2/27/2013 Echo Chamber

To culminate Black History Month, the Echo Chamber presented "A Short History of Reggae - from Jamaica to the World". We started things off with Etana's homage to "Reggae"; then a  short mento track (the Jamaican equivalent to calypso); and then right into the classic "Oh Carolina" by the Folkes Brothers, and produced by the great Prince Buster; followed by a Nyahbingi classic from Count Ossie. Now that the stage was set, we moved headlong into some great ska, rocksteady, and roots reggae from Bob Marley & The Wailers, Don Drummond, Desmond Dekker, Dennis Brown, Burning Spear, The Melodians, Sound Dimension, Peter Tosh, Jennifer Lara, King Tubby, The Skatalites, Junior Murvin, Bim Sherman, Black Uhuru, and Yellowman. From Jamaica we moved out to the rest of the world and hit tracks from Alpha Blondy, Lucky Dube, Mad Professor, Dub Syndicate, Citizen Sound ("Reggae Is Her Name" feat. Blessed), 10 Ft. Ganja Plant, Pale Rider, and Gato Negro. For the second half of the show, DJ Baby Swiss traveled back to JA and covered Third World, George Nooks & Welton Irie (part of a Joe Gibbs Discomix Showcase set), I-Roy (the middle cut of a "Do Your Thing" riddim mix bookended by The Chosen Few version of the Isaac Hayes song and The Crystalites' Nyabinghi-fied instrumental), Tommy McCook & the Supersonics, Ken Boothe, Bob Andy, Monty Morris, Phyllis Dillon, Jackie Mittoo, Scientist, Marcia Griffiths, and more. Finally, back to the wider world with tunes from Dennis "Blackbeard" Bovell, Minneapolis Dub Ensemble, and fellow Twin Citians Dub Sack.  A very nice taste of the history of Reggae music!