A stellar lineup of Jamaican artistes will be showcasing their talents, come this Saturday, September 21, at the National AIDS Committee's fundraising concert, which is back this year after a successful 2001 outing.

The show is to be held on the grounds of Jamaica House.
Dubbed "An Eclectic Evening of Jazz and Art", the evening's headliner will be legendary US-based Jamaican jazz trumpeter, Dizzy Reece, on a rare visit home. He will be joined by classy pianist Dennis Rushton, vocalist Christine Fisher and top flight guitarist Seretse Small and his Friends.

It was the great Miles Davis who once said of Reece: "there's a great trumpeter over in England: a guy who's got soul and originality and, above all, who's not afraid to blow with fire."
A Kingstonian, Reece is the son of a silent films pianist. His first horn was the baritone saxophone which he started learning at age 11. He, however, switched to the trumpet at age 14.

Dizzy Reece
His early influences were the many top class musicians who plied their trade locally at the time, as well as the music of jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong and King Oliver.
Reece moved to England in 1948 and London was his base for over ten years, as he toured North Africa, Europe and elsewhere. He operated his own 10-piece band for some years, playing Dizzy Gillespie arrangements.

In terms of his style of playing, pundits describe it as being characterized by "astonishing brilliance of tone " and his "uninhibited use of the trumpet's tonal capacities."
Robert Levin, in the liner notes to Reece's 1962 set Asia Minor, wrote that the trumpeter, "equipped with a virtuoso technique, he is not timid about making complete use of that either, but his virtuosity is never employed for its own sake, only as a means to express the full gamut of his emotions."

Seretse Small has not only proven to be one of the top acoustic guitarists on the local jazz circuit, but a most prolific composer and exciting performer with quite a flair for improvisation as well. He has honed his technique, playing various gigs in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean and he is comfortable both as a solo performer or with an aggregation. Small is a much sought-after musician and a frequent concert performer.

Christine Fisher is widely regarded as one of Jamaica's more talented female jazz singers. She has an amazing range and a warm, pleasing personality that endears her to her audience.

Dennis Rushton is one of Jamaica's finest jazz and pop pianists, who displays quite a knack for interpretation and improvisation as well as well-schooled musical sensibilities.

The concert will seek to raise funds for children affected by and infected with HIV/AIDS. The National AIDS Committee reserves an account specifically for these children, funds from which are used to assist in the event, for example, of the loss of parents, the need for medication and access to education.

Also on show will be over 40 pieces of art created by some of Jamaica's finest artists.

Tickets are available at Heave-Ho Charters, Ocho Rios; Red Bones Cafe; Go West Manor Park and Village and Mall Plaza; Mobile Music, Liguanea and Indies, Holborn Road.