Skatalites / Joshua Moses

With the 50th anniversary of the independence of Jamaica, the Skatalites are touring again after a 48 year long career. Starting in 1964 their unique blend of Jamaican reggae vibe, jazz horns and keys, and fast paced jumping back beat, saw the birth of Ska.

With less than a handful of original members left, Lester Sterling - Alto Saxophone and vocals, Doreen Shaffer - vocals and Val Douglas - electric bass, Exeter had a rare treat and bounced the night away. The recent loss of original upright bass player Lloyd Brevett also made this a memorial gig to the founder of the ska hypnotic beat.

In the words of Aaron Porter, "This is Lloyd Brevett's legacy; the sublime beauty of his musicianship, a crucial foundation of the ska beat, and a true Jamaican legend. His music will live on in his numerous recordings, from ska and rocksteady to roots and dub, and his memory will endure as one of Jamaica's best known and most-beloved bass players."

A great atmosphere was created throughout the venue, starting with the dub DJ in the bar setting the mode before, during and after. Keeping the vibe going for those visiting the watering hole and the unfortunate ones unable to afford a ticket, which was the only disappointing aspect to this gig. With an £18-£20 ticket price attendance was only half capacity, but this neither deterred the performers nor the audience and was well worth the outlay.

The event kicked off with Joshua Moses, one of the original members of the 1980's Bristol reggae scene. Moses and his band created the perfect vibe, with some classic tight reggae dub, setting the scene for the Ska masters to follow.



After a few feed back issues with the monitors, the bouncing began. With no barriers to separate the crowd from the stage this was an up close and personal gig. An eclectic audience of dreads, skinheads, hippies and muggles aged 18-80, were greeted by beaming smiles and hand shakes from the Skatalites. Douglas melted into his bass rhythms with a sardonic smile, looking entirely blissed out the whole night.

Skanking guitar from Natty Frenchy and Trevor "Sparrow" Thompson's ska drum beats provided the backdrop for some smooth jazz overlays from the horns and keys, Sterling - alto sax, Azemobo "Zem" Audu - tenor sax, Kevin Batchelor - trumpet, Andrae Murchison - trombone and Cameron Greenlee - keyboards. Shaffer completed the Jamaican feel with some sweet melodious vocals. Unfortunately the lighting left a lot to be desired as Lester and Shaffer were for the most part left in the dark and Murchison could be heard but not seen. Happy skanking, bouncy, bouncy, fun, fun, fun was had by all as the crowd and the band melded into one. For the entire evening we were transported to a warm and colourful Jamaica. Not a single foot stood still all night. With three encores the only complaint I heard about the gig was that there were not enough.

FUTURE GIGS