Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff's connection with Te Tiriti and Aotearoa

A Kiwi friend of the late reggae legend Jimmy Cliff describes him as a gentle and considered soul who was hugely curious about New Zealand and the role of Te Tiriti.

Cliff, who is regarded as one of the founders of reggae music, died in Kingston, Jamaica, on Sunday. He was 81.

Music promoter Jackie Sanders, of Kerikeri, describes herself as “a friend and huge fan” who brought Jimmy Cliff to Aotearoa in 2011, 2015 and 2018.

She counted him alongside Bob Marley, Toots (of Toots and the Maytals) and Peter Tosh as one of the four pioneers of the reggae genre.

While it was Marley who went on to find worldwide fame, Cliff entered modern consciousness in his later years through soundtracks for movies such as Cool Runnings and The Harder They Come.

Sanders said she got to know Cliff because she insisted, given his mana and status as a musical legend, on personally driving him between shows.

“So I spent quite a lot of time with him. He was a very gentle, quiet and considered man. He was also very curious. He had a lot of questions about New Zealand. He was hugely interested in Māori and TeTiriti and how that all worked.”

His 2011 visit was for the Raggamuffin Festival in Rotorua; in 2015 he played Tauranga and Auckland’s Powerstation.

The Auckland show,with a packed venue and Herbs Unplugged as support, was Sanders’ “favourite gig ever”.

She said Cliff’s interest in TeTiriti sowed the seeds for his 2018 show at Waitangi, where he was the headline act for the inaugural Bay of Islands Music Festival, held in the grounds of the Copthorne Hotel.

That night was to be the most stressful of her entire career.

Cliff had two sets at the Byron Bay Bluesfest, on Easter Friday and Monday, and the idea was that he would fly out of the Gold Coast on Saturday morning, play Saturday night at Waitangi, then head back across the Tasman on Sunday morning.

However, thanks to delays in Australia, by the time Cliff and his 10-piece band landed in Auckland, the last flight to Kerikeri had been and gone.

“We were absolutely panicking. We had a full house in Waitangi, we had an amazing lineup. What were we going to do?” and

Air New Zealand was able to rustle up another plane but not a pilot, so the musicians were instead whisked through Customs and onto a minibus.

In the meantime Hamilton reggae band Katchafire stretched out their set and rumour rippled through the crowd.

After a high-speed drive north the band virtually rolled out of the minibus straight onto the stage, 45 minutes late.

That left only 30 minutes before the festival was due to finish, with the venue anxious not to go over time. 

“We were getting a bit of heat that the curfew was coming up … I remember them saying to me, ‘You've got to go on stage and tell them this is the last song’. And I was just thinking of the hits the band hadn’t yet played …SoI went on stage and said, ‘Whatever happens, don't come off that stage before the encore, just stay on and keep going’. I got into a bit of trouble over it. But I don't regret it, it was great.”

Sanders said even in 2015 Cliff seemed frail, and in 2018 he had to be literally carried up the stairs onto the stage.

“But once on the stage, he was chucking his legs in the air and he was an absolute ball of energy. He said to me the next day, ‘The music takes control and it takes over my spirit, and it happens. I won't stop until I die’. He really was an incredible man.”

An emotional Sanders said she had been playing his music almost non-stop since Sunday.

“It's incredibly sad to lose another legend. They don't come along that often, and Jimmy Cliff was definitely one of those utter legends,” she said.

“He shaped a whole genre of music that has entertained people for generations. So rest in power, Jimmy, and thank you for bringing us so much joy.”