| Summary: | The early 80s was a transition period for reggae. Spearhead of the genre, Bob Marley had just passed away and left behind a protean musical scene. Captured in 1983 in New York, the Vintage Reggae Bash festival testifies to this artistic legacy. Protégé of the brilliant Lee Scratch Perry of the Black Ark studio, Max Romeo begins this meeting with an effective medley where the indestructible "War Ina Babylon" and a cover of "Give Peace A Chance" by John Lennon collide. Endowed with an unparalleled vocal timbre, Ken Boothe recalls his rank as an ambassador of rocksteady with an impeccable interpretation of "Everything I Own," his hit from the middle of the seventies; and the hot shot Big Youth confirms their place to the right of U-Roy with an adaptation of "Satta Massagana," the Amharic manifesto of the vocal trio The Abyssinians. Completed by figures of the likes of Delroy Wilson, Roman Stewart, and the Blues Busters, this bill naturally reveals the impact of soul on the Jamaican repertoire but also the place occupied by the American megalopolis and its musical function, through a local institution like Wackie's: pull up selector. Vincent Caffiaux.
|
|---|