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| VINCENT
PRICE
APRIL 2, 1934
- OCTOBER 4, 2004
Born in the district
of Mainridge, Clarendon, Vincent Price, founder and
leader of the Blue Glaze Mento Band, was a self taught
musician. He grew up surrounded by music as his father
played the fife. He followed in his father's footsteps
in farming and was also an accomplished carpenter,
a trade he continued up to the time of death. At the
age of 14 he moved to May Pen and at 16 he bought
his first instrument, the Clarinet, and his love for
music grew. He would play and sing at functions in
and around the May Pen area and other adjoining parishes.
In the 1960s he founded
the Blue Glaze Mento Band and was engaged in performing
at various functions in and around Clarendon. Since
1978 they have been entering the Jamaica Cultural
Development Commission's annual Festival of the Performing
Arts in the Mento Music category winning for themselves
wide acclaim for their scintillating presentation
of Jamaican Folk tunes. The Band also received numerous
Festival Gold Awards together with the trophy for
No. 1 Band.
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Vincent
Price, third left, playing the Clarinet in
the Blue Glaze Band |
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Under his leadership and professional
guidance the Band grew and gained recognition, accompanying
Traditional Dance Groups performing the Quadrille and Maypole
dances islandwide in the annual Festival of Arts Competition.
They also performed at other national celebrations, as well
as, government and private functions. In 1998 they received
the Musgrave Bronze Medal for Music; preservation of ancestral
rhythms from the Institute of Jamaica.
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| Vincent
Price, 1st left, and Band performing at the Golf
View Hotel, Manchester |
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In addition to local
performances, the band has travelled extensively overseas
representing Jamaica at various international festivals.
These tours include: Mexico, Cuba, United States of
America, South Korea, Martinique, Brazil, Colombia,
France and Italy. When asked about the response overseas
to Mento music, Price replied, "We have been
to nine countries representing Jamaica at the World
Cultural Festival and the response has been good.
For example, when we went to South Korea the people
loved the music we were playing." |
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| Blue
Glaze Band in South Korea |
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Blue Glaze Band in San Marino |
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| Blue
Glaze Band in Brazil |
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In year 2000 the Band
made history by being part of the JCDC production
of a Mento Music CD Vol.1 along with three other leading
Mento Bands. This was followed up by the production
of their own CD.
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| Vincent
Price, third left, at the Signing of the Mento
CD Contract |
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Vincent
Price has received many individual awards including
a pair of golden cuff links from South Korea in 1999.
He will be remembered for his dedication to his art,
virtuosity, wide repertoire of folk songs and for
keeping alive this folk form - bringing pride and
awareness to Jamaica's indigenous folk music, the
"Mento". |
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MENTO MUSIC CLIPS - BLUE GLAZE BAND
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