Jazz Jamaica Family Fun Club kicked off the Lively Up! Festival on Friday 28 September at Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham with a Mango Spice performance workshop for 70+ primary school children supported by EMJazz.

 That evening saw a long-held dream realised for bassist/band leader Gary Crosby OBE with the premiere of Catch A Fire with 30-piece orchestra made up of big band Jazz Jamaica All Stars, strings section Urban Soul Orchestra and the incredible vocalist Brinsley Forde (Aswad) at Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham. 

Jason Yarde’s wonderfully rich music arrangements delivered that massive sound for which Jazz Jamaica is so well-reputed. And the band was joined for four songs by the exceptional local voices, Gang Of Angels Choir who put in an outstanding performance having had just one rehearsal with us just before performing it live! 

Brinsley had the audience on their feet, singing and dancing, cheering and whooping, and insisting on MORE! MORE! MORE! MORE! MORE!… They just didn’t want to leave!  

Brinsley also sang a beautiful acapella tribute to our Lively Up! Project Manager, Fish Krish whose mother sadly passed away a week ahead of the start of the Festival.