Ska and Reggae Spotlight: The Slackers “Have The Time”

The Slackers are a New York, NY-based reggae/rocksteady/ska band that started in the 1990s and have been going strong ever since.  “Have The Time” is the first song of theirs I’d heard, and I immediately fell in love.  I love the catchy rhythm and the rough, raw vocals.  I also love the fact that this band is brave enough to make a classic ska sound when classic ska has all but been forgotten by those who aren’t fans of it.  I could easily see this song being performed back in the heyday of Jamaican ska.  In fact, I’m wondering if it’s a cover, that’s how good it is.

I would like to do an ‘Overdue’ installment on The Slackers someday, because I’ve been a slacker myself in discovering this band.  Should have happened a long time ago.  Until then, here’s “Have The Time”:

Ska and Reggae Spotlight: Reggae Britannia

I just finished watching the excellent BBC Documentary “Reggae Britannia,” the story of reggae, ska and other related musical forms in Great Britain.  I think it’s safe to say that, without Britain, reggae may have stayed in Jamaica.  Thanks to all the Jamaican-British and white British youth, reggae was transformed, accepted and brought into the mainstream. These musical innovators forever changed the vocabulary of popular music.

Watch the whole thing here and find more information about the program here.

Ska and Reggae Spotlight: The Itals “In A Dis Ya Time/Harbour View Rock”

Welcome to another feature I hope to continue on this blog: the Ska and Reggae spotlight.  Really, it’s just going to be any music from Jamaica that I like.  I don’t really care about the labels.  Salana will not be contributing to this because she’s not a fan of Jamaican music.  Fair enough!  I am, though, so I’ll share with you some of my favorite tunes, including new discoveries.

Today’s installment is The Itals and their song “In A Dis Ya Time/Harbour View Rock”.  The first part of the song is “In A Dis Ya Time,” and judging by the name of the group and the use of the word Brethren, I’m guessing it has to do with Rasta.  It’s a slow, easy, soulful piece of music with some really great singing and harmonies.

But the true gem of this cut comes in the second part, “Harbour View Rock.”  It’s a dub mix of the first song with some really killer trombone playing!  I’m becoming a big fan of trombone in both jazz and ska, so this is right up my alley.  Trombone plays a huge part in the ska sound, with the famous Skatalite Don Drummond as the best-known ska trombonist. 

Check this out if you’re like me and you like some nasty trombone playing.