js Bill Laswell’s “Dub Chamber 3” was the third installment in Bill’s ongoing “Sacred System” series. Bill’s approach to dub music has not always brought an enthusiastic response from hardcore fans of the genre. Although Laswell’s music has the nice sounds and all the pretty outer trappings of a modern dub recording, the real meat and potatoes of dub-wise rhythms and melodies are not here. Instead, what we have on “Dub Chamber 3” is more of a trip-hop, ambient down-tempo bass-heavy groove topped with perfectly timed electronics, long trumpet tones and occasional funky Fender Rhodes. When taken as a dub influenced trip-hop piece, this CD stands out in a field dominated with mediocrity and boring repetition. Call it what you like, there is some very nice music on here, and far more musical development than your average down-tempo disc.

Laswell assembled an all-star cast for this recording, including some major pioneers in the world of dub influenced nu jazz including; Nils Petter Molvaer on trumpet, Nicky Skopelitis on guitar and the great Jah Wobble on bass on one cut. Craig Taborn’s occasional short electric piano solos also help add interest. The first two cuts are built around somewhat repetitious and common sounding hip-hop drum loops, but are layered with some very imaginative soundscapes. On the third cut, “Devil Syndrome”, the rhythm goes into a double time drive that seems at odds with the rest of the CD. From a rhythmic standpoint, the best cut is the fourth and lengthy closer, “A Screaming Comes Across the Sky”. On this one Laswell breaks out an old school drum machine and programs some very interesting and odd broken up sparse beats that ramble on forever while the music goes through some very interesting changes. Too bad all of the tracks on this CD could not be as musical as this one, its a gem.

Although some of the rhythms on here may seem a bit pedestrian to hardcore dub fans, the sounds and musical phrases layered on these beats are top notch. Bill is a master of the studio and his effects are perfectly timed to build a careful ambient atmosphere that often has a somber and almost religious feel to it. Much credit should also go to the beautiful guitar playing of Nicky Skopelitis, a major pioneer in today’s atmospheric approach to guitar. Nu jazz trumpet ace Nils Petter Molvaer is a natural for Laswell’s sense of timing and texture, and his long mournful tones add to the mix on two cuts.

Fans of trip-hop, ambient down-tempo and early nu jazz will find a lot to like here, this disc is far more interesting than most, and the closing cut is a masterpiece of the genre. Fans of Laswell’s work in this area may also want to check out “Hallucination Engine”, possibly Bill’s best album in this style. Those who are using this as a gateway to true dub music will want to check out the late 70s recordings of King Tubby, Scientist and Prince Jammy.

js To the casual listener, the relationship between jazz and dub roots reggae may not be obvious other than that both are based on African rhythms, but the very origins of ska/rock steady/reggae were created by Jamaican jazz musicians. In Jamaica, during the early 60s, out of work jazz and RnB musicians began to find steady employment playing the new ska beat, and brought with them the horn charts and rhythmic riffs from their previous work as jazzmen. Over the years ska gave way to reggae, but the jazz musicians were still part of this scene. In the late 70s engineer/mixer King Tubby assembled some of Jamaica’s finest musicians and began to record experimental psychedelic instrumental records that became known as dub. Fast forward a few more years and now his most talented protégé, a young man named Scientist, has taken the controls for even more creative dub adventures.

Although the release date says 1996, “Dubbin with Horns” was recorded during the late 70s, which is a good thing because modern dub has lost its roots and has been infiltrated with hip-hop, techno, crackaeton and crack-step. There are a lot of great late 70s dub records out there, but this one is especially good. The sound on here is pure gold, deep and heavy with just the right reverb around the horns to make them sound massive. Don’t expect jazz solos from the horn players, they just stick to their riffs, but every riff is the perfect addition to the riddims laid down by the Roots Radics. There are so many great tunes on here, but one favorite is “Nuh Brother Fight”, based on the majestic sounds of what is often called the “Stagalog” riddim, the horns sound like an African procession and Scientist interjects perfectly timed echoes and breaks. The deep bass on this cut will definitely test your sub-woofer.

Fans of late 70s dub should pick this one up, in a genre loaded with great recordings, this one is a slight cut above the rest.

js “East of the River Nile” is not your typical dub record. Instead of the usual bare-bones arrangements doctored with echo and sound treatments, keyboardist Augustus Pablo give us a straight ahead instrumental reggae album that features layers of classic analog keyboards. It’s the sound of the layered electronic keyboards that makes this one different from the usual dub crowd, and gives it something more in common with 70s psychedelic keyboard jazz albums like Les McCann’s “Layers” or exotic instrumental art-rockers like Bo Hanson. The groovy electronic albums of Les Baxter and Denny Martin might come to mind, and Pablo’s way of doubling the clavinet and string synthesizer for melodies sounds a lot like Bernie Worrel’s signature work with Parliament/Funkadelic. This is the dub record that crosses over into that special 70s genre of the instrumental multi-keyboardist album, released back when eager fans of multi-stacked keyboard setups would search the backs of album covers to see how many cool keyboards were being used.

