In Jamaica, after the 50’s era of boogie woogie blues, Jazz, Calypso and Mento…. came ska, and with ska came the Skatalites. The most popular and successful ska band of all times! Indeed the Skatalites were the precursors of this fast musical genre, although the tune said to be the first ska tune, Easy Snappin’ by theophilius Beckford was recorded in 1959 today known as ska. Originally comprised of some of the best musicians in the island such as Tommy Mc Cook, Roland Alphonso, Llloyd Brevett, Johnny “Dizzy” Moore and the list goes on,
In 1962 Skatook the Island by storm. Jamaica needed a new sound and ska was to provide it! That year was the year of the Jamaican independence, and musically, Jamaica was still, until then, pretty much performing American acts with an American flavour. It was time to come up with something typically Jamaican. Something that would go along with the spirit of the independence, something new, something that would be theirs, something that they would call ska, because of the “skat, skat, skat” sound of the extremely fast riddim section.
Slowly the band will start to amalgamate. The Skatalites members were originally a group of extremely talented jazz musicians who were performing as a backing band for the legendary producer from 13 Brentford Road in Kingston, Sir Coxsone Dodd performing with artists suc as the wailers, Prince Buster, Jimmy Cliff, and the list is endless, so is their contribution to the Jamaican music scene.
The original members of the Skatalites were Tommy McCook – tenor saxophone, flute; Rolando Alphonso – tenor saxophone; Lester Sterling – alto saxophone; Don Drummond – trombone; Johnny ”Dizzy” Moore – trumpet; Lloyd Brevett – upright bass; Lloyd Knibbs – drums; Jah Jerry Haynes – guitar; Jackie Mittoo – piano. Out of the original line up, only two of this panel of legends are left: Lloyd Knibb and Lester Stirling. But sadly the early adventure didn’t last long and the Skatalites dissolved in 1965, reuniting 18 years later and perfomimg still as the Skatalites. Many of the original members are now deceased, but the Skatalites are still going strong performing continually on the international scene.
The Skatalites are truly living legends, and without this great band, reggae might not even be, or wouldn’t be what it is now. So if you love Jamaican music, start with the roots of it all, and listen to the skatalites. You will discover a new musical sphere that will keep you wanting for more.
the Skatalites with Prince Buster – Al Capone
Theophilius Beckford – Easy Snappin’: said to be the first recorded ska tune.
23 Jun
The legendary Sakatalites
26 May
Ska Music – The origins of reggae
Reggae music was born in Jamaica in the early part of the 60′s under the early term of Ska. In the late 50′s and early 60′s, there was a serious sense of musical identity search. Up until then Jamaican muiscians were playing American tunes. Blues, be bop and jazz were the music of the moment. They also played some of their own folklore music such as Mento and Calypso. But really the main influence were american musicians. Jamaica needed its own music. Jmaica got its independence in 1962, and with the independence came a new style of music, called ska. The origins of the terms are vague, but many believe, it is an onomatopea of the sound of the guitar being strummed, going skat, skat, skat. but it has been disputed. I guess we will never know the exact etymology of the term. What is widely believed to be the first ska tune is a number by Theophil Beckford entitle Easy snappin’. In it you can hear the definite influence of rythm and blues. The idiosyncrasy of ska is the “walking bassline”, and has g0t its rythm on the upbeat. The pionners in ska are the skatalites, an outfit composed of some of the best musician on the island, all of them having learned music in the renown Alpha school for boys. Some of the best ska and reggae musicians to have walked this planet have gone through this school. Tommy McCook, vin Gordon, Johnny Dizzie Moore, Lester Sterling, Ernest Ranglin, and the list goes on.
However the ska fever didn’t last long, a couple of years only. The riddim was too fast and Jamaica was suffering some serious heatwaves at the time, the public just couldn’t keep up with it, that’s why a couple of years later Rocksteady was born, a slower version of the ska theme. and we’ll have a look at that in my following post.
Visit this link, http://bestjamaica.com/ska.html, for a more detailed approach to ska. You will also find in there muisc samples to listen to.
Related links:
26 May
Good to be here!
Welcome everyone to my blog! I will dedicate this blog to my biggest passion, and that would have to be Reggae music. I have been listening and collecting reggae music since I was a teenager about 20 years ago: I’m also a Rastafarian, so I will also be throwing in some info about the Rastafari culture, since reggae andRasta cannot be separated. I will talk about some of my favourite artists, the concerts that have left an impression on me, how Rastafari took hold of me and how it is still the main ingredient in my terrestrial life. Stay tuned, for we will spend some memorable time together.
