying the vibes. I spent hours and hours in this yard myself, waiting for an interview from the "King", chatting with everyone (even his father), joking and practicing "words combat" with the young Rastas. That particular day, I spotted this nice girl sitting on her chair. She first stared at me but as I came closer with my camera, she started to laugh like a little girl.

Dia Fearon (producer) at Builders', Kingston.

2012-01-19T23:57:00.002-08:00

The artist and producer Dia Fearon is the son of the respected musician of Papine, Jah-D. In the late 90's, Dia launched a small but quite convincing label, Builders. We went to Kingston to meet him in the office of Builders. The ceiling was covered with 45's of the label. Dia recently turned to the movie industry and produced a jamaican comedy by the name of Blind Shotta.

More details : http://www.reverbnation.com/diawarrior

Little John (artist), at Sonic Sounds, Kingston.

2012-01-19T23:57:00.000-08:00

BACK TO / RETOUR A JAMAICA INSULA

2012-01-19T23:55:00.003-08:00

BACK TO / RETOUR A JAMAICA INSULA

------------ cliquez sur le visuel ! / clik pon the picture !

Lutan Fyah (artist), Spanish Town.

2012-01-19T23:54:00.001-08:00

What a powerful symbol ! Lutan Fyah, a convinced Rasta fighting the system and its colonial inheritance in his songs, leaning on an old sugar mill at the Spanish Town Museum. Slavedriver, the table has turned (Bob Marley).

Lucani (artist), outside Jaro's, Kingston.

2012-01-19T23:51:00.000-08:00

Sweet dreams are made of this... At GG's factory.

2012-01-19T23:50:00.001-08:00

Piles and piles of records, freshly pressed in the factory of GG's, in the heart of Kingston. There was no window, the noise and the heat were almost unbearable, not to mention the smell. But I was awake in a dream... Could I ever get closer to the embodiement of reggae music ?

Job smoking in the Bible.

2012-01-19T23:49:00.002-08:00

Yabby You was an apocaliptic soul - he smoked weed but said it was not good, that God had not given Man some lungs for him to burn them out with any kind of smoke. But the flesh is weak and Yabby You was made of flesh. He picked up his old Bible (he almost knew by heart) to show me Job himself was smoking weed. I bent over his shoulder and took this picture with his crippled fingers on the flying leaves of the good old book.

Capleton (artist), recording a dub plate at King's House.

2012-01-19T23:49:00.000-08:00

Spring I (artist), recording a dub plate (or an exclusive tune) at Jaro's, Kingston.

2012-01-19T23:47:00.000-08:00

I did not know Spring I at the time I took this - nobody knew him, he was just a "likkle youth" doing his thing in the Jaro camp. He even had some serious trouble recording his tune that day and only a few would show sympathy while the majority was cursing out loud. Spring I never gave up and he was right - one year later, he enjoyed his first local hit.

Sizzla (artist) in Judgement Yard, August Town, JA.

2012-01-19T23:45:00.001-08:00

Sizzla Kalonji had not talked to any journalist for years the day I eventually entered his yard in August Town, the Judgement Yard. He was not expecting me and was reluctant to talk and sent me his father instead - then all the "ancients" who told me all sorts of things about Rasta. It took me several days to convince Sizzla himself - I think the picture of Capleton and the David House he saw in a back issue of the magazine did a lot in the process (there is a rivalry between the two artists). Sizzla gave his okay and a hurricane stroke the place - evryone was jumping around, following Sizzla to appear on as many pictures as possible with the "King". It stopped as abruptly as it began. It took me several more days to get a full length interview in the yard. Sizzla has a very peculiar vision of life - we talked about guns & badness, homosexuality, music, life & death. The article made our next front cover and became one of the best sellers of all time.

Jack Scorpio (producer), in front of his studio, Kingston.

