Legendary Jamaican pianist, Monty Alexander; roots reggae singer, Ini Kamoze; and Queen Ifrica are among the first set of acts billed for the 14th anniversary of Rebel Salute 2K8.

Monty Alexander has undertaken numerous reggae projects

The full slate of performers for the reggae fiesta set for the Port Kaiser's Sports Club in St Elizabeth, on Saturday, January 12, will be announced at an official launch on December 27.

By grafting the traditions of American jazz to his authentic Jamaican roots, Monty Alexander has spent a lifetime exploring the rich depths of musical and cultural diversity. As such the internationally famous pianist has undertaken numerous reggae projects which he has embellished with his musical genius.

Among them his two sets with his interpretations of some of Bob Marley's classics for the Cleveland, Ohio-based Telarc Records, the company for which he also recorded the album, Monty Meets Sly and Robbie.

Rebel Salute 2K8, will also mark another advent of Ini Kamoze, who before his reincarnation as a hip hop reggae lyrical gangster in the mid 90s, scored a major hit with Here Comes the Hotstepper for which he achieved Billboard's Number 1 spot. He also did some palatable stuff in the 1980s which were strong enough to propel him to a wider market.

Old school fans who remember an evolving Ini Kamoze, will come out to hear him perform roots tracks like World-a-Music, Trouble You A Trouble Me, Shocking Out, Hole In The Pumpkin, to mention just some of the unforgettables.

Then what can one say of Queen Ifrica, the original "Fyah Muma", except that she's on a roll if ever there was one. Those of us who have been following her career from the days of Randy, will not want to miss what will be perhaps her biggest stage outing since the release of her current smash, Daddy Don't Touch Me There.

If the calibre of the acts that have been billed so far is any indication of the quality of the line-up to be announced at the end of the month, then it is reasonable to assume that a creme de la creme festival is in the making.

Since 1994, the popular celebration of cultural music and cuisine, has consistently presented novel showcases which magnetically pulled thousands of people to areas of Jamaica not traditionally famous for live music festivals.

Under the theme "A Spiritual Rennaissance", Rebel Salute in a short time became reggae's premier roots festival, promoted by the Tony Rebel-led Flames Productions. At its first staging at the Fayor's Entertainment Centre in Mandeville, Manchester, despite heavy rains, this venue was unable to accommodate the hundreds of patrons who turned up for the event.

So, a new home had to be found, and for the next three years what has become a yearly conscious party, was held at Brooks Park. As it continues to capture the adoration of music fans, Rebel Salute inevitably outgrew Brooks Park, but even at its present location at the Port Kaiser Sports Club, increasingly, the promoters are even more challenged to maintain crowd and traffic control, as the world has now embraced this one-night festival which in less than 15 years has grown to be an international event.

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