Jess Klein

A native of snowy Rochester, NY, Jess Klein picked up the acoustic guitar and started writing songs while living as a student abroad in Kingston, Jamaica in her late teens. Her first songs reflected a bittersweet culture shock as well as the warmth and musical vibrancy of these new surroundings. While shopping for cassette tapes of dub poets Mutabaruka and Linton Kwesi Johnson, fate put her in touch with the MC of a weekly dub poetry and music session, who took an interest in her talent and encouraged her to audition for a guest slot. Upon hearing the first song Klein had written, the host, locally renowned author Lady Elean Thomas declared, “She have soul, mon.”