Another thing that helps Augustus Pablo standout from the dub crowd is his gift for melody. “East of the River Nile” is full of well developed tunes that draw on 60s art-pop and movie type themes which are creatively arranged with Pablo’s arsenal of keyboards. Every song has a unique sound pallet and color. Although fans of classic dub reggae are probably already well aware of this one, “Nile” should also have a lot of cross-appeal to collectors of exotic instrumentals and rare groove.

js Roy Burrowes was a trumpet player who originally hailed from Jamaica, but by the 40s was already working in America and during the following decades played with a wide range of top talent from Duke Ellington to Archie Shepp. In 1987 Roy was invited by his old Jamaican friend, top producer Coxsone Dodd, to drop by his studio in Brooklyn and play trumpet on some old classic Studio One tracks. Roy also invited tenor sax man Clifford Jordan to help out as well. Unfortunately the album was still not finished by 1993 when Jordan passed away, leaving Dodd and Burrowes to finish the album with baritone saxophone ace Charles Davis filling in for Jordon. Finally in 98 they were finally ready to release “Reggae au go Jazz”.

This is a fun album, but I can’t help getting the feeling that this could have been much better. Listening to this album gives one the impression that they were tired of this project sitting on the shelf and decided to rush things at the end and just get it out there. There is no problem with the horn players and their solos, they are great throughout, but it sounds like the Studio One tracks were just played back in their already previously finished two track mix with absolutely no alterations or dubbing at all. That is the biggest disappointment, it’s a Dodd Studio One record with no dubbing effects, dang! It does help that they are all well loved classic Jamaican tracks, but it would have been a lot more effective if there had been more of an attempt to blend the horns with Dodd’s pre-existing tracks.

Along with the Studio One tracks, this album also has about four songs that feature a very dated 80s drum machine. Most of these tracks are clumsy and forgettable, except the sublime “Soul Sender”. On this one the drum machine plays a very sparse beat while Burrowes and Jordan float beautiful echoed melodies. It sounds like they are mixing Miles’ 60s “Silent Way” with his 80s “Amandla”. It’s a great track and would be a real prize for a DJ seeking that chill ambient cut that no one else has.

Overall this is a good record, but if they had really taken their time with it, it could have been much better. Maybe some day someone will give this album a well deserved remix.

js The original Skatalites came together in 1963 and made numerous recordings for a variety of studios for a couple of years before splitting into two separate super groups. Although they reformed in 1983, and have carried on until today in various incarnations, nothing matches the magic of their early recordings. Like other especially blessed groups, such as James Brown’s early 70s ensemble, the original Skatalites pioneered a sound all their own that can never be duplicated, and created such a special aura around their music that almost everything they recorded was pure gold.

Stories vary as to how the Skatalites first fell together, but basically most of them had all worked together before in various jazz, RnB and Jamaican music ensembles. Things really fell into place when ex-pat trumpeter Tommy McCook returned from an extended jazz gig in the Bahamas and was finally convinced to switch from jazz to ska. Although ska music had been around for a few years before the Skatalites became an official group, nobody played the new style the way they did. Designed after a 50s dance hall jazz/jump blues band, the Skatalites were a nine member group with a five man horn section backed by a rhythm quartet. Their music was a perfect blend of old school sophisticated swing jazz, rootsy RnB, spunky early jazz call and response techniques and a very swinging take on the new ska rhythm. Early jazz and true Jamaican music are both styles that possess a certain magic that is impossible to duplicate, and in combination their charms only multiply. The tunes the band draws on varies from Jamaican melodies, spy movie themes, pop tunes of the day by the Beatles etc, and truncated snippets of old bop melodies. Although the rhythms and horn charts are based in RnB and Jamaican music, the soloists seem to favor the older swinging style of Coleman Hawkins or Buck Clayton. Its this juxtaposition again of the older jazz and the island vibe.

There are many compilations out there of early Skatalites music, “Foundation Ska” centers around their earliest material recorded with Coxsone Dodd at Studio One. Other compilations worth checking out could center around their work with Treasure Isle or The Yap Brothers.