The patriarchs of ska and some of its best disciples come together in this double bill, connecting Jamaica with New Zealand through global rhythms. The legendary Skatalites and the experienced Fat Freddy's Drop share the bill in a night that takes us from ska to soul, through jazz and rhythm and blues.
Someone defined them as the result of joining the vibration of Jamaican dub with the prickly warmth of Memphis soul, seasoning them with world sounds, and it seems a quite reasonable description of what this New Zealand formation, which has been around for more than twenty years, is capable of doing. An octet from Wellington, formed in 1999, which also draws from reggae, jazz, rhythm and blues and electronic rhythms to trace an exemplary discography, which has in its eighth album, "Blackbird Returns" (2023), one of its best exponents.
Without the Jamaican Skatalites, who are celebrating their sixtieth anniversary this year, ska would not be understood, nor would any of the later tributaries of Jamaican music, such as reggae, rocksteady, dub or dancehall. They were praised by Amy Winehouse, Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder, Sinéad O'Connor, Grace Jones or Eric Clapton. They influenced No Doubt, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Hepcat, Ska-P and thousands of other musicians around the world. They played at festivals such as Glastonbury, FujiRock, Montreux Jazz Festival or WOMAD. And its nine current members continue to keep the legend alive in live performances that are master classes of the genre, genuine Jamaican music in its purest form.
