NEGRIL, Westmoreland — WHILST the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium sizzled with memorable performances from top acts at the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa had its fair share of fireworks.

Playing host to reggae superstar Half Pint and the ever-popular Lloyd Parkes and We the People Band on Saturday, the resort’s guests were treated to an exclusive VIP musical event.

Orchestrated by the hotel’s sales team and the 74-member McCormick family, owners of McCormick Distilling Company out of the United States — who were vacationing at the resort — the performance caught the interest of other guests who were captivated by the magical sounds of reggae hits that brought many back to the era of the 80s and 90s.

“Our group had an exceptional time on Saturday,” voiced David Ross, one of the organisers of the event. He explained that the McCormicks, who are ardent fans of the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, first witnessed Half Pint in action at last year’s event and fell in love with his music.

“The family always heads to Jamaica for Jazz and Blues, but having met Half Pint at last year’s festival they decided they wanted him for themselves this year,” continued Ross.

Up-and-coming artiste Clancy got the ‘irie’ nod from the group as he successfully opened the event with soothing chants, backed by thrilling instrumentals from We the People. His soulful renditions started off softly, gradually building momentum, and halfway into his performance he had reggae lovers rocking and dancing away on the resort’s Cabana Beach.

With the crowd paying homage to the smooth delivery from the promising star, the pace was set for the top performer, Half Pint, who emerged on stage much to the pleasure of the already delighted audience. Within seconds he had the crowd lost in time as he belted out popular hits such as Greetings, Mr Landlord, Winsome, and Substitute Lover.

The night ended on a high with Half Pint, Clancy and the band interacting and sharing lens time with the family who are already making plans for another splendid show in 2014.

(And here are some photos, courtesy of Ra-Umi Alkebulan.)

Western Bureau:International reggae star Half Pint is now leading the charge to reduce violence against women and children in schools with his involvement in a United States-based anti-bullying campaign.

This new thrust came on the heels of a successful appearance on the Rebels in the Garden stageshow in Kingston, where he shared the stage with Rootz Underground and newcomer Chronixx.

According to the musician’s manager, Loyal Haylett, the partnership with stakeholders in the United States to help reduce bullying in schools is part of Half Pint’s drive to use his musical influence to reduce incidents of violence locally and internationally.

“Bullying is a serious issue being faced in many schools across the US and we welcome the opportunity to help spread the message to stop the bullying in schools. It also helps his music to reach a new demographic,” Haylett said.

Half Pint has also established a partnership with Lasco and Rootz Underground to promote environmental awareness in schools across Jamaica. The project is dubbed Relief Environmental Awareness Programme (REAP).

END VIOLENCE

“He has a new single called Pass It On that is encouraging patrons to help take back Jamaica from the trail of crime and violence that has cast a negative shadow on the island. We are also seeking to work with local peace-management groups with a view to doing our part to help to put an end to this cycle of violence,” Haylett revealed.

Born Lindon Roberts, Half Pint is a product of the west Kingston enclave of Rose Lane, a community close to Trench Town, which produced the likes of Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, and Toots Hibbert.

The reggae musician recently secured a major publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group and a deal with Harmonix Music Systems to have his music played in a series of video games said to be worth millions in potential revenue.

Pint at Rebels in the Garden, October 20th, 9pm at the Sunken Garden, Hope Gardens in St. Andrew.

International reggae star Half Pint has secured a major publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) and a deal with Harmonix Music Systems to have his music played in a series of music video games, a move manager Loyal Haylett revealed is a major push for reggae.

“What this deal represents is that Half Pint’s music will now be in a position to be played in movies, commercials, ring tones and a variety of other media. With the mother of all international publishing companies, so to speak, his music will be exposed to other markets and demographics,” his manager revealed.

UMPG is now responsible for collecting royalties and the administration of copyright issues. Through his own Loyal Haylett Management firm, the manager was also successful in negotiating a deal with Harmonix Music Systems and MTV Games, the makers of Rock Band, the popular music video game for Xbox 360, PlayStation and Nintendo DS gaming systems.

While he did not want to give the dollar value of the two deals, Haylett described them as ‘lucrative’. A serious international push for Half Pint’s music is also expected from the deals.

“Reggae is renowned globally and these deals represent the direction we are taking the business of reggae. The deal, especially with the Rock Band video games, has the capacity to generate millions for Half Pint Music, and we just want persons to understand the global brand and business of the music,” he further added.

Half Pint, known for hits such as Substitute Lover, Greetings, and Winsome, has no intention of slowing down in his musical endeavours either. He recently came off a six-week tour that covered the United States of America and Europe.

Born Lindon Roberts, the entertainer is a product of the West Kingston enclave of Rose Lane – a community in proximity to Trench Town – which has produced the likes of Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Peter Tosh, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, and Toots Hibbert.

“The music business in Jamaica is not about looking out for the veteran musicians. Even some of the event organisers are not knowledgeable about the legendary acts, they are a product of the now generation, which results in a breakdown,” Half Pint’s manager stated.

Rebel Music Festival, Sweden – “Landlord”

Rebel Music Festival, Sweden – “Suzie”

Reggae Jam, Germany

Helsinki Reggae Festival, Finland (Aug 25, 2012) – “Hold On”

Portugal (August 2, 2012)

Reggae Jam, German – “Level the Vibes”

• July 12, 2012: Dallas, TX
• July 13, 2012: New Braunfels, TX
• July 14, 2012: Tulsa, OK
• July 15, 2012: The Woodlands, TX
• July 17, 2012: West Palm Beach, FL
• July 18, 2012: St. Augustine, FL
• July 20, 2012: Tampa, FL
• July 21, 2012: Atlanta, GA