Tommy McCook • The Best of Tommy McCook & The Skatalites

 

The instrumental riffs do have a certain sameness over a full-length disc, which makes some of the more unusual covers ("Exodus," a wacky "Goldfinger") and minor-key melodies ("Freedom Sounds," "Ska Ba") standouts. "Wheel and Turn" has an irresistibly smoky lilt, enhanced by strange, barely audible strains of what sounds like violin in the background. There are also a couple of atypical cuts showing that McCook's versatility covered more than ska; "Jazz Walking" has a jazz-soul arrangement with organ, and the seven-minute "The Answer" is pretty straight-ahead jazz.


 

Herbie Mann • Reggae

Don Drummond ‎• Jazz Ska Attack

 

Don Drummond (Kingston, Jamaica 12 de marzo 1932 - 6 de mayo 1969) famoso trombonista de música Ska y compositor, fue uno de los miembros originales del grupo The Skatalites componiendo muchas de sus canciones.

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Don Drummond (12 March 1932 – 6 May 1969) was a Jamaican ska trombonist and composer. He was one of the original members of The Skatalites, and composed many of their tunes.

The Skatalites • Celebration Time

 

 

The Skatalites (o The Ska-Talites)​ es un grupo de origen jamaicano de ska creado en 1964. El nombre está formado a partir de la mezcla de «The Satellites» con la palabra «Ska».
The Skatalites están considerados los creadores del ska y, por tanto, influenciadores del rocksteady, del reggae —ya sea early (skinhead) o roots (rastafarismo)—, del dub, del dancehall, y del de sus descendientes musicales que derivan de los sonidos tradicionales de Jamaica. Sus primeras grabaciones de ska datan de junio de 1964, aunque estos músicos habían trabajado bastante tiempo antes como banda de estudio para el sello Studio One, grabando principalmente rhythm and blues. Los miembros originales de la banda obtuvieron su formación musical a partir de los músicos de jazz de la isla. Por eso, aunque se inspiraron en lo que sonaba en Estados Unidos (principalmente boogie woogie) y los sonidos africanos, la música de The Skatalites y por lo tanto el ska, contiene muchos elementos propios del jazz. Otra influencia decisiva para la creación de la música ska fue la música afro-cubana, también llamada "música latina". De hecho Lloyd Knibb (baterista) explicó abiertamente que el ritmo tan singular que creó fue inspirado por tocar ese estilo de música en las grandes orquestas de la época previas al ska. Entonces, de la fusión de música afro-cubana, jazz, rhythm and blues, mento y calypso nació el ska.
Los miembros originales de The Skatalites fueron Don Drummond (trombonista), Tommy McCook (saxo tenor y flauta), Roland Alfonso (saxo tenor), Lester Sterling (saxo alto), "Dizzy Johny" Moore (trompeta), Lloyd Brevet (bajo), Lloyd Knnibb (batería), Jackie Mittoo (piano y órgano), Jah Jerry Haines (guitarra).
The Skatalites grabaron para los soundsystems a través de Studio One, del que eran banda de estudio. Llegaron a ser muy populares en Jamaica y fueron la influencia de toda la música posterior en la isla. La mayoría de grandes artistas de música jamaicana, como Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Toots and the Maytals, Laurel Aitken o Prince Buster grabaron o dieron conciertos con ellos, e incluso hoy en día, muchos grupos tienen colaboraciones con el grupo por lo que significa para esta música, por ejemplo, los norteamericanos New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble. La banda original se disolvió en 1965, año en que el líder del grupo (Don Drummond) mató a su esposa y lo internaron en el centro psiquiátrico De Bellevue, centro en el que murió al cabo de dos años.

La banda reapareció reformada como grupo en el año 1983 y en la actualidad siguen tocando, aunque la mayoría de componentes han sido reemplazados. Recibieron dos Grammy en 1996 y 1997. Los últimos álbumes de Skatalites contaban mayormente con nuevas grabaciones modernas de temas de la banda original, pero en los últimos años podemos encontrarnos ante álbumes de estudio totalmente inéditos como Bashaka o On the Right Track, por ejemplo.

Han estado activos desde el año 2014, donde han tocado en una serie de festivales internacionales de Reggae.

