Ravinia 2022, Issue 4

PAVILION 7:00 PM SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 2022 KAZAYAH † –Intermission– ZIGGY MARLEY † A Live Tribute to His Father † Ravinia debut G. LOVE Garrett “G. Love” Dutton is celebrating 30 years as a touring and recording artist. With over 15 records to his name, G. Love has in- fluenced and collaborated with the likes of Jack White, Jack Johnson, The Avett Brothers, Slightly Stoopid, and many more performers. A native of Philadelphia, he started out as a musician on guitar and soon added songwrit- ing and harmonica to his repertoire. Just out of his teens and slinging a signature blend of Delta blues and classic hip-hop mixed with funk, rock, and jazz, G. Love put together the group Special Sauce in the early 1990s and landed a house-band gig around Bos- ton. The group released a self-titled album in 1994, eventually going gold on the strength of the single “Cold Beverage” and its popular rotation on MTV. Heightened instrumen- tal grooves formed the backbone of 1995’s Coast to Coast Motel , while 1997’s Yeah, It’s That Easy added inflections of soul and guest spots from Dr. John, the All Fellas Band, and other musicians the band members worked with on hiatus between records. After 1999’s Philadelphonic with guest Jack Johnson and 2001’s Electric Mile , G. Love joined Johnson’s Brushfire label and cut two nominally solo albums, The Hustle (2004) and Lemonade (2006), both streamlined returns to his blues and hip-hop roots. Special Sauce returned to the mix for 2008’s Superhero Brother , a record more focused on the music of the core band members. In the gap between that record and 2014’s Sugar , G. Love teamed up with The Avett Brothers on his mostly acoustic and introspective solo album Fixin’ to Die (2011). Sugar was followed a year later by Love Saves the Day , which brought in a slew of special guests including Lucinda Williams, Citizen Cope, Ozomatli, and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos. The Juice , co-produced by Keb’ Mo’ and featuring several other guests, arrived in early 2020, and just over a month ago G. Love returned with Philadelphia Mississippi , continuing to explore the blues and hip-hop mix. G. Love first played Ravinia in 2007 and is making his first return to the festival. ZIGGY MARLEY The eldest son of Bob and Rita Marley, Ziggy has hewed his own path, infusing the reggae genre with funk, blues, rock, and other ele- ments through mindful songcraft. For over 40 years he has cultivated a multifaceted ca- reer as a musician, producer, activist, and hu- manitarian, earning eight Grammy Awards and a Daytime Emmy. With his companies Tuff Gong Worldwide and Ishti Music and his charity Urge, for more than 15 years he has worked to benefit the well-being of children in Jamaica, Africa, and North America. Equal parts master storyteller and motivational guide, he explores issues from environmental awareness to self-empowerment and social justice to political inequity while returning to the transformative power of love. At age 10 Ziggy Marley entered the family music trade as a singer on the charity single “Children Playing in the Streets” alongside his siblings; together they began performing as the Mel- ody Makers after their father’s death. The group released its first album in 1985, Play the Game Right , backed by the rhythm section from The Wailers. Ziggy became the de facto leader of the Melody Makers around the same time, and 1986’s pop-inflected Hey World! gave way to the band’s first tours, including regular appearances at Reggae Sunsplash. Marley and the Melody Makers worked with members of Talking Heads on their next two albums, Conscious Party (1988) and One Bright Day (1989), which both climbed well into Billboard ’s top 40 and won Grammy Awards. Following the Grammy-nominated Jahmekya (1991), the group embraced per- sonal themes on Joy and Blues (1993), formed its own label for Free Like We Want 2 B (1995), and earned a third Grammy with Fallen Is Babylon (1997). The Melody Makers disband- ed after 1999’s Spirit of Music , and Marley be- gan a solo career with 2003’s Dragonfly . He reentered the reggae mainstream with the Grammy-winning Love Is My Religion (2006) and then crossed into children’s music with Family Time (2009). Marley most recently released More Family Time (2020) following the hit reggae discs Wild and Free (2011), Fly Rasta (2014), Ziggy Marley (2016), and Rebel- lion Rises (2018). Ziggy Marley is making his Ravinia debut. KAZAYAH Born and raised by Jamaican parents just north of Chicago, Kazayah has been per- forming locally since 2013 and has since toured to Jamaica, Belize, Mexico, California, Trinidad, and Canada while also opening for eye-opening artists like Sizzla, Turbulence, Warrior King, Lady G, and “Queen of Reg- gae” Marcia Griffiths. After connecting with local producer Ras Wadadah II, who exposed her to original roots-reggae, she has crafted an original music style blended with R&B, gospel, lovers rock, and dub. Kazayah has also worked closely with the D.O.V.E. Muzik band and studio, where she has been refining her upcoming debut EP, I Am Kazayah —its first two tracks, “Mr. Sunshine” and “Sweet,” were released earlier this year. Through that same studio she also collaborated with Warrior King on a remix and music video of her song “You Can Do It,” released in 2017. Kazayah is making her Ravinia debut RAVINIA MAGAZINE • AUGUST 1 – AUGUST 14, 2022 46