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.
///////
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 ...