Our boy Daru Jones hit me up the other day with some photos from the European tour he’s currently on with Talib Kweli and Idle Warship. He’s been rocking our gear for a number of his shows, so it’s safe to say he had to be the best dressed dude in the house. Check out some of the photos from Paris, Norway and Brooklyn below…

Also, check out his lates video for “I’m Free, Part 1″ below….

Daru & Rena’s Luv ’09 EP is out now. Pick it up by clicking here.

It’s been a LONG while since I posted anything here Jazz-related, and when I saw the news on this, I made sure that I would let folks know. Latin Jazz legend Eddie Palmieri will be performing this coming week at Jazz At Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, along with his sextet.

For more info on the shows, click here: Eddie Palmieri Afro Caribbean Jazz Sextet @ JALC..

For those who need a primer on Eddie and his music, check out a video of the man at work, after the jump…

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Another classic Guyanese recipe. This one has Amerindian, Portuguese and African influences. Check out the details below…

GARLIC PORK

Ingredients:

• 3 – 4 lbs lean pork
• 2 pt apple cider vinegar (you may use regular vinegar; apple cider vinegar reduces the acidity)
• ½ lb garlic
• 1 bunch fine thyme
• 6 – 8 wirri-wirri peppers. (Small berry-like hot red peppers, with a very strong and characteristic flavour. Used fresh in cooking. If you don’t have wirri-wirri peppers, habañero (scotch bonnet) peppers have a very similar flavour, although they are a bit hotter.)
• 4 – 6 cloves
• 4 tsp salt (or to taste)

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Dom beat me to the punch on putting together a reggae-flavored MJ retrospective. Even still, I wanted to have my say and add a little more to the conversation.

When a person who’s accomplished as much as Michael Jackson dies, it’s hard for me to really feel sad, only because the legacy that they’ve left behind, in this case MIchael’s music, keeps them alive forever. I felt this way when Isaac Hayes passed, when Ray Charles left us, and, again, I do now.

That said, the influence he had on the world of music was beyond monumental. Who would think that a guy from Gary, Indiana would influence music being made in Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean? But so was the case with Michael Joseph Jackson. Celebrate the life of a giant with the reggae-flavored covers and interpolations of his music below…

Links to download the music are after the jump…

Image via 5theyev2 on Flickr.

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With Mike’s untimely passing yesterday, I thought I should just add to all the other MJ tributes out there but do it Burden style. To start I added 2 of my favorite reggae renditions from Ghost and Nitty Kutchie “the girl is mine” and Tarrus Riley “Human Nature”. Here is to a truly great artist that blessed us with amazing music time and time again…

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Excuse the cheese, I didn’t want to delay posting this any longer so I used mixtape versions of the songs.

Check the rest after the jump…

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When we first caught wind of the Distant Relatives project, we had to mention it on the blog cause it sounds like it can be an epic album. As it stands, it looks like the Nas/Damian Marley compilation is coming closer to fruition. Check out the video preview…

In the late ’70s, British football club West Bromwich Albion had the most exciting team in English football… They played a trio of black players which they called the Three Degrees (named after the a female Philly vocal group); the late Laurie Cunningham, Cyrille Regis and Brendon Batson. Two of the Three Degrees where Caribbean born, Regis from French Guiana and Baston from Grenada.

Although not by any means the first black footballers to play professionally in England, the Three Degrees challenged the established racism of English football and marked a watershed that allowed a generation of footballers to enter the game who would previously have been excluded by their ethnic background. A strong and fast traditional centre-forward, Regis was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1978 and earned the Goal of the Season award in 1981–82, for his powerful long-range shot against Norwich City in the FA Cup.

You may be wondering why the picture above has more than 3 black players in it. It’s a picture of Albion’s “Black” XI, essentially its all the black squad members of Albion’s 1st and reserve squad.

Check out this clip where the trio link up to mash up Man United 5-3, it’s an amazing performance. Notice how the crowd reacts to the players and the coaches commentary at the end, it’s just a testament to what these guys had to face.

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Jammins Entertainment Presents: Beres Hammond

Wed, Jul 15 at 8pm & Fri, Jul 17 at 9pm

Reggae legend Beres Hammond, known especially for his romantic lovers rock, boasts a mellifluous voice, moving lyrics, and dynamic live performances. During his 35-plus year career, his unforgettable anthems have included “Groovy Little Thing,” “Putting Up Resistance,” and “Tempted to Touch.”

This year, Hammond is celebrating the release of his newest—and 25th—album, A Moment In Time, which includes Hammond’s signature rhythms, from sensual R&B to avant-garde jazz to innovative reggae, backed by some of Jamaica’s finest musicians. Performing with special guests Culture on both evenings and Marcia Griffiths on Friday only, Hammond is a true master of his field, and continues to create new sounds and seduce new audiences.

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
Wed, Jul 15
Tickets: $58, 78, 88, 98
Fri, Jul 17
Tickets: $60, 85, 99, 125

For more info check out BAM’s website.

Interesting Busta Rhymes video “If you don’t know” featuring Big Tigger.