Hot on the heels of announcing Ken Boothe, Derrick Morgan, Pama International, The Original Aces and Alpheus, we are delighted to announce the latest band to be added to The London Intl Ska Festival 2018 / 30th anniversary is...

from Italy The Uppertones starring Mr.T-Bone.

Check out their next single (out in Sept) HERE

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The Uppertones is a powerful trio of trombone, vocals, piano & drums dedicated to the sound of the 50's in Jamaica, the Jamaican R'n'B, Jamaican boogie, calypso & mento. The kick start to homegrown Jamaican music in the 50s came from American rock'n'roll and R'n'B (rhythm & blues).
At that time it was the birth of Ska, which originated Rocksteady, Reggae etc. This trio aims to please crowds with a stompin' swing style mixed with the Jamaican edge and style.

Mr.T-bone is a well know singer, composer and trombone player in the international ska scene who has released 8 solo albums in the last 12 years and has toured Europe, USA, Canada, Indonesia, Brazil and Mexico. He has been a major contributor to the Italian ska & reggae scene for over a decade now.

Peter Truffa is a fabulous piano player & singer from New York. With his blues, jazz and ska roots, he toured for years with The New York Ska Jazz Ensemble and with Giuliano Palma and the Bluebeaters. He worked with Mr.T-bone on his second album "Mr.T-Bone Sees America".

Count Ferdi is the best drummer you can have for this kind of music, he's anitalian ska and Rocksteady pioneer founder of The Casino Royale the first italian ska band and The Bluebeaters. He plays with Mr.T-Bone since 1992 in many different project.

Their first album "Closer To The Bone" was released in 2015. This album was a selection of 12 tunes from the marvelous sound of the 50's including notable successes like "The Great Pretender" and "Personality". It features a small tribute to the great Rosco Gordon who was one of the most influencial musicians for the young jamaican scene. After releasing it they immediately toured Europe for twenty months no stop playing 170 shows in 10 countries!!

While touring consistently the band members found the time to compose many original tunes and when they arrived in the recording studio they had more than twenty-five new original songs. Same sound, same musicians, same studio but this time they are telling their own stories.