2012-01-19T10:46:00.001-08:00

Jack Scorpio is at least 6,5 feet tall. His legs and his arms seem endless and his laughter is powerful. I love to hang around his studio, on Red Hills Road. In fact, one hardly hangs inside the studio but rather on the corner across the street where a lot of artists usually wait for some soundman to order a dub plate from them - in the street, you find a dub plate studio and Cell Block, the 1st studio of Buju Banton. Amongst the artists you usually find here are Luciano, Mickey General, Ayashanti and many more.

LES HOMMES ILLUSTRES DE LA JAMAIQUE (Livre / Book)

2012-01-19T06:17:00.000-08:00

VIDEO : Chezidek (artist) in Sevilla, Jamaica (where he wrote his hits).

2012-01-19T06:00:00.001-08:00

Chezidek took us on the gully bank, in Seville, in the parish of St Ann, where he lived several years and where he wrote most of his hit tunes.

Rasta-rant on Cross Road, Kingston.

2012-01-19T03:49:00.001-08:00

If you love reggae, this Rasta-rant on Cross Road is the place to go. Not only is the food very good but the owner is an old Rastaman, a man of few words, who spins some old 45's behind his desk while you're eating some marvellous dumplings... food for the body, food for the soul.

Winston "Slicker" Bailey (artist)

2012-01-19T03:48:00.001-08:00

It was a saturday night, inside the dark market of Port Morant. I was waiting for some pumpkin rice, cooked by the artist - and cook - I Lue, singing over some Dennis Brown's tunes somebody was playing out loud in the street. Suddenly, a Dread called me out : Hey, yu know reggae music ? I played it cool : a little bit, yes. The guy said : you know Johnny Too Bad, the tune ? I answered : sure... He said : I am the Slickers, the group who wrote Johnny Too Bad. Jamaica, the never ending miracle ! It was Winston "Slicker" Bailey, not the lead vocal nor the author of this famous tune but my meeting him that evening eventually gave birth to one of the best articles I ever wrote, the real story of Johnny Too Bad, aka Trevor Wilson. It made the front cover of the magazine - and a full portrait (Trevor Wilson) of my book Les Hommes illustres de la Jamaïque.

Rodney's Arms, Port Henderson.

2012-01-19T03:47:00.001-08:00

Lone Ranger (artist)

2012-01-19T03:46:00.001-08:00

Jamaica is a blessing for reggae fans. We were just buying "a food" on Cross Road when we suddenly came across Lone Ranger, a very significant artist of the late 70's. The jamaican light did the rest...

Joe Lickshot (artist), master of introductions.

2012-01-19T03:03:00.001-08:00

At a time when gunshots and musical intros were popular in Jamaica, Joe Lickshot made a name for himself by making impressions of gun shots in the dance hall. He was mainly working live, in front of delighted crowds.Piiiiiing ! Bam-bam !

2012-01-19T01:54:00.001-08:00

BACK TO / RETOUR A JAMAICA INSULA

------------ cliquez sur le visuel ! / clik pon the picture !

Queen Ifrika (artist), a jamaican cat.

2012-01-19T01:47:00.002-08:00

Hustling me hustling... A street vendor in Kingston.

2012-01-19T01:47:00.000-08:00

Gyptian (artist)

2012-01-19T01:46:00.002-08:00

Gyptian had just had his first break and a crowd was gathering in his yard at Portmore. After a few shots, I asked him to take away his shirt and realized he had tatooed the head of a pharaoh on his chest - it might be weird for a Rasta (who usually identify themselves with the Jews suffering at the hands of the pharaoh) but after all, his name is Gyptian.

Jamaican fishes (small ones & big ones).

2012-01-19T01:46:00.000-08:00

Chezidek (artist)

2012-01-19T01:45:00.000-08:00

Chezidek took us to the north coast, inside this little shop, in front of the sea, where he learnt oabout Rastafari amongst some elders. The owner is a Rastaman who looked familiar to me : I appear in the movie of the burial of Bob Marley, he shrugged. I hold a banner and the guy did a close up on me; a lot of people know my face from this movie... Indeed, I had seen the movie.

