By skamonic
The Skamonics enjoy thinking up unexpected songs to cover. Kylie and OMD are just two to have enjoyed the Skamonics treatment.
Doing covers is nothing new in ska. The original ska band – the Skatalites – played any tune they fancied. The Guns of Navarone is perhaps thought of as a ska tune, but it started as the theme for the film of the same name. We cover the Skatalites version of Duke Ellington’s Caravan, inevitably renamed Skaravan – a cover of a cover. Quite often the pioneer Jamaican bands changed the name of the tunes, presumably in the hope of avoiding any license fees. Here’s a list of jazz tunes played by ska pioneers – it would be interesting to find out how Take Five became The Russians are Coming.
That tradition has continued. So it good to see this free download compiled by Marco on the Bass on the wonderful cover versions blog Versions Galore.
It’s a wonderfully diverse mix drawn from bands around the world.
By skamonic
We learnt the sad news today that the original bass player in the Skatalites – Lloyd Brevett – has died.
There are not that many genres of music where you can precisely identify the inventors – and indeed the exact origins of ska have been contested by some – but few would disagree that the Skatalites were the ska pioneers. That means Lloyd can rightly be said to have invented ska bass.
He rejoined the Skatalites when the got together again in 1983 to play Jamaica’s Reggae Sunsplash, and stayed with them until 2005.
There’s a great interview with him on the Reggae-Vibes site here.
While ska has come on a long journey since its invention in Jamaica in 1964, but it should never be forgotten that the early ska musicians were all jazzers. Here is Lloyd – who always played an upright bass – speaking in that interview:
“Well in those days I listen to the great Leroy ‘Slam’ Stewart and all those type a bass player. Very good. I listened to jazz, and jazz I used to play. All the jazz band dem in Jamaica. From that I start work at the hotel dem every night. All type a music.”
That’s why the Skamonics are clear that we take our inspiration from ska’s earliest days. One of our best moments at a gig was when a Jamaican of mature years told us that he had not heard ska played like that since his youth.
Because Lloyd played with the reformed Skatalites there are many great records to complement the original 60s recordings. But while there is no known film of the original Skatalites, we do have video of Lloyd playing in the more recent line up. Here’s a 73 minute concert recording in which introduces all the songs.
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By skamonic
If you like the Skamonics, then you have to like the Skatalites. They are the source of all the ska goodness in the world. Many of today’s ska bands look back to the two-tone era (and there’s nothing wrong with that), but we owe even more to the original 60s ska sounds, invented by the Skatalites.
And the current line-up are coming to the UK in May!
The tour dates are here.
And it gives us an excuse to show this video of the Skatalites doing one of the tunes we nicked off them.
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Some question the strange covers we do and tell us they are not proper ska, but this was just as unexpected a choice when the Skatalites first played it.
So if you like the Skamonics, you’ll certainly love the Skatalites, and we like to think that if you like the Skatalites you will enjoy the Skamonics too.
By skamonic
We are looking forward to this!
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By skamonic
There’s a great new article in Jamaica’s The Gleaner about the Skatalites, the original ska band.
They are certainly our biggest influence. We do a lot of their tunes, many of us have a similar background in jazz and, just as they did, like to take tunes from other kinds of music and give them a ska beat.
Your can read it here – and it also has this great photo.
the Skatalites
By skamonic
There’s a great new article in Jamaica’s The Gleaner about the Skatalites, the original ska band.
They are certainly our biggest influence. We do a lot of their tunes, many of us have a similar background in jazz and, just as they did, like to take tunes from other kinds of music and give them a ska beat.
Your can read it here – and it also has this great photo.
the Skatalites
By skamonic
Thanks to Rich for including Tainted Love from our cd in his online Scooter Forum Radio show last night.
You can still listen to it here. Ir you can download a podcast from iTunes.
There are a lot of other fab tunes too for your enjoyment.
By skamonic
Readers of this blog are offered a free ticket to DUKE VIN & THE BIRTH OF SKA
It’s on Thursday 27 October at 7.30pm at the Peckham Plex Cinema
BUT you must book in advance either by email free_duke@live.com or from 07415 174 451
The Peckham Plex Cinema is at 95a Rye Lane, London SE15 4ST
This is what the organisers say about the film:
London in the 1950’s was a cold place
in more ways than the obvious. Or
so it appeared if you were one of the
thousands of newly arrived Jamaicans.
Many were overqualified for their menial
jobs. Thousands of others quite simply
could not get work. Discrimination and
racial tensions culminated in fierce riots in
both Nottingham and Notting Hill Gate. It
was in this environment that the Jamaican
soundmen; Duke Vin and Count Suckle
arrived in the UK. They both stowed away
on a boat from Kingston and brought with
them a sound that was sweeping across
the small Caribbean island and would
later change the face of music in the UK.
This was the sound of Ska!
Hopefully, you will watch DUKE VIN &
THE BIRTH OF SKA and ponder:
Where would the 2-Tone movement
have been without SKA?
By skamonic
By skamonic
