I Love

BamJimba

There are many excellent reasons for buying Bamjimba's new CD I Love.

Bamjimba are an eleven strong musical outfit which comprises vocalists, players of horns, trumpet, guitars, keyboards, melodica, and all manner of percussion. The extent of their musical ambition is signalled not least by the length of the seven tracks comprising this CD. One weighs in at a hefty 9 minutes and 42 seconds, considerably longer than the concise two and a half minutes of the much loved reggae 7 inch single. Their big, spacious, many layered sound resembles not so much a group as a small orchestra. this enables them to change musical gear in a way that proclaims careful orchestration and musicianship and a tight musical ship generally. They're able to change musical gear in terms of tempo, mood and instrumentation several times in the course of a track.

This seven track CD, all proceeds from which go to the Sickle Cell Society, is essentially a series of workouts or meditations on Dennis Brown's Your Love Got A Hold On Me, itself a take on Studio One's immortal Heavenless rhythm. Both rhythm and vocal line drift through the record as a pair of motifs on horns, trumpets, percussion and a capella voices in a way that suggests the collaborations between Miles Davis and legendary producer Gil Evans. So all credit to producer The Fatman, for this one.

Miles Davis is indeed a presiding spirit over this record. Or, more precisely D. Brown provides the underpinning to a set of meditations that move far beyond reggae music and into a musical universe where Cuban, African, funk and jazz musics meet and talk to one another. In fact, Dennis Brown meets John Coltrane and Miles Davis in dub conference with The Skatalites.

If your heart sinks when you hear that a record is an interesting experiment in reggae, or some such phrase, if you just know it wont be experimental, it won't be interesting, and above all, it won't be reggae, be reassured. I Love is the real thing. Often, to cite the musical influences of a record can make it seem derivative. but to cite the breadth of music on BamJimba's I Love is genuinely to suggest its intelligence, diversity and musicianship. Miles Davis can be heard on this CD and as an outfit, BamJimba share the tight orchestration of his best music.


Buy this CD because it will speed the day when sickle cell anaemia has claimed its last victim. But buy it in its own right as a great CD that extends the frontiers of reggae music. in the words of the late great D. Brown, just a little bit more,.

Track One, Your Love, begins with horns punching out acapella style both melody and rhythm to Dennis Brown's Your Love Got A Hold On Me, on Studio One's immortal Heavenless rhythm before drums and bass kick the
Heavenless rhythm off into its full weight, underpinning Eastern style horns.

Track Two, Nuestro Amor One, features jazzy Coltrane style horns over high drums, creating a Near Eastern/Coltrane aural landscape, before the Heavenless rhythm kicks back in.

Track Three, Love Your Blues starts off in full drum kit style with lots of snare and cymbal, then segues into a fast drum and bass workout punctuated with plenty of amplified drum explosions. Then a heartbeat, jet engine
taking off and a sustained organ note, heralding Hammond style riffs. At nine minutes, this is the longest track on the CD.

Track Four, Dublove. Al Pablo begins on a sustained one note chord, then a muttering bass, then a one drop drumshot.

Track Five, From Cabbage Beach To Cuba, begins with seagulls, surf, and a catchy guitar riff and the sound of struck gourds and blocks. Then Spanish guitar picking out a few spare notes from the D. Brown vocal. Then a funk
style bass line and guitar lick duetting.

Track Six, Nuestro Amor Two. Miles Davis style trumpet picks out the opening line and delivers a muted solo in the style of Sketches Of Spain before the rhythm section kicks in and quickens the pace with a rhythm something akin to Don McCarlos' classic Late Night Blues

Track Seven, One Love, as the title suggests, reprises the first track with an explicit statement of the D. Brown classic.

Find more on Bamjimba at the band's website http://www.prostudio.co.uk
Buy the CD direct and get informed on sickle cell anaemia.

 

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