A strong line-up of women will take the spotlight on the 20th staging of the annual Jamaica Ocho Rios International Jazz Festival. Dubbed Jazz Week, the event which runs from June 12 to 20, will feature a number of female jazz exponents both locally and internationally.

From overseas come American jazz singer Carmen Lunday, trumpeter Ginetta Vendetta, Canadian born songstress Kiralina, Marie Claire, Mexican born singer Lila Downs and saxophonist Pamella Williams. On the local front home-grown percussionist Quida and keyboardist Dr Kathy Brown are set to take centrestage. However, this does not mean it will be an all-female cast. The male of the species will be represented by veteran Jamaican trumpeter Mickey Hanson, and drummer extraordinaire Desi Jones, as well as the Fab Five Band that will once again provide a ska revival. Non nationals are the Grenadian/Canadian singer/organist Kingsley Ettienne and Trinidadian born trumpeter Etienne Charles.

For the entire month of June or Jazz Month ( as its late founder Sonny Bradshaw so branded it), events will be held across the island beginning on June 12 with Jazz wine and fashion at the French ambassador’s residence and featuring Kiralina and Etienne Charles. Proceeds from this event will be donated to the Consie Walters Cancer Hospice.

June 13, the opening Jazz Day in the gardens of the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, will see the likes of Carmen Lundy, Lila Downs, Desi Jones Trio, Ginetta Vendetta and Kiralina in action.

During Jazz Week between (Monday June 14 -Friday the 18 ) free public concerts will be held at Ocho Rios Ocean Village Shopping Centre daily, 4:00 pm, while over the same period, there will be nightly jam sessions at the Jazz Villages at the Hotel Four Seasons, Kingston as well as the Sunset Jamaica Grande Hotel, Ocho Rios.

Jazz Month comes to a climax on Father’s Day (Sunday, June 20) at the Turtle River Park, Ocho Rios with Kingsley Ettienne, Pamella Williams, Antelope Valley Big Band, Tony Green, Joe Sizemore, Marie Claire Cultural Odyssey and last but by no way least, Fab Five bringing the curtain down on the almost two week festival with Ska Revival.

The grand dame of Jamaican jazz, Myrna Hague-Bradshaw, recently established the Sonny Bradshaw Foundation which is responsible for the continuation of her husband’s legacy that is considered the only authentic jazz festival in the Caribbean. Her husband Sonny Bradshaw, widely regarded as the dean of Jamaica music, died on October 10, 2009, at age 83.