East 72nd Street off Fifth Avenue
New York City, New York

These two charismatic and political reggae originators from Côte d'Ivoire and Jamaica, have defined the genre and expanded its global reach.

Alpha Blondy is one of the world’s most respected Ivorian reggae performers. Singing predominantly in his native language of Dioula as well as French, English, Arabic, and Hebrew, Alpha Blondy creates lyrics that convey strong political attitudes and a fine sense of humor. Backed by the rhythmic beats and drippy sounds of his band The Solar System, Alpha Blondy has created music categorized as being truly his own.

Eccentric, Grammy award winning reggae legend, godfather of dub, and innovative producer of the early Bob Marley classics, Lee “Scratch” Perry teams up with Vienna’s Dubblestandart to revisit his most classic 70s music with a new twist of futuristic electronics.

Founded at the turn of the millennium, NYC’s Subatomic Sound System has built a reputation worldwide for explosive shows, innovative production, and breaking down barriers with their unique adaptation of 1970’s Jamaican sound system culture and dub reggae studio techniques to current music genres, technology, and live performances.

Official Website: http://www.summerstage.org

Added by city_parks_foundation on May 13, 2009