Jimmy Screech 'Wood 4 The Trees' Video

• 9th Dec 2008

Rising British reggae star, Jimmy Screech releases his debut single ‘Wood 4 The Trees’ via Map Music on 8th December. He supported Roots Manuva throughout October during his latest tour.

Jimmy’s history is steeped in the roots reggae traditions of the music he used to listen to while growing up on the estates of South East London. The combination of Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff and Toots And The Maytalls inspired and gave the young Jimmy a sense of where his parents came from. But it was the hip hop jams he used to hang out at that introduced him to the sounds of Public Enemy and Run DMC that made him realise that this collision of grooves was something he wanted to do in his own music.

Pretty soon he was recording and releasing his own music with underground acts like Ray Keith, Genuwine and Urban Gemz which gave him a credible burst of street level success.

It was a mutual friend who introduced Jimmy to Roots Manuva who was so impressed with Jimmy’s effortless move from hip hop to reggae that he insisted they work together on a series of 7” singles released through Roots’ Banana Klan label.

This led to him touring with Roots on his ‘Awfully Deep’ tour and his debut album, ‘In This Life’ (Banana Klan) was released in 2005.

“I’ve always loved the positive vibrations of reggae and the assertiveness of hip hop so in my mind bringing both genres together was always going to be the most natural direction for my music to go in.”

DECEMBER

4 LONDON – Camden Jazz Café

JANUARY

9 BRISTOL – Thekla w/ Ugly Duckling
15 KINGSTON – Banquet Records w/ Ugly Duckling
17 WINSOR – Firestation w/ Ugly Duckling
19 NORWICH – Arts Centre w/ Ugly Duckling
22 LONDON- Scala w/ Ugly Duckling
24 SWANSEA – Swansea University w/ Ugly Duckling
25 MANCHESTER – Ruby Lounge w/ Ugly Duckling
26 NOTTINGHAM – Bodega w/ Ugly Duckling
27 SHEFFIELD – The Tuesday Club w/ Ugly Duckling