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The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many other Jamaican artists who recorded during that period. They reformed in 1983 and have played together ever since.
History
Before the Skatalites: 1954–64
The founders of the Skatalites were Tommy McCook (died 1998), Rolando Alphonso (died 1998), Lester Sterling, Lloyd Brevett (died 2012), Lloyd Knibb (died 2011), Don Drummond (died 1969), Jah Jerry Haynes (died 2007), Jackie Mittoo (died 1990), Johnny Moore (died 2008) and Jackie Opel (died 1970). These ten musicians started to play together from 1955, when Kingston's recording studios started to develop. Tommy McCook was the first member of the band to record, though not for commercial release: he played with Don Hitchman's Group in 1953. Archie Lindo asked Hitchman to play a few tunes for his pioneer radio station, "ZQI", on their new equipment. Soon after that, sound system pioneer Stanley Motta began to operate his studio, where he recorded calypso and mento that were released on 78's. Rolando Alphonso was one of the first to record with him, probably in 1954.
Though McCook was the first in the band to record, he did not participate in the recording sessions with the other nine musicians. He left Jamaica in 1954 for a jazz gig at the Zanzibar Club in Nassau, Bahamas. He returned to Jamaica in June 1962, and began playing regular jazz sessions around Kingston.
Record producer Coxsone Dodd searched for jazz players around Kingston and was impressed by McCook's playing. Tommy McCook heard some ska, but initially resisted Dodd's offers to record and to lead a studio group, because he was a committed jazzman. In 1962 Dodd released I Cover The Waterfront (Port-O-Jam) with Roland Alphonso and Don Drummond, who did the solo and brass sections. In 1963 he released Jazz Jamaica From the Workshop (Port-O-Jam/Studio One), on which McCook played for the first time since returning to Jamaica. Don Drummond has two tunes on Jazz Jamaica and McCook has one, "The Answer".
Early years: 1964–65
In spring 1964, The Skatalites recorded their first LP Ska Authentic at Studio One in Kingston and toured Jamaica as the creators of ska. Their producers were Coxsone Dodd, Duke Reid, Prince Buster, Vincent "King" Edwards, Justin "Phillip" Yap, Leslie Kong, Lindon Pottinger, Sonia Pottinger and Vincent "Randy" Chin. The Skatalites led sessions with top artists and worked with young talents such as Delroy Wilson, Desmond Dekker, The Wailers, Lee Perry, etc.
They played their first show on 27 June at the Hi-Hat club, on Water Lane in Rae Town, which was owned and operated by Orville "Billy" Farnum. Coxsone Dodd helped initially: "At the formation of the band, I supplied the PA system, microphones and what ever it is. Also the guitar amplifier and other amplifier. I helped with transportation and I supplied storage for equipment and instruments. I was a part of promoting the first gigs and other gigs to get it off the ground, because I figured more or less, if I am recording the Skatalites, its good to get them popular out in the streets, yunno?"
Trombonist Don Drummond had at least 200 tunes to his name by 1965. On 1 January 1965, Drummond was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend, Anita "Marguerita" Mahfood. He was later convicted and remanded to the Bellevue Asylum.
In August 1965, The Skatalites played their last show. They broke up into two supergroups, Rolando Alphonso and the Soul Vendors and Tommy McCook and the Supersonics. In April 1967, The Skatalites' ska adaptation of the theme to the film The Guns of Navarone entered the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. Don Drummond died on 6 May 1969, in the Bellevue Asylum.
Early reunions: 1974–88
The Skatalites first reunion happened in the studio, during 1974 sessions for bass player Lloyd Brevett's solo album. After laying down hand percussion tracks at Lee Perry's studio, Brevett was joined by McCook, Alphonso, Sterling, Knibb and Mittoo. Ernest Ranglin played guitar, with Oswald Brooks on trumpet. The album was eventually released as African Roots, a collection of mostly Brevett compositions, and has been variously released both as a Lloyd Brevett and as a Skatalies album, with most editions crediting "Lloyd Brevett and The Skatalites".
In 1979, The Skatalites again joined in the studio, this time to record an album for Chris Blackwell. The album, tentatively entitled The Big Guns, was not released at the time, due to a disagreement between McCook and Blackwell, and remains unreleased.
