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NEWS
We've added a TOUR page to the website. The widget will allow you to see my upcoming events, subscribe and purchase tickets! New Music I've been very busy working on new music! Can't wait for you all to hear the new sounds that we've been working on. In the meantime make sure you get a copy of my latest album Smooth Jazz Meets Reggae. Stay tuned!!! My first feature in The Jamaica Observer! London was the music world’s melting pot during the 1970s. Fans of heavy metal, funk, punk and reggae had an appreciation for their respective genres. It was an exciting time for Helen Rogers, a teenaged English singer with a passion for reggae. That passion is intact. READ MORE The Album reviews are in!!!! Smooth Jazz Meets Reggae Reviewed by SoulTrainOnline.de Massive thanks to Michael Arens and Soul Train Online in Germany for making my debut album Smooth Jazz Meets Reggae their Hot Tip (Album of the Month - Feb 2016) German speakers can read the review right here! READ MORE Smooth Jazz Meets Reggae Reviewed by TheSmoothJazzRide.com After an agonizingly long wait, songbird Helen Rogers of Jazzmasters fame has released her debut solo release, Smooth Jazz Meets Reggae, an interesting and exciting mix of – what else?– smooth jazz and reggae. No, not all in the same songs (although that could prove to be quite interesting), but on separate tracks. Well worth the wait. Each offering is absolutely a quality gem, and she proves here that her years as the co-founder and crystalline voice for the Jazzmasters, complementing Paul Hardcastle’s grooves, were such a wonderful and growing experience. As she puts it, “My time working with Paul Hardcastle was really special to me. We had met whilst both working with UK jazz/funk band Direct Drive and, following the band’s breakup, we worked together on and off over the years. What an incredible experience it was to write and record five Jazzmasters albums with an artist, composer, and producer like Paul.” READ MORE "Smooth Jazz Meets Reggae" Reviewed by Denis Poole of Smooth Jazz Therapy Fans of Paul Hardcastle will be more than aware of British vocalist and songwriter Helen Rogers who, between 1991 and 2006, provided her textbook soulful vocals to his iconic Jazzmaster recordings. However, it was back in 1982 when, as lead singer with the band Direct Drive, Helen first experienced chart success. This funk driven collective posted hits, both on the Black Echoes and the UK singles charts where the single ‘A.B.C. (Falling in Love's Not Easy)’ made number 75 in 1985. Now Helen is back with her (long overdue) debut solo CD, the intriguingly titled ‘Smooth Jazz Meets Reggae’ and just in case you are wondering where the reggae came from it is worth noting that one of her first professional gigs was in 1978 with One Stop Music, an independent South London label, that specialized in this Caribbean inspired genre. ‘Smooth Jazz Meets Reggae’ is out now on Skinny Bwoy Records, an independent US label with a leaning toward reggae, and is worth a closer look. READ MORE "Smooth Jazz Meets Reggae" Reviewed by Teacher and Mr. T of Reggae Vibes Helen Rogers (born Helen Clark in Rinteln, Germany) began her singing career in London in the 1980s, firstly with One Stop a South London reggae label, where she met and recorded with reggae legend Ken Parker and worked with UK lovers rock band Natural Touch. She went on to become lead singer of the British Jazz Funk band Direct Drive, and was signed to Polydor Records in this capacity. They had a massive hit with their song "Anything", which remained at #1 on the Black Echoes Soul chart for 8 weeks, and then crossed over to the UK National Chart. Helen Rogers' foray into the US market came through her work on Jazzmasters, the smooth jazz album series she co-founded with producer and multi-instrumentalist Paul Hardcastle, with whom she worked with in Direct Drive. READ MORE |
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