When
Ernest Ranglin played the High Sierra Music Festival in July of 2011, producer
Tony Mindel put together a backing trio of players able to shift between genres
as easily as the master. The band included drummer Inx Herman (Vusi Mahlasla,
Hugh Masekela, Paul Simon, Sting, Hamsa Lila), bassist Yossi Fine (Gil Evans,
John Scofield, Rubén Blades, Stanley Jordan, Me’shell Ndegeocello, Ex-Centric
Sound System) and keyboard ace Jonathan Korty (Vinyl, Electric Apricot). After
the Festival, Ranglin and the band went into the studio. In three days of
feverish creativity, they emerged with Avila, a record that won international
kudos for its creative fusion of styles. During the sessions, the band forged a
deep musical and personal bond. When Ranglin mentioned to Mindel that he had
enough new songs for another album, Mindel made some calls and reassembled the
band.*
This
time around, Ranglin and the band had time to experiment with different
rhythms, textures and flavors; they brewed up one of the finest albums
Ranglin’s ever made. “This is an international band,” Mindel says. “Ernest is
from Jamaica, Inx from South Africa, Yossi from Israel and Jonathan is a
Californian. As they worked together, the interplay became instinctive. He had
meticulously written charts for all the songs he brought in, but he was open to
the band’s interpretations of the tunes. He’s a generous soul, musically and
otherwise, with an amazing sense of humor and a work ethic and stamina that
blew away the other musicians. He is a gentleman and one of the world’s greatest
living guitar players.”*
Ranglin
met the band at In the Pocket, a studio in the woods of Sonoma County. Most of
the basic tracks were cut live, in one room, in glorious analogue sound, with
Eric Levy (Garaj Mahal, Night Ranger) adding his keyboard expertise on several
tunes, most notably the free flowing arrangement of Abdullah Ibrahim’s “Blues
for a Hip King.” As the session unfolded, Ranglin and the band members urged
each other on to new levels of creative discovery.*
The
international mash up of “Bond Street Express” opens with Levy’s sustained
keyboard notes suggesting the droning of an Indian tanpura, before Fine and
Herman come in with a slow one drop reggae rhythm to support a Ranglin solo
full of shimmering, Arabic flavored single notes and Wes Montgomery-like chord
clusters. Herman’s subtle percussion accents and a bluesy horn section add a
comforting density to the track. Levy’s measured bass notes on piano also play
off of Ranglin’s sustained mid-range tones for a meditative take on Abdullah
Ibrahim’s “Bra Joe From Kilimanjaro.” Ibrahim’s music has always inspired the
musicians in this band and, with their help, Ranglin channels the essence of
Ibrahim with his own unique interpretation. As was evident from their take on
Ibrahim’s “Manenberg” featured on Avila, the first album Ranglin cut with this
group, Ibrahim’s music brings out something deeply spiritual in this band.*
If Duke
Ellington ever heard reggae, he might have written a song like “Bless Up.”
Korty tickles the ivories and plays Hammond B3 organ, while Ranglin flutters
through the mix, weaving in and out of the counter melodies played by a
swinging horn section. “Follow On” and “You Too” are sultry, laid back reggae
tunes, while Korty’s “El Mescalero” blends Latin rhythms that suggest tango,
son, calypso and Tex-Mex, giving Ranglin an opportunity for a breathtaking
display of jazzy flamenco influenced fretwork. “Ska Renzo” conjures the spirit
of Jamaica in the 60s, with a few dub effects in the arrangement to highlight
another brilliant, brittle solo by Ranglin. Every tune on the album moves in
different directions, making for a timeless international excursion held
together by Ranglin’s inventive guitar. “I love playing with these musicians,”
Ranglin says. “Like me, they’re interested in music from all over the world.
They make it easy for me to express the emotions I feel. I think working
together on this album allowed us to do something special.”*
After
the sessions, Mindel and Ex-Centric Sound System’s Yossi Fine, who has produced
and mixed efforts by Vieux Farka Touré, Hassan Hakmoun, Hadag Hahash, Dancehall
singer Anthony B and other notable reggae and world music artists, mixed the
album. “It was inspiring to be working with Ernest Ranglin and mixing this
music,” Fine says. “A chance of a lifetime. The album takes the listener
through every era of Ernest’s music. He was constantly adding new flavors,
while staying rooted in each particular style, be it reggae, jazz or Latin
grooves.”*
“This
band sounds like they’ve been playing together for years,” Mindel says. “I want
people to hear this album so they’ll know Ernest is still going strong at 82,
composing and playing great music that touches on all the eras of his career. I
know he still has a lot of new ideas he wants to express and we want to
continue making music with him, and for him, for as long as we can.”*
In the
late 50s, Ernest Ranglin started adding rhythm accents to the tunes Coxsone
Dodd was cutting at Jamaica’s Studio One by playing muted upstrokes on his
guitar. That simple lick became the characteristic sound of a new groove called
ska. His playing also laid the foundation for reggae’s relaxed rhythm, ensuring
Ranglin’s place in the pantheon of innovative guitarists.*
After
years of studio work in Jamaica, including the first session of a singer named
Robert Marley, Ranglin moved to London to play with the Island Records studio
band. His jazz influenced approach was featured on countless records, including
Millie Small’s “My Boy Lollipop,” the first international ska hit and The
Melodians’ classic “Rivers of Babylon.”*
Ranglin
played with pianists Monty Alexander and Randy Weston in the ‘70s. His fluid
bend of jazz, world music and reggae fit perfectly with their ideas about music
without boundaries and brought him to the attention of a new international
audience. His deceptively simple rhythms and sinuous leads created another
genre, reggae jazz, showcased on groundbreaking solo albums like Below the
Bassline, Memories of Barber Mac and In Search of the Lost Riddim, recorded in
Senegal with Baaba Maal and his band. His reggae jazz style fully flowered on
2001’s Gotcha!, the album that prefigured his ongoing creative surge. Never one
to stand still, Ranglin recently played the Blue Note in New York with Monty
Alexander and rising reggae star Chronixx on a show billed as A History of
Reggae + Jamaican Music. The audience included Ranglin’s mentor Chris
Blackwell. In a backstage interview Chronixx, praised Ranglin’s ability to
blend the past, present and future in his playing. Gigs like this showcase
Ranglin’s ability to bring out the best in the musicians he works with, young
and old. His playing continues to be marked by his serene approach and a
playful sensibility that often conceals his jaw-dropping virtuosity. He was
inducted into the Jamaican Music Hall of fame in 2008.
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