RockSteady Monty And Ernest Ode To Studio One
Two Jamaican Music Giants Re-Tunes The Music They Helped Create.
In 2004 Monty Alexander revisited his musical inner youth called in some friends, recorded it and released it as Rocksteady on the Telarc label.
Along for the ride as his special guest is long time friend and fellow Jamaican, guitarist Ernest Ranglin.
Monty and Ernest began their music career in the late fifties at the world renown Studio One, under the watchful eye of legendary Producer Coxsone Dodds, before they launched their musical arsenal on the rest of the world.
Playing The International Stage
Monty Alexander who was born in Kingston left Jamaica for the American shores in 1961. Two years later, while working in Las Vegas he was introduced to the owner of the Famous Jilly’s Club in New York and soon found himself working there accompanying singers like Frank Sinatra and working with musicians like Milt Jackson of the Modern Jazz Quartet and Ray Brown, member of the famed Oscar Peterson Trio.
Ernest Ranglin was born in Manchester Jamaica and is widely credited as one of the creators of Ska.
In 1964, he recorded My Boy Lollipop with singer Millie Small, which became the first Jamaican song to achieve international acclaim. He then toured England that same year and had a nine month stint as the resident guitarist, supporting many great British and American musicians.
Together these two Jamaican stars have recorded on over a hundred records, but not together since their days at Studio One. So it is no surprise that they seem to revel in the opportunity to showcase the music of their youth, mixed with the jazz experience that they have assembled over the years.
The Hit Parade Of Tracks
Twelve tracks of ‘ska-tian’ jazz joy rings out from the digital groves on Rocksteady. Songs like Confucius, Double Barrel, and Freedom Street rip joyously through one’s speakers, fuelled by the pounding chord changes and tight melodic finger runs of Monty on piano, sometime he leads with the soothing tones of his melodica on a few tracks, and the machine gun staccato quick exchanges by Ernest Ranglin on guitar.
They do a great cover or should one say a reworking of Burning Spear’s Marcus Garvey and manages to breathe new life into a classic like Pressure Drop a song made famous by Toots And The Maytals; getting Toots Hibbert to sing was another coup.
The album is a treat for lovers of classic film noir art. The theme of two music slingers on a deserted road in a musical showdown hints correctly to toughness of the righteous music heard on this disc.
Rocksteady should be picked up by music lovers who are fans of any one of these musical genres, Ska, Reggae or Jazz. It isn’t classic jazz in the tradition, but its classic good music.
Monty And Ernest In A musical Showdown
|
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles