To promote his first debut album, “Take Flight,” Jaime Hinckson and his band showcased their talents at Rockeys Dueling Piano Bar on Sunday.
Where the air was equally filled with Caribbean beats as it was with the smell of Jamaican jerk chicken, Hinckson’s long fingers danced across the Yamaha electric grand piano as his band followed along.
The 25-year-old Miami native has had a passion for music since age 7, when he first learned how to play classical music on the piano.
“I thought it was the most boring music on the planet,” he said.
He then shifted to jazz when he was about 12 and describes his music as “reggae jazz,” remaining closely tied to his parents’ Caribbean roots.
To a crowd of about 100, Hinckson played Bob Marley covers along with some of his original songs, including “Miss Mac,” a song about the woman who initially sparked his musical interest.
Beneath the blue and yellow stage lights, Claudia Singerman, 63, danced closely with her boyfriend, Al Ogden, 59.
As he sipped his Yuengling and she drank her ice water, the couple talked about how much they were enjoying the show.
“We love to dance, and I love jazz and reggae, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen the two combined,” Ogden said.
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 3/24/2014 under the headline "Reggae jazz band debuts album at local piano bar"]
Jaime Hinckson speaks to the audience between songs at Rockeys Dueling Piano Bar on Sunday. He said he likes that people can enjoy his music and interpret it however they choose.