In June 1983, The Skatalites reformed and played the Reggae Sunsplash festival in Montego Bay in July after festival director Ronnie Burke persuaded them to appear at the fifth anniversary of the festival, despite Moore and McCook having not spoken since the band split. Their show was very successful and the band played more concerts in Jamaica, while taking offers to tour abroad. The line-up at this time reflected the original line-up of the band, with the exception of Drummond, joined by guests Cedric Brooks, Arnold Breckenridge, and Bubbles Cameron. Recordings from 27 June and 17 July 1983 were released on the live album Stretching Out, although the band later claimed on their website that they received no payment for this recording and discouraged fans from buying it.
Their rehearsal sessions resulted in a clutch of new songs, led this time by Jackie Mittoo, which were recorded in Music Mountain Studio but only released in 2007 on Motion Records (as Rolling Steady: The 1983 Music Mountain Sessions). The album included their tribute to Don Drummond, "Big Trombone", with Lord Tanamo on vocals. In April 1984, The Skatalites recorded The Return of The Big Guns, released on Mango Records in the UK, based on charts written by Drummond and arranged by McCook. On 7 July 1984, The Skatalites played to thousands at Selhurst Park during the London Sunsplash. The Skatalites played seven tunes and also backed Prince Buster on three before closing with a reprise of their theme song, "Freedom Sounds". This concert resulted in the live recording Live At Sunsplash.
Between 1985 and 1988, the core members of the Skatalites emigrated and united in the northeast of the United States. They played their first US concert at The Village Gate and began to play spotted dates in Northeast US.
1989–present
The Skatalites were featured on the album True Love by Toots and the Maytals, which won the Grammy Award in 2004 for Best Reggae Album, and showcased many notable musicians including Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Trey Anastasio, Gwen Stefani / No Doubt, Ben Harper, Bonnie Raitt, Manu Chao, The Roots, Ryan Adams, Keith Richards, Toots Hibbert, Paul Douglas, Jackie Jackson, and Ken Boothe.
In 2004, original member Lloyd Brevett left the band. It was reported that he was removed from the band after conflicts with newer members. He toured briefly leading his own band, and then retired to Jamaica. In April that year, the Skatalites started a new world tour with their new bass player Val Douglas, whose A-Team band was the primary backing band for Reggae Sunsplash Tours through the 1980s and 1990s. In October 2005, The Skatalites released The Skatalites in Orbit, Vol.1 recorded live in Buenos Aires, recorded during concerts on 23 and 24 September 2005. In March 2006, The Skatalites played at La Bal De La Rose for Caroline, Princess of Hanover, along with Jimmy Cliff, The Wailers and Alpha Blondy. This show started the 2006 Global Orbit Tour reaching Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina. In April 2006, Skatalites recorded 11 new tunes and one cover in Byron Bay, Australia, at the 301 Studios, released the following year as the album On The Right Track by AIM International, Australia. In September 2007, The Skatalites contributed the track "Be My Guest", with Ben Harper on vocals, to the Fats Domino tribute CD Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino featuring numerous artists. This CD raised funds for all the musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina.
On 12 May 2011, founding member and drummer Lloyd Knibb died of liver cancer at the age of 80. Bass player and fellow founding member Lloyd Brevett died after suffering a stroke on 3 May 2012, aged 80.
On 8 February 2012, the band announced a new single and album due out in 2012 as well as a new US tour starting in Texas and heading to New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Oregon, California, Washington, and then Canada. These dates follow four dates they announced in January for the North East. The new album will be titled All Roads and will feature the last recordings of founding member Lloyd Knibb.
On 26 August 2016 the band released the album Platinum Ska and toured through the USA, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, France Italy and the UK.

