Reggae show a family affair
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TORONTOSo, it’s the 25th anniversary of the Beaches International Jazz Festival and it’s a good bet that Bill King, the artistic director of one of the biggest events on the city’s cultural calendar, is fed up with being asked to recall his favourite memory of the festival.
I mean, how on earth can you expect someone to dig up one memorable moment from the last 25 years?
I spared King the question, and instead asked about the special gig he’s playing at Kew Gardens Sunday afternoon.
Bill King’s Rhythm Express features his son, reggae producer Jesse ‘Dubmatix’ King, and the show will mark the first-time dad and son will be playing together.
The senior King recalled how his son became such a huge reggae fan.
“In 1972, I began playing reggae with drummer Everton ‘Pablo’ Paul and other players from Jamaica,” King says. “We helped move reggae from black Caribbean clubs into places like the El Mocambo and Jarvis House, and I remember how Jesse used to hang onto Pablo’s kit and grab his drum sticks when he was three years old.
“Eventually, Pablo gave him his Ludwig drum set and moved away from music and became successful in building and home renovations.”
Pablo also gave Dubmatix the classic album, King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown, that left an indelible mark on him.
“I’d never heard anything like it!” Dubmatix says. “It had this thundering groove that just did not stop. It was relentless. And it had echo and reverb and delay, which I’d been a fan of.
“It had everything that I loved in one sound,” he told me. “In fact, I still have the cassette tape that I ripped from that album in my car.”
Dubmatix was so inspired by that record that he began making music and has since released several well-received CDs packed with rib cage-rattling slabs of authentic dub, classic reggae and electro-dub. Essentially a one-man operation, he plays drums, guitar, bass, keyboards, melodica and percussion on all his records.
When I heard his second CD, Renegade Rocker, five years back, I called him one of the most inventive dub reggae producers in Canada.
And I stand by that.
Here’s a guy deeply respectful of reggae’s rich tradition but not a slave to it. In fact, he adds to it by injecting new sounds and textures, making him an in-demand producer both here and in Europe.
Dubmatix’s latest is titled Rebel Massive, and, as he’s done so brilliantly on past records, he once again recruited several reggae icons to sing on the stellar, bass-heavy productions.
Horace Andy, Prince Jazzbo, Luciano and U-Roy are just four Jamaican legends whose voices grace the disc, and their contributions are a testament to his skills and respect for the culture.
On Sunday afternoon, the two Kings will be joined by Paul, Gavin Hope, Stacey Kay, Selena Evangeline, Bobby Hsu, Christopher Butcher, and Jorge Luis Torres.
“Our set is a homage to early ska and reggae and we’ll be playing the music of groups like the Skatalites, The Specials and the Pioneers,” King says.
We can’t wait.
And, oh, happy 25th birthday!
NOTE: For more information on the Beaches International Jazz Festival, go to www.beachesjazz.com