The Carib Theatre, cross roads, Ja.

2012-01-19T01:44:00.002-08:00

The famous Carib Theater, in Kingston. This picture was taken from inside the Rasta-rant of Cross Road (see the other picture).

Gary Minott (l) recording artist.

2012-01-19T01:44:00.000-08:00

Gary Minott has a martial mood about him that he expresses through music only. He loves agressive lyrics (usually aimed at "killing" a sound system) and deep melodies. He sings in the Waterhouse Style, one of my favorites - none outside of Jamaica sings like that. I took the picture while he was recording a dub plate (or special tune) for my magazine, Natty Dread. He did it in one shot - these artists are real professionals. The tune was featured on the free Cd we would give away with the magazine - and it did quite well : can't say Natty Dread never did tell you say you big mouth can't frighten we / can't say Natty Dread never tell you say you're not ready fi di war... A "kill a sound" tune.

Carl, at the original Randy's, Parade.

2012-01-19T01:40:00.002-08:00

Admiral Rodney, his statue in Spanish Town.

2012-01-19T01:40:00.000-08:00

Kenneth Culture (r) & friends at the Jaro dub plate studio.

2012-01-19T01:39:00.000-08:00

Guidance (artist) & friends at the Exodus Dub Plate studio.

2012-01-19T01:38:00.000-08:00

Chezidek pon the gully bank, in Seville, Jamaica.

2012-01-19T01:37:00.001-08:00

Calpert from the Earth Messengers (now gardener at The Gleaner)

2012-01-19T01:36:00.000-08:00

Bushman at Penthouse, when recording his Peter Tosh Tribute LP.

2012-01-19T01:35:00.001-08:00

Buju Banton at Aksum studio, Jamaica.

2012-01-19T01:34:00.003-08:00

Buju Banton at Aksum 2, Jamaica.

2012-01-19T01:34:00.001-08:00

Spanish Town

2012-01-19T01:33:00.000-08:00

Les ruines de l'ancien tribunal (Spanish Town était la capitale espagnole de l'île). A gauche, les prisons.

The ruins of the former Court House of Spanish Town. The jail was on the left... Usually, you can not access them. This very day, some people had come to inspect the site and we asked the permission to take a few pictures with Lutan Fyah. The deejay grew up in Spanish Town. Moved by the spirit of this ancient place, he suddenly turned to me : yu know, me raise down here. And I've never had the opportunity to approach these ruins ! History - and old stones - fascinate me. I took dozens of pictures, jumping everywhere like a kid.

Capleton - Live at Negril (Cd artwork & pictures by Natty Dread)

2012-01-18T07:05:00.000-08:00

Anthony B - Street Knowledge (Cd artwork & pictures by Natty Dread)

2012-01-18T07:04:00.001-08:00

Anthony B. used to have a huge audience in France and a special relationship with the late Patrick Colleony from On The Corner label. This album, Street Knowledge, thus came out in France before anywhere else - and Patrick asked me to do the artwork. Later on, VP Records picked up the artwork but erased the spliff and add some background to the picture (originaly taken at Anthony's place, in Portmore... where I meditate on the sea-shore).

Bushman Live & Moses I (Cd artwork & pictures by Natty Dread)

2012-01-18T07:03:00.002-08:00

I picked up a copy of this Live album by Bushman, one day - the sleeve jacket was far from the artistic quality of the musical content. When the French label On The Corner decided to put it out (we had reviewed it as Must Have in our magazine), I had the opportunity to do the artwork with some pictures taken in the yard of Jammy's studio, in Waterhouse, at the time Bushman was recording his second LP for the producer.

I also had the opportunity to do the artwork of the LP of Moses I, a "student" of the David House of Capleton, revealed by his featuring on the Kings & Warriors compilation. I took these pictures of Moses I in his yard, on a captured land, in Kingston.

