Dan Zanes visits JA
DAN Zanes, front man of the Grammy-winning group Dan Zanes and Friends, was recently on a visit to Jamaica.
Zanes, former member of ’80s popular American band Del Fuefos, was on a seven-day community tourism tour with his 18-year-old daughter and left on Friday, August 24. The tour was led by Diana McIntyre-Pike.
The artiste — who is known for producing children’s albums — said among the places visited were Orange and Beeston streets in downtown Kingston.
“It was amazing to see Prince Buster’s record shop,” said Zanes, who acknowledged being a lover of Jamaica’s music including mento and folk. “I don’t always understand the lyrics, but still love it.”
“It was exciting to come down here,” said the musician.
He could not make up his mind as to which attraction stood out most in his mind.
“Treasure Beach [St Elizabeth] was great … Port Antonio was also great,” he told the Jamaica Observer, as he relived the delights of Boston, where he said he enjoyed some wonderful jerked provisions.
Zanes has had a long-standing relationship with Jamaican music and has collaborated with artiste Rankin Don on all his albums. In 2007, Zanes won a Grammy Best Musical Album for Children for the album Catch That Train (2006).
That year he produced a children’s reggae CD called It’s a Bam Bam Diddly which featured songs performed by Jamaican artiste Sister Carol and Sheryl Crow.
This fall, Dan Zanes and Friends released Little Nut Tree, their first family album in five years. The album features Andrew Bird, Sharon Jones, Sierra Leone Refugee All , and Joan Osborne.