CLEVELAND WATKISS - The Great Jamaican Songbook
Cdubya Music / CDUB 1
Orphey Robinson – Keys; Byron Wallen – Trumpet; Ray Carless – Tenor Sax; Delroy Murray – Bass; Phil Ramacon – Keys; Alan Nolan Weekes – Guitar; Carl Robinson - Drums
Cleveland Watkiss was a co-founder of The Jazz Warriors, part of the generation who spearheaded the resurgence of UK jazz and helped redefine the way Black British music saw itself as part of the Black Atlantic tradition. His long and illustrious career has explored the full breadth of the music, from drum & bass with MetalHeadz to exploratory improv at The Vortex to songbook duets with Julian Joseph. This album celebrates his Jamaican roots by exploring the reggae back catalogue, focussing on the genre’s classic era from the late 60s up til the 1980s when the island’s small music community delivered a stream of international hits from artists like Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs, as well as a treasure trove of lesser known talent such as Delroy Wilson and Prince Lincoln. Watkiss has assembled an all-star band of musicians, (including one-time Marley collaborator Phil Ramacon) reflecting the often close connections between the jazz and reggae music communities in the UK and Jamaica, and they deliver a series of flawlessly smooth versions with the kind of flexibility and attention to detail in the arrangements that characterised the UK reggae sound. Listen to the take of Gregory Isaac’s immortal ‘Night Nurse’ against the original to appreciate the way that the often spartan Jamaican studio style was expanded upon by the musicians of the UK diaspora. However, added sophistication doesn’t mean a loss in power, and the storming version of ‘Red Green And Gold’ demonstrates: the rhythm section are on point throughout, the horns blare triumphantly, and Watkiss’ remarkable voice is both controlled and impassioned.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
Cdubya Music / CDUB 1
Orphey Robinson – Keys; Byron Wallen – Trumpet; Ray Carless – Tenor Sax; Delroy Murray – Bass; Phil Ramacon – Keys; Alan Nolan Weekes – Guitar; Carl Robinson - Drums
Cleveland Watkiss was a co-founder of The Jazz Warriors, part of the generation who spearheaded the resurgence of UK jazz and helped redefine the way Black British music saw itself as part of the Black Atlantic tradition. His long and illustrious career has explored the full breadth of the music, from drum & bass with MetalHeadz to exploratory improv at The Vortex to songbook duets with Julian Joseph. This album celebrates his Jamaican roots by exploring the reggae back catalogue, focussing on the genre’s classic era from the late 60s up til the 1980s when the island’s small music community delivered a stream of international hits from artists like Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs, as well as a treasure trove of lesser known talent such as Delroy Wilson and Prince Lincoln. Watkiss has assembled an all-star band of musicians, (including one-time Marley collaborator Phil Ramacon) reflecting the often close connections between the jazz and reggae music communities in the UK and Jamaica, and they deliver a series of flawlessly smooth versions with the kind of flexibility and attention to detail in the arrangements that characterised the UK reggae sound. Listen to the take of Gregory Isaac’s immortal ‘Night Nurse’ against the original to appreciate the way that the often spartan Jamaican studio style was expanded upon by the musicians of the UK diaspora. However, added sophistication doesn’t mean a loss in power, and the storming version of ‘Red Green And Gold’ demonstrates: the rhythm section are on point throughout, the horns blare triumphantly, and Watkiss’ remarkable voice is both controlled and impassioned.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