DAVID HOUSE (CD artwork & pictures by Natty Dread)

2012-01-18T07:03:00.000-08:00

RETOUR JAMAICA INSULA

2012-01-18T06:34:00.001-08:00

BACK TO / RETOUR A JAMAICA INSULA

------------ cliquez sur le visuel ! / clik pon the picture !

Bushman (artist)

2012-01-18T06:30:00.001-08:00

Yabby You 2 (artist, producer, RIP)

2012-01-18T06:29:00.000-08:00

Adonai, drawing on a wall of Orange Street, Kingston.

2012-01-18T06:21:00.000-08:00

ORANGE STREET, Downton Kingston.

Allah

2012-01-18T06:20:00.000-08:00

PRINCE ALLAH IN GREENWICH FARM (Freedom Sounds)

Bath wall

2012-01-18T06:19:00.000-08:00

JAH BULL (artist, RIP)

2012-01-18T06:11:00.000-08:00

JAH BULL

Uplifter (artist)

2012-01-18T06:10:00.004-08:00

Yabby You 1

2012-01-18T06:10:00.002-08:00

Girl from Southside

2012-01-18T06:08:00.003-08:00

Bones & skull, thombstone of Lewis Galdwy (Port Royal)

2012-01-18T06:08:00.001-08:00

Rumble on Orange Street

2012-01-18T06:07:00.006-08:00

As soon as you take of your camera to shoot a kid, you find yourself surrounded by dozens of them ! Laughters, rumble and joyful noises is what happens next - this picture captures the scene I've often seen after saying the magic words : " awright, kids ! Pictures time !"

Jamaican sisters

2012-01-18T06:07:00.004-08:00

Gold Street Pickney

2012-01-18T06:07:00.002-08:00

Gwaan a school

2012-01-18T06:06:00.005-08:00

grounation inna Mobay

2012-01-18T06:06:00.003-08:00

Kingston walls got soul

2012-01-18T06:06:00.001-08:00

Clancy Eccles (artist, producer, RIP)

2012-01-18T06:05:00.004-08:00

Bunny from the Chosen Few introduced us to Clancy who did not like interviews - I wanted to talk about the PNP bandwagon, the political tour he organized in 1971 for Michael Manley, featuring some of the best artists of all times (The Wailers, Ken Boothe, Max Romeo, Scotty, the I-Three, and so on...). The subject is vast - every evening we would show up at his yard, in Portmore, we would sit on the wall in front of his house, and talk freely (no tape recorder) for hours, drinking some Red Stripe and smoking under the cool evening breeze. Bunny and Clancy would share some personal memories of the tour and would laugh out loud. Clancy was charismatic in the jamaica sense of the term - meaning, exhuberant, joyful, passionate but also very melancolic. He died a few months later.

Natty King on Swallowfield

2012-01-18T06:05:00.002-08:00

King of Kings (inner city of Kingston)

2012-01-18T06:05:00.000-08:00

Dread... inna David House (Papine)

2012-01-18T06:04:00.001-08:00

Blackskin the Prophet (artist)

2012-01-18T06:02:00.001-08:00

I knew one tune of Blackskin The Prophet when I first met him in Jamaica in 1999 : Blood Red, put out by Pressure Sounds. The tune was fierce and cloudy, highly spiritual, breathtaking. The least that I can say is I was not disappointed by its author. He arrived dressed up in his best clothes - as a mark of respect and self-respect first of all - very humble and quite surprised to hear someone from Europe was asking for him. The man was so roots, so genuine. He was all I had come in this island for, the root of spirituality : when the sun shines, it is I & I who shine ! I take a lot of pictures in a little garden. I searched ans searched to capture this fierce and humble beauty on the film (or fLim as they say)... As far as I am concerned, I believe I eventually did with this particular picture and I'm thankful for that.

Bob Marley Blvd.

2012-01-18T06:00:00.001-08:00