File
Beres Hammond.

LeVaughn Flynn, Entertainment Editor

In one corner, American R&B singer Jimmy Cozier sat with Red Bull in hand, penning lyrics to a song. At the other end of the room, British-based producers and brothers, Leroy 'Mafia' Heywood and Dave 'Fluxy' Heywood, go through some tracks.

Inside a dimly lit, well-furnished office, the boss, Beres Hammond, shares a drink with fellow reggae singer Jimmy Riley, while downstairs Lenya Wilks readies for a studio session and upcoming producer Icon shoots the breeze.

That's the scene at Harmony House recording studio in St Andrew, a home for burgeoning artistes and a popular watering hole for Hammond's friends.

Upcoming talents

Harmony House stimulates ideas, Hammond said, and, as such, he seeks upcoming talents, such as Wilks, to groom.

"We are geared towards new talent. I don't get any satisfaction out of producing an artiste with a name. We want to develop them and see them grow," Hammond said.

The studio is equipped for them to do just that. Hammond built the studio at its current location at 67 Dumbarton Avenue, St Andrew, five years ago. The two-storey complex boasts state-of-the-art equipment, Hammond said, that rival any studio in the world.

Most of the tracks on his latest album, A Moment in Time, were recorded at Harmony House, and rehearsals for his signature concert of the same title, which will be held on December 28 at the Grandstand, National Stadium, are held there.

As Hammond indulges Riley in conversation, soulful reggae singer Courtney John, Hammond's nephew, stops by and minutes later they are joined by producer Clive Hunt, who immediately engages everyone with his animated voice.

Talk show host

The office phone rings and it's Hammond's assistant, Mervis. Michael Baisden, a talk show host in California, is on the line. Baisden happened to be interviewing a noted R&B singer and Hammond and Michael Jackson were mentioned as his inspiration.

"I know Michael Jackson, but Beres Hammond? Who's that?" Baisden quizzed.

The next day Baisden got a copy of the album and immediately his phone lines lit up after he played the first track on the album, I Feel Good. With that response, he had to find the man himself who, for 35 years, has soothed souls and melted minds.

After days of non-stop calls to Jamaica, Baisden finally found out who Beres Hammond was.

Moments later, there is another knock on the door. It's one of Hammond's daughters, Nastassja. When A Moment in Time was released, first digitally on August 19, and in stores on October 14, Nastassja had one of her dreams fulfilled - her father laid his sultry vocals over a rhythm she produced. She also co-wrote the track, which bears the same title as the album, with her father.