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Ernest Ranglin, the legendary guitarist who pioneered Jamaica’s fertile reggae and ska scene of the late 1950s and early ‘60s, continues to explore the elusive boundaries between jazz and world music on his new Telarc release, Surfin’.
Recorded at the legendary Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston, Jamaica, Surfin’ unites Ranglin with a handful of premier players of Jamaican jazz, including Bo Pee on rhythm guitar and Robbie Lyn on keyboards. From the big brass arrangements to the wide open jazz solos to the wicked island rhythms, Surfin’ is an energetic musical montage, and quintessential Ranglin – reminiscent of the old school, yet fresh and innovative at the same time.
The title tune is a fitting introduction to this 18-track set. Led by a heavy walking bass line and answered by Ranglin’s high stepping jazz melody on lead guitar, “Surfin’” is a classic example of Ranglin’s musical imagination and one of his most successful compositions of all time. “Reminiscing” follows a lighthearted groove that is sustained by the brass section of David Madden (trumpet), Jeffrey Brown (tenor sax) and Romeo Grey (trombone).
On “Surfside,” Ranglin engages tenor sax virtuoso Dean Frazer in an emotional call-and-response that is at once driving and determined yet never fully abandons a wailing, plaintive spirit. Frazer is also featured on “Diamond,” but this time on top of a soul-searching Nyabinghi drum rhythm from somewhere deep out of Jamaica’s past. And the big brass sound is back in a big way on “Dancing Mood II” (a remake of Delroy Wilson’s 1965 rocksteady hit), as well as the two tracks that close out the album, “Dance All” and “Yu Si Mi.”
“To listen to the music of Ernest Ranglin is to participate in a story that dates back to before Jamaican independence in 1962,” according to the liner notes by Joshua Chamberlain, host of The Mad Lion Reggae Show on WUNH in Durham, New Hampshire, and a music promoter specializing in Caribbean music. “This is a story that finds its roots in diverse places – the Gold Coast of Africa, New Orleans’ Congo Square and the Mississippi Delta, as well as Havana, Port-au-Prince, Motown and Memphis. Like his predecessors, Ranglin bears witness to the shared experiences around him and relies on his music to spread the message, a universal message with a unique sound. Time and again, Ranglin has made crucial contributions to this musical legacy, one that is not governed by geography or philosophy, but rather by one guiding principle: ‘Does the music make you move?’ Clearly, for Ernest, the answer is yes.”
Ranglin joined the Telarc label with the 2000 release of Modern Answers to Old Problems, an exotic mix of jazz sophistication and Afro-pop syncopation that featured a world-beat backup unit: drummer Tony Allen (formerly of Fela Kuti) and a crew of London-based musicians with Nigerian connections. He followed with GOTCHA!,, a 2001 release that builds on the jazz-tinged reggae sound of his classic Below the Bassline album (1996), smoothly integrating traditional reggae and jazz with breathtaking precision. GOTCHA!, also featured saxophonist Antonio Hart, percussionist Errol “Crusher” Bennett, bassist Anthony Jackson, pianist Warren Bernhardt, keyboardist Gary Mayone and drummer Steve Jordan.
Ranglin was the prominently billed special guest on pianist Monty Alexander’s Rocksteady, a 2004 release that paid tribute to the early days of Jamaica’s Studio One, where Ranglin and Alexander were young session players for some of the most legendary names in the burgeoning Jamaican music scene of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s.
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