NEW Music Alert! ALPHA SCHOOL BAND-LIMITED EDITION 7"

Only available at Supernova International Ska Festival, Sept 14-17, Fort Monroe, Virginia (USA). Reserve your copy below...

The beautiful label art is designed by Studio One artist J Bonner.

The Alpha School of Music, The Supernova International Ska Festival and Jump Up Records are so pleased to announce a special vinyl release by Alpha students in support of Alpha's music programme. But you can only collect it at Supernova. That’s correct. You have to go to Virginia in the USA to pick it up!

The 7-inch release is the first ever vinyl release featuring Alpha School of Music students. Not only that, with the iconic ska anthem, "Eastern Standard Time" on Side A and the mento classic, "Rukumbine", on Side B, this record is a snapshot of Jamaican popular music just as it was about to take off.

Eastern Standard Time, a Studio One ska anthem by the Skatalites was a favourite of Sister Ignatius (perhaps beccause her favourite student, Don Drummond, is featured and his fellow past Alpha students Johnny Dizzy Moore, Lester Sterling and Tommy McCook are also original members of the band). Now we get to hear current Alpha students' interpretation of these timeless recordings. For those familiar with 1960s mento recordings, such as those by Baba Brooks and Carlos Malcolm, this Rukumbine arrangement by Alpha band instructor Peter Ashbourne might bring back memories.

Did we mention both songs were recorded at Bob Marley's legendary studio Tuff Gong with support from the Bob Marley Foundation? See the photos and recording credits below.

Supernova's commitment to the Alpha Institute continues to grow since 2020 with more than US$25,000 raised for Alpha's academic, music and social service programs. Alpha is using some of the funds to complete this recording project -- an amazing milestone in the school's 140-plus-year history. Reserve your copy of history today for just $10 and pick it up in-person at Supernova. Proceeds directly support music training and academic programs at Alpha. Fans will also receive the Jump Up Records Sampler CD as an added bonus!