THE Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), a sponsor of Jamaica Jazz and Blues since its inception, has recommitted support for the event’s virtual staging set for March 4 to 6.

The JTB is joined by Mastercard, Flow, Appleton Estate, Tourism Enhancement Fund, Tourism Linkages Network, Grace Foods, National Commercial Bank, Pepsi and several other corporate entitites in powering the rejuvenation of the popular music festival, which returns after being on haitus since 2015.

Speaking at a recent press conference, Director of Tourism Donovan White expressed pleasure at the return of the festival.

“I am pleased to see the return of one of the Caribbean’s best music festivals. We have missed the festival for many years so we are particularly excited at its return. With masterful production, class acts and an unmistakable Jamaican flair, the festival adds to the high demand of music events that makes Jamaica the beat that moves the world.”

Marcia McDonnough, co-producer of the festival, is buoyed by the support from a mixture of Jamaican and global brands. “After a hiatus of five years we are pleased to return Jazz and Blues to loving patrons. We couldn’t have done it without the support of our sponsors,” she stated.

Kamal Powell, marketing manager, J Wray and Nephew Limited, confirms the virtual staging will be worth the wait for the festival’s return. “Appleton Estate is thrilled to be partnering with the Jamaica Jazz and Blues festival on this historic virtual staging, despite the physical distance between us. Appleton Estate and the Jamaica Jazz and Blues brands both speak to global audiences with the language of Jamaica’s excellence in culture, such as our music. Embracing this partnership was natural. We implore you, as you tune in to the festival, enjoy a cocktail from any of our variants.”

Mastercard, a strong global brand, supports music festivals worldwide as a strong part of the corporation is the use of music, which worked for the brand in their collaboration with Grammy Award-winning artiste Koffee for their most recent campaign.

That company’s director of marketing and communications for the Caribbean, Marcus Carmo said the festival provides an opportunity to connect people with their passion, acknowledging that music is a passion for Jamaica which has a very long and rich tradition of music history. “Mastercard is proud to be a part of the revitalisation of the Jamaica Jazz and Blues festival. Our brand is synonymous with music in Jamaica and globally, and we look forward to seeing another fantastic Jamaican festival production.”

The Jamaica Jazz and Blues festival was first staged in 1996 and has gone on to host nearly 500 top international performers, including Celine Deon, Diana Ross, Anita Baker, Chaka Khan, Chicago, Lionel Richie, The O’Jays, The Isley Brothers, Maroon 5, Alicia Keyes, Michael Bolton, and Erykah Badu.

This year the event returns under the theme ‘Bringing the Magic Back’. Grammy-winner Jon Secada, Richie Stephens, Jah9, Sevana, Mortimer, Lila Ike and Tesselated are among the acts already announced by the organisers.