This is truly a matter close to our hearts: NYSJE were there at the very beginning of the festival, headlining the first edition, so their participation in the twentieth edition is an absolute must. In fact, the foundations of Mighty Sounds were laid according to the European dates of their 2005 tour.
The idea to create NYSJE by combining the best of ska, jazz, and reggae was conceived in 1993 by the then saxophonist of The Toasters, “Rocksteady Freddie” Reiter. During the highly successful “Smash Skavoovee Tour,” he persuaded his bandmates (trombonist Rick Faulkner and drummer Jonathan McCain) to join his project. as well as the guitarist and keyboardist from the legendary Skatalites, and added producer Vic Rice on double bass, who at the time was still involved with the ska-jazz “wannabe Satanist” band Mephiskapheles. As the years passed, NYSJE saw a succession of musicians from all over the world, and the band recorded an incredible number of albums, but their travels always lead back to us!
