Wonderful (initially spiky) blues piano - a very atmospheric concert, much appreciated by the audience.
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New Poolside album. Their typical chilled pop “poolside” fresh sound. Found them through their superb cover of David Byrne and Brian Eno’s Strange Overtones. They’ve done a good version of Harvest Moon too.
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Blue Note CD.
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In memory of Keyboard player and founder member of Third World Michael Ibo Cooper who sadly passed on last week
Rest in power, Respect due! Michael Cooper
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I love the first 3 Third World albums. In my mind I have them as a reggae Steely Dan. Just pure quality. Sadly I always felt there was a bit of a ‘it’s not real reggae’ vibe around them? Didn’t know MIB had sadly passed.
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You gotta be joking, do you know what the song 96 Degrees In The Shade is all about for starters.
A group of fine talented Jamaican musicians, they came from “uptown” and the founder members also had a classical music background, which led to ignorant snobbery from some for not having ghetto cred. They made superb music with an outernational outlook, absorbing wider influences and international success but with the message in the music still, just like Bob Marley (not proper reggae?)
What is proper “Reggae”?
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The Beatles - Revolver, starting the day with the remix from last year. Now that the Stones release is out of the way we await news of the next box set from the Fabs.
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Music press at the time (probably Sounds or such) not me. I do find Marley’s later Wailers a bit too poppy for me mindst.
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Just to be clear I’m not taking offence. Your words;
“I always felt there was a bit of a ‘it’s not real reggae’ vibe around them?”
The problem is that many of the uninitiated (for want of a better word and risk of sounding patronising) label all music from Jamaica “Reggae” which is misleading.
Reggae is often used as an umbrella term like “Jazz” which encompasses a broad range of different styles and sub genres.
Jamaican music includes soul, jazz, funk, rhythm n blues, ska, rocksteady, reggae, roots, dub, dance hall and beyond. Then there is Jazz, the collective free improvised Nyabhinghi sessions tracing back thousands of years of African roots and heritage, Kumina, Burro, Quadrille. Then there is Mento, similar to Trinidadian Calypso but very different and Jamaican, country, pop, gospel.
I could go on and I probably am, but I think your confusing the social class of the musicians (in the case of Third World) with the music itself.
Which is why I often ask people who think they know what “Reggae” is or isnt to define what they believe to be “proper reggae”, the answers are often interesting, to me anyway.
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