August 2012 Issue – Volume 37 • Number 8

Sly Dunbar

He possesses one of the most expansive, eclectic, and revered résumés in reggae history. And he’s still hitting it hard. In the ’70s and ’80s, Lowell “Sly” Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare, aka the Riddim Twins, did as much to…

Joe Tomino

Launching improvisational music into the largely unexplored territory of dubmetal, Dub Trio’s diverse drummer has learned to speak in rhythmic tongues. Dub-metal drummer Joe Tomino, the engine powering the reggae acts Dub Trio and Matisyahu, is fluent in several musical…

Jamaican Drumming — The Evolution of A Style

When Jamaica gained independence in 1962, its musicians reacted by inventing a rhythm style so unique and addictive, it helped an entire population find its voice. As the music evolved, so did its drumming. But the elemental Jamaican pulse remains…

Bob Marley's Carlton Barrett

The songs of Bob Marley and the Wailers spoke a passionate message of political and social justice in a world of grinding inequality. But it took a powerful engine to deliver the message, to help people to believe and find…

Funky Threes — Breaking the Mold With Broken Stickings

In this article, we’re going to look at a very simple three-note sticking pattern (LLR) and apply it on the drumkit in a way that you may not have thought of before—with the double strokes voiced between the hi-hat and…

Style Scott

In a genre defined by sonic exploration, he boldly pushed dub reggae to places where no man had gone before. Dub reggae innovator Style Scott is best known for his drumming with Roots Radics, Prince Far I, Bunny Wailer, Scientist,…

Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace

“Horsemouth is reggae,” said the Greek filmmaker Ted Bafaloukos, the director of the 1978 film Rockers, one of the first successful movies to focus on the culture surrounding Jamaican music. Along with its predecessor, 1972’s The Harder They Come, Rockers…

Lloyd Knibb: Ska Pioneer

In the early 1960s, when Jamaica was liberated from British rule, the island’s musicians were tasting musical freedom, experimenting with and synthesizing a number of diverse influences from their native Caribbean, the Americas, and Africa to create a new style…

August 2012 Issue – Volume 37 • Number 8

Carlton "Santa" Davis

His influential approach, which permeates the landscape of classic reggae, can still be felt today with superstar Ziggy Marley. Santa’s secret? The perfect blend of tradition and experimentation.   The first drummer to record at the legendary Channel One studio…

Jimmy Cliff

For half a century, on record, on stage, and on the silver screen, he’s represented the breadth and depth of Jamaican music as fully as anyone. Gil Sharone chats with the ageless performer, whose recent work finds him collaborating with…

Make It Swing! Part 2: Coordination and Consistency

Part one of my “Make It Swing!” series, which ran in the December 2011 issue, contained excerpts from my book Jazz Drumming Essentials and More. That article was an overview of techniques used to develop a strong swing feel when…

Steve Nisbett

He barely knew what to do with a reggae groove when he started his climb to the top of the pops with Steel Pulse. He must have been a fast learner, though, because it wouldn’t be long before the man…