www.skatalites.com ...

VA • Studio One Ska

 

 

A blistering collection of non-stop Ska classic tunes from Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd’s legendary Studio One Records, Jamaica's foundation label of reggae music. Featuring classic cuts from the originators of Ska alongside a heavy dose of superb rarities from the might vaults of 13 Brentford Road - pure fire!

Studio One Records and the seminal in-house band The Skatalites created and defined Ska in the process making Jamaican music famous throughout the world. This compilation features classic vocal and instrumental tracks from The Skatalites, Bob Marley and The Wailers, Delroy Wilson alongside super-rare tracks from the likes of Ken Boothe, The Maytals, Jackie Mittoo, Tommy McCook and many more.

Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd’s musical empire was founded on Ska, the first explosive and most exciting music to come out of the newly independent Jamaica, which soon spread across the world. This album is a celebration of the music of Studio One Records’ seminal Ska releases and features a who’s who of the most important artists and musicians in the history of reggae. Studio One is often described as both the University of Reggae and the Motown of Jamaica.

Reviews
“Ripping Ska compilation. The sound is tremendous as well thanks to Studio One recording techniques - already superior at the birth of Reggae - and Soul Jazz mastering. It's a superior Studio One Ska compilation what's not to like?” The Face

“Every side collected here is a classic” All Music

“Utterly brilliant collection of Ska music. Essential stuff’ Q
https://soundsoftheuniverse.com/sjr/product/studio-one-ska-studio-one-ska

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Una colección vertiginosa de canciones clásicas de Ska sin parar del legendario Studio One Records de Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd, el sello fundacional de la música reggae de Jamaica. Con cortes clásicos de los creadores del Ska junto con una gran dosis de magníficas rarezas de las poderosas bóvedas de 13 Brentford Road: ¡puro fuego !

Studio One Records y la banda seminal The Skatalites crearon y definieron el Ska en el proceso de hacer famosa la música jamaicana en todo el mundo. Esta compilación presenta pistas vocales e instrumentales clásicas de The Skatalites, Bob Marley and The Wailers, Delroy Wilson junto con pistas súper raras de artistas como Ken Boothe, The Maytals, Jackie Mittoo, Tommy McCook y muchos más.

El imperio musical de Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd se fundó en el Ska, la primera música explosiva y más emocionante que surgió de la recién independizada Jamaica, que pronto se extendió por todo el mundo. Este álbum es una celebración de la música de los lanzamientos de Ska seminales de Studio One Records y presenta un quién es quién de los artistas y músicos más importantes de la historia del reggae. Studio One es a menudo descrito como la Universidad de Reggae y la Motown de Jamaica.

Reseñas
"Recopilación de Ripping Ska. El sonido también es tremendo gracias a las técnicas de grabación de Studio One, ya superiores en el nacimiento del Reggae, y la masterización del Soul Jazz. Es una compilación de Ska de Studio One superior, ¿qué no le gusta?"La Cara

"Cada lado recogido aquí es un clásico" Toda la música

"Una colección absolutamente brillante de música Ska. Cosas esenciales ' Q
https://soundsoftheuniverse.com/sjr/product/studio-one-ska-studio-one-ska

Tommy McCook • Reggae In Jazz

 

 Artist Biography by Jason Ankeny
The leader of the legendary Skatalites, tenor saxophonist Tommy McCook was among the most innovative and influential Jamaican musicians of his generation, a prime catalyst behind the evolution and international popularity of ska and reggae. Born in 1932, McCook learned to play sax while attending Kingston's Alpha Cottage School, an institution for wayward boys; upon exiting the school at the age of 14, he toured with the dance bands of Eric Deans and Roy Coburn, emerging as a highly skilled jazz player. Between the late '40s and early '50s, he also frequently collaborated with the famed Count Ossie, lending his talents alongside those of the Rastafarian hand drummers and chanting vocalists who comprised Ossie's group. In 1954 McCook relocated to the Bahamas to join a dance band there, and in the years to follow his mastery of jazz became increasingly pronounced.

McCook did not return return to Jamaica on a permanent basis until 1962, arriving in time to help push the developing ska sound to the next level. In 1963, he was approached by Studio One musical director Jackie Mittoo to lead a new group he was forming dubbed the Skatalites; McCook initially declined the offer, but by mid-1964 he accepted the role of bandleader, drawing on his extensive knowledge of jazz and R&B to add distinctive new dimensions to their sound. Though existing only 14 months, the Skatalites were the quintessential ska band of their time, backing every major vocalist and producing an astounding amount of prime instrumental material. In the wake of the group's demise, McCook founded the Supersonics, who were soon installed as the house band at Duke Reid's Treasure Isle studio; the most sought-after studio unit of the rocksteady era, they appeared on classic hits from artists including Alton Ellis, Justin Hinds, and the Techniques.

