• Music

    Errol Brown – Orthodox Dub

    Meaty, beaty dub is on offer here by Errol Brown (no, not the Hot Chocolate singer, but the sound engineer based out of Kingston, Jamaica) courtesy of Dub Store Records out of Tokyo, Japan.  Those who know me well might figure out why I appreciate the title.  

  • Music

    Various Artists – Tape Rolling! with Bunny Lee and Friends

    England’s Pressure Sounds continue to release mind-blowingly good reggae compilations.  This one features the production work of Bunny Lee pairing up with such luminaries as Eric Donaldson (whose raw version of Cherry Oh Baby adds grit to the warmly produced original. From the Bandcamp release website: “In 1971, despite his run of hits, Bunny Lee was still having to support himself with freelance producing at Dynamic Sounds, but by 1974 he was fully independent and poised to dominate Jamaican music in the mid 70’s. The tracks on this compilation capture that moment of transition, when the smaller ghetto producers were…

  • Music

    Jerry Jones – Jerry Jones at the Hotel Kingston

    According to the legendary Studio One Records Bandcamp site, “Geraldine “Jerry” Jones arrived in Kingston in May of 1970 to perform at the Miss Jamaica International Model Pageant held at the Hotel Kingston. She would also appear at the House of Chen, VIP Club, Hotel Flamingo, Runaway Bay Hotel and the Courtleigh Manor Hotel backed by top Jamaican show bands like Tomorrow’s Children, the Mighty Vikings, and the Boris Gardiner Happening. Her visit was arranged in part by Miami-based record producer Alty East, for whom she had recorded three singles released on the Pal Label.” Imagine loving a place so…

  • Music

    Various Artists – Studio One: Dancing the Ska

    I can’t think of a music more joyful than ska.  Jamaica’s finest export (next to reggae and its sub-genres, of course) is wonderfully represented on this compilation put together by the legendary Kingston-based record label Studio One.  Lee Perry, Delroy Wilson and The Wailers feature prominently on this comp, and the tracks were produced by the inimitable Clement “Coxsone” Dodd.  Pure joy, this one.