Free Sessions at Ocho Rios Jazz Festival

Learn a little about the most important jazz festival in Jamaica

Presented by Palace Resorts

Jazz It Up In Ocho Rios

The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Jamaican music is obvious: reggae. Dig a bit deeper and you’ll come up with ska, mento, rocksteady, dancehall and dub music. What you don’t think of initially, or even on several subsequent levels, is jazz. But maybe you should!              

Though it might get lost in the plethora of more popular Jamaica music genres, its history on the island is strong precisely because Jamaican jazz incorporates and can be heard in most if not all the other types of island music.

27 Years of Smooth Tunes

The 27th edition of the Jamaica Ocho Rios Jazz Festival starts on May 27 and runs through June 4. It takes place in several cities and venues and Moon Palace Jamaica will get a special treat with four free performance sessions by the all-femaile jazz band Le Birrette from Italy, starting May 28. Sessions also take place, May 30, June 1 and June 3.

Jamaican jazz has been alive and well almost as long as its American counterpart. Though it might get lost in the plethora of more popular Jamaica music genres, its history on the island is strong precisely because it incorporates and can be heard in most if not all the other types of island music. The annual international festival is a testament to its enduring legacy. 

All-Star International Lineup

Among the artists scheduled to perform are Jamaica Big Band, Grand Beat (from Denmark), Project Grand Slam, Le Birrette, as well as Jamaican singers Tony Gregory, June Lawson and Marjorie Kay. 

The opening and closing of the festival will take place in Kingston and there will be other events in Ocho Rios and Portland, as well as the return of the popular Jazz Cruise leaving from Kingston Harbour. For more information check out the festival website.