Lloyd Brevett RIP

[cih]

Jamaican double bassist Lloyd Brevett, whose band The Skatalites pioneered ska music and paved the way for reggae, has died at the age of 80.

The Skatalites formed in 1964 and combined jazz, R&B and mento to create ska and take a Jamaican sound around the world for the first time.

BBC

A sad end, he had a stroke in March two weeks after his son was shot dead.

Edited 4 May 2012 by cih

[bigtiny]

I was playing in a soukous band in Florida and before a show one day, our sound man was playing this crazy music through the pa before our set.

It was definitely Carribean flavored music, then right in the middle of the tune, a tenor player starts soloing like Coleman Hawkins! That was my

introduction to the Skatalites. I was fortunate enough to see them live a couple of years later and they were great!

Alas, the core members (original members) of the group are getting on in years....

bigtiny

[cih]

Alas, the core members (original members) of the group are getting on in years....

Lester Sterling, alto sax, is the only one left (and still tours with them). The band are still going with completely new personnel, though in the past few years they've replaced with big names in Jamaican music like Cedric Im Brooks, Karl Cannonball Bryan, Vin Gordon.. though I think they've all left now too.

The minor key stuff in particular I fell in love with as a teenager and I had a few Jamaican jazz records long before any other variety!

Edited 10 May 2012 by cih