Mista Savona

Mista Savona (born Jake Dominic Savona)[1] is a highly regarded reggae, dancehall and hip-hop producer and keyboardist based in Melbourne, Australia.

Mista Savona
Background information
Birth name	Jake Dominic Savona
Also known as	Mista Savona
Origin	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres	Reggae, Dancehall, Hip hop
Years active	2007-present
Labels	Muti Music, Elefant Traks, Soulbeats, ABC Music, VP Records, Baco Records and Cumbancha
Associated acts	Havana Meets Kingston
Website	Official webpage

He first gained international recognition with the release of his self-produced album Melbourne Meets Kingston, released by Elefant Traks in 2007. This 21-track album was recorded in Jamaica and Australia, and is the first ever album length collaboration between Australian and Jamaican musicians.[2] It features performances from Jamaican singers and deejays such as Anthony B, Determine and Big Youth. It was followed in 2011 with the international release of his follow up studio album Warn the Nation, recorded in the UK, Jamaica, Australia and Africa. It features internationally renowned artists such as Capleton, Sizzla, Horace Andy (Massive Attack), Alton Ellis (in one of his last recordings), Burro Banton and more.[3] The album received widespread critical acclaim, including Triple J describing it as “Australia’s definitive reggae album”.[4]

He is also the first Australian producer to release his own riddim series in Jamaica, the successful 'Fire Dragon' riddim released in 2009 which features artists such as Sizzla, Burro Banton and Vida-Sunshyne.[5] Other releases include two solo albums, Invasion Day and Bass & Roots, as well as Born a King, a full-length album with Jamaican singer Sizzla which is being hailed as one of the strongest of Sizzla's career.[6]

In 2017 Savona released his seminal album Havana Meets Kingston, a world-first collaboration between the musicians of Cuba and Jamaica.[7] Recorded at the legendary EGREM Studios in Havana, Cuba (where the now famous Buena Vista Social Club album was recorded in 1996),[8] the album was released to universal claim and described by Readings as “a one-of-a-kind musical project…Jake is pioneering a new frontier of cross-cultural musical exchange.”[9] Musicians featured on the album include Jamaican rhythm section Sly and Robbie, famed guitarist Ernest Ranglin and original members of Buena Vista Social Club, Los Van Van and Irakere.[7] International tours followed including a live performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London for the BBC Proms, televised in full on BBC TV & Radio, and described by The Times as "Nothing Short Of Explosive”.[10]

A photo of Sly Dunbar, Jake Savona and Robbie Shakespeare in Cuba in 2015

A photo of Jake Savona in Melbourne, 2007