McCook remained a fixture of the Jamaican session circuit throughout the years that followed, and he also issued a number of solo albums for producer Bunny Lee, among them 1974's Cookin', 1975's Brass Rockers, and 1977's Hot Lava. For Glen Brown, in 1976 McCook also issued a blank-labeled LP generally referred to as Horny Dub, and two years later he teamed with trumpeter Bobby Ellis for Blazing Horns. In 1983 he re-formed the Skatalites nearly two decades after their initial breakup, relocating them to the U.S. in 1985 just months after the release of their comeback album, Return of the Big Guns. A series of new releases from the Skatalites followed in the years to come, and they even notched a pair of Grammy nominations; in 1994 they mounted their first world tour, which included appearances as part of the Skavoovee U.S.A. tour, a package that included their descendants the Specials, the Selecter, and the Toasters. McCook died at his home in Atlanta, GA, on May 5, 1998.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tommy-mccook-mn0000519428/biography

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 Biografía del artista por Jason Ankeny
El líder de los legendarios Skatalites, el saxofonista tenor Tommy McCook fue uno de los músicos jamaicanos más innovadores e influyentes de su generación, un catalizador fundamental de la evolución y la popularidad internacional del ska y el reggae. Nacido en 1932, McCook aprendió a tocar el saxo mientras asistía a la Alpha Cottage School de Kingston, una institución para chicos descarriados; al salir de la escuela a la edad de 14 años, realizó una gira con las bandas de baile de Eric Deans y Roy Coburn, emergiendo como un músico de jazz altamente cualificado. Entre finales de los 40 y principios de los 50, también colaboró frecuentemente con el famoso Conde Ossie, prestando su talento junto con el de los bateristas rastafaris y cantantes que formaban el grupo de Ossie. En 1954 McCook se trasladó a las Bahamas para unirse a una banda de baile allí, y en los años siguientes su dominio del jazz se hizo cada vez más pronunciado.

McCook no regresó a Jamaica de forma permanente hasta 1962, llegando a tiempo para ayudar a impulsar el desarrollo del sonido del ska al siguiente nivel. En 1963, el director musical de Studio One, Jackie Mittoo, se puso en contacto con él para que dirigiera un nuevo grupo que estaba formando y que se denominaba Skatalites; McCook rechazó inicialmente la oferta, pero a mediados de 1964 aceptó el papel de director de la banda, aprovechando sus amplios conocimientos sobre el jazz y el R&B para añadir nuevas dimensiones distintivas a su sonido. Aunque sólo tenían 14 meses de existencia, los Skatalites eran la banda de ska por excelencia de su época, respaldando a todos los vocalistas importantes y produciendo una cantidad asombrosa de material instrumental de primera calidad. Tras la desaparición del grupo, McCook fundó Supersonics, que pronto se instaló como banda de la casa en el estudio de la Isla del Tesoro de Duke Reid; la unidad de estudio más buscada de la era del rocksteady, aparecieron en éxitos clásicos de artistas como Alton Ellis, Justin Hinds y The Techniques.

McCook permaneció fijo en el circuito de sesiones de Jamaica a lo largo de los años siguientes, y también publicó varios álbumes en solitario para el productor Bunny Lee, entre ellos Cookin' de 1974, Brass Rockers de 1975 y Hot Lava de 1977. Para Glen Brown, en 1976 McCook también publicó un LP con etiqueta en blanco, generalmente conocido como Horny Dub, y dos años más tarde se asoció con el trompetista Bobby Ellis para Blazing Horns. En 1983 volvió a formar a los Skatalites casi dos décadas después de su ruptura inicial, trasladándolos a los EE.UU. en 1985, sólo unos meses después del lanzamiento de su álbum de regreso, Return of the Big Guns. Una serie de nuevos lanzamientos de los Skatalites siguieron en los años siguientes, e incluso obtuvieron un par de nominaciones al Grammy; en 1994 montaron su primera gira mundial, que incluyó apariciones como parte de la gira Skavoovee U.S.A., un paquete que incluía a sus descendientes los Specials, los Selecter y los Toasters. McCook murió en su casa de Atlanta, GA, el 5 de mayo de 1998.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tommy-mccook-mn0000519428/biography