'Take 6' to perform at Sankofa Jazz Fest

The Sankofa Jazz Festival is slated for April 15 at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center in the heart of Liberty City. The festival will feature award-winning R&B group Take 6

The eighth annual, traditional outdoor event is presented by the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center (AHCAC)

Part of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs (MDCDCA), AHCAC was founded in 1975 to serve as the nesting ground for emerging talent in the performing and visual arts in Liberty City By providing quality instruction, inspiration, and encouragement to young people within the community, the AHCAC has fulfilled its mission for more than 40 years

“We are thrilled to feature the extraordinary Grammy Awardwinning Take 6 this year The band will delight festival-goers with amazing vocals,” said Marshall Davis, Managing Director of the AHCAC Davis noted that songs well-loved, and a few neverperformed live, will be included in the group ’ s performance

This is the first performance of Take 6’s special project, "Join The Band " The title comes from an album with the same name, where instrumentalists join the legendary group as part of their repertoire Take 6 is an a cappella group heralded by Quincy Jones as the “Baddest vocal cats on the planet!"

The group has received many accolades, including 10 Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards, 2 NAACP Image Awards, a Soul Train Award, and more Take 6 features Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea, and Khristian Dentley In addition to Take 6, Kizie The Violist is also slated to perform As in past years, Sankofa Festival participants will be able to see and experience art at its finest in AHCAC’s gallery This year ’ s exhibit is entitled "Ancestors by Macedonian" by artist and filmmaker Kiro Urdin Urdin is an award-winning multi-media artist

Romain Virgo credits Don Corelon, Keely Keyz for success of latest single “Driver”

By Micaiah Morgan

Jamaican recording artiste Romain Virgo attributes Don Corelon and Keely Keyz to the success of his most recent single, “Driver ”

The song, which was released on March 24 and directed by Sameel “SAMO” Johnson, features Virgo courting his love interest across the idylls of eastern Jamaica, while he expands his vocal range and packs tender romance and sensual flair into smooth melodies

The reggae star is well-loved for his sweetsounding music and captivating lyrics, but for his latest production, he was able to push himself to best convey the intended mood and message of the song

“I was basically just letting go of my way of singing, and allowing Don and Keely to produce I was doing more listening and then trying to capture the mood of the song just the way it was meant to be recorded,” Virgo told CNW

The artiste further said it was an honor working with Corelon

“He’s someone who genuinely loves what he does and over the years it has been that same kind of dedicated energy, so it’s a blessing every time to be honest,” he said

According to ReggaeVille com, Corleon has contributed significantly to the development of several Billboard chart-topping albums Among these are the songs Rise To The Occasion by Sizzla, The Trinity by Sean Paul, A Girl Like Me by Rihanna, among others Don Corleon is an undeniably accomplished engineer and veteran producer who spends a lot of time working with potential superstars

In sharing how the song “Driver” came about, producer, songwriter, and singer, Matthew Keaveny, also known as Keely Keyz, in an interview with VP Records shared

“Before I even got to a concept for the song I had to figure out melody construction and ‘feel,’ so I drew off of all the songs Romain did previously that did well like ‘Stay With Me’ and ‘Soul Provider,’ and then I drew for a song in the reggae market that did well prior to this and that was Estelle and Sean Paul,” he said

“I liked the feel of that record – I always did So I merged all them vibes together and then next concept, what does every woman want from a man more than love, time and money?! They want leadership so me seh cool ‘Driver’ and just took my time and worked on the song and when I sent it to Don he had no complaints, which is surprising cause he’s a hard marker when it comes to music,” he added

With this collaboration, Virgo “made that record his own,” according to Keyz, who added that it was a great experience collaborating with him and his team

Describing the message behind the song, Virgo says, “On ‘Driver,’ I’m captivated by everything about her I’m reassuring her that, if given a chance, I’ll prove to her that I want to be in it for the long run ”

Romain Virgo finds joy in delighting live audiences He has released three albums to date; ‘Romain Virgo’ (2010), ‘The System’ (2012), and ‘Love Sick’ (2018), as well as nineteen singles including his hits “Soul Provider,” “Stronger,” “Beautiful To Me” and “Star Across The Sky ”

His music has also been streamed more than 57 2 million times on YouTube, 4 5 million times on Spotify, and 24 2 million streams on Pandora

The Jamaican artiste is ranked in the top 100 most popular from Jamaica and receives radio play worldwide in key markets in the United States, the UK, the Caribbean, and Canada