Rating:
Genre:
Reggae
Release Date: 01/01/2004
Keyboardist
Jackie Mittoo is a truly seminal
reggae figure. During the mid-'60s, as an original member of
the Skatalites,
Mittoo helped shape the language of the newly emerging
ska. In subsequent years, as the premier composer/arranger of
Clement Dodd's
Studio One team,
Mittoo created a wealth of rhythms that artists would return to during the
dancehall and
ragga eras decades later. His simmering organ lines added leagues of depth behind
Dodd's greatest acts, including
Ken Boothe,
Delroy Wilson, and
the Heptones. By the time
Universal Sound released
The Keyboard King at Studio One, there were far too few releases in print representing this
reggae great. Though
Heartbeat's
Tribute to Jackie Mittoo may be the obvious primer, this disc is the perfect complement. Drawing heavily from the late '60s/early '70s when
Mittoo was fronting a variety of
Studio One session bands,
Keyboard King selects cuts from
Mittoo solo albums like
Keep on Dancing (1969),
Jackie Mittoo Now (1970), and
Macka Fat (1971). Chronological concerns are dispensed with (at one point the collection jumps nearly two decades with one track), and yet
Universal Sound manages to come up with a coherent portrait of the artist.
"Killer Diller," the earliest cut, is a steaming
ska platter from the mid-'60s, while
"Black Organ" finds
Mittoo musing over a smoky, chugging
reggae beat. Though
Mittoo clearly had a handle on any
reggae rhythm that crossed his path, cuts like
"Get Up and Get It" and
"Stereo Freeze" prove that he was fluent in
funk as well. Even the songs from
Showcase, his final outing from 1982, maintain the standards of the vintage material. The interwoven lines of
Mittoo and keyboardist
Pablove Black on the drifting
"Oboe" are a particularly pleasant surprise.
The Keyboard King at Studio One is an excellent introduction to a rhythm master and
reggae legend.
~Nathan Bush, All Music Guide
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