Skip to main content

Ras Haas Reggae - Tuff Vibes

 


Al compás del mundo

 

#193, 8-14-25 - Tuff Vibes, vol. 1 - reggae

 

01 Sons of Light - Land of Love

02 Devon Russell - Jah Hold the Key

03 Judah Eskander - Jah Light

04 Barrington Levy - Look Youthman

05 Al Campbell - Fight I Down

06 Barry Brown - Warmonger

07 Don Carlos - Plantation

08 Anthony Johnson - Hey Mr. Rich Man

09 Eddie Constantine - Tenement Yard

10 Burning Spear - Jah Jah No Dead

11 Desi Roots - Weed Fields

12 Johnny Clarke - Blood Dunza

13 Earl Cunningham - Jail House

14 Lacksley Castell - Guiding Light

15 Cornell Campbell - Hard Time

16 Noel Ellis - Memories

17 Prince Jammy - Throne of Blood

 

Here’s another contribution to the Al compás del mundo radio program from flesh and blood prodigy, Ras Haas. A long-time collector of Jamaican vinyl, Ras has claimed that honorific title due to an abiding interest and participation (as a consumer) in the island’s musical scene. For me it’s an entire playlist where almost nothing is familiar, aside from the basic concept of the reggae beat. Barrington Levy and Burning Spear are the only artists included that ring a bell for yours truly. Levy has been one of Jamaica’s best-known dancehall style performers for decades, rising to the top of that genre known for its realistic portrayal of sexuality and criminal activities. Burning Spear is both the stage name for Winston Rodney and that of his band. Coming from a politically engaged background, Rodney’s music has been a prime example of “roots” reggae, one whose lyrics spoke of inequality, religious mysticism and justice for all. Two artists at either end of lyrical expression, they serve as appropriate bookends for the remaining artists featured in this playlist.

 

p.s.

A note of interest is that most of the titles here have been edited down from 6-7 minute tracks. A feature of this music has been to reach a logical crescendo or resolution of the basic theme, followed by several minutes of electronic beats in a spare, head-nodding manner. I took the artistic liberty to leave out what I considered unnecessary doodling. So, sue me.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

British Invasion - 1960s

I wanted to declare “Kick out the jams, mo’fos!” as a signpost towards the message in this week’s Al compás del mundo radio show, but that actually came about a little later. As humanity descended ever deeper into the Cro-Magnon state, Iggy Pop and the punks claimed that honor. What we have here instead, is a post-WWII let’s shake up the political order a bit, and no, not everyone has signed up to be an unconscious consumer attitude. There’s something afoot with these lads. Not exactly revolutionary fervor, but most certainly promoting a change in the general way of things. Recalling Che Guevara’s famous quote “Do Wah Diddy Diddy”, the Animals, Yardbirds, Rolling Stones et. al. pouted and preened – some more than others – in a way that hadn’t quite been done before. Youthful vigor ensued. These groups pushed the evolutionary chain of popular music a step further and we’re all better off for it.  Set list Al compás del mundo programa #183, 6-5-25 - The British Invasion, 1960s 01 Yar...
Post a Comment
Read more

India y Nepal y Tibet

W here a human voice is heard in today’s program it’s often starkly different from what most Westerners might find pleasing and melodic.  But I must remind my listeners that the West probably did not invent the concept of vocalizing as accompaniment to plucked/blown/percussed musical instruments. Why do we sing in the style that we do? I imagine there are knowledgeable tomes wrestling with that idea. I ’ve read that vocals were meant to imitate the sounds made by instruments...or vice versa? The chicken or the egg? I’m not here to answer that question, in spite of the college course I had taken of “Music Cultures of the World” decades ago. What I offer is the opportunity to pay attention to and digest musical expressions performed by people steeped in the traditional ways of their culture.  T here is a geographic component to lumping together India, Nepal and Tibet as the Himalayas served to isolate and circumscribe the peoples of those northern regions. But here’s where I fud...
Post a Comment
Read more

Guitarras del mundo

  Choosing music and writing about “the guitar” opens many doors. I could have gone off in any number of directions and with a singular narrow focus - but I didn’t. Instead, I threw a whole bunch of varied tunes against a wall to see which ones stuck. Sometimes there’s a continuity and other times none: just two aesthetically pleasing pieces that worked well in tandem and, hopefully, were preceded and followed with similar morsels. Usually, that is how these programs come together. I receive a divinely inspired revelation for a certain theme, region, or style of music and build it from there. Baden Powell, Brazilian beatnik poet and guitar master, seemed to me an obvious choice to begin the program. From there (as you can well see) we stick around Latin America a bit; segue into Spain, notorious as a guitar hotbed; head South to North Africa for the venerable Bombino (yes, again!) and more of that desert blues ilk; logically morph into a short blues set and settle at the bottom sid...
Post a Comment
Read more