News : The Reggae Satellites - The Orginal Skatalites
Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 3:51 pm
The sound of the **Skatalites** is, to a large degree, the sound of Jamaican ska records from the 60s, but the actual reason the group formed as 'The Skatalites' was to perform live. By June of 1964, the musicians who came together as the Skatalites had already been crucially involved in the developement of the new Jamaican music called ska, but it wasn't until then that this group of the top studio musicians formed a self-contained live band, after years of recording in ever-changing combinations for a variety of producers (Clement Dodd, Duke Reid, Prince Buster, et al).
By the end of 1963, 'uptown' bandleaders were filling out their setlists with the latest ska hits but 'The Skatalites' still did not exist as such. The future Skatalites wanted to play their own ska music live, but to get booked, they needed two things: a name and a bandleader. The latter appeared when they convinced Tommy McCook (recently returned from eight years playing jazz in the Bahamas) to lead the band. The former came from McCook's 'punful' variation on Knibb's suggestion of 'Satellites'.
Thus equipped, the Skatalites were ready to take the live music scene in Jamaica by storm. By all accounts, they were one of the most exciting live bands on the island, but unfortunately, it seems that the only live performance that has survived in any recording medium is a famous piece of silent film that shows them playing on the back of a parade float. It often appears in ska documentaries with some studio record as soundtrack, but no actual live sound recordings appear to have survived that era. After a brief reunion in 1983-84, the band re-formed permanently in 1989 and went to work as a full-time touring band - without a break.
They tour Europe, the States and Japan relentlessly. With a core of original members the Skatalites show an entire generation of ska revivalists what ska was supposed to be. Seeing the Skatalites live has become like 'going to church' for younger fans who knew them only through their recordings. And recently there was even a very special double debut: The Skatalites live in Argentina! (It took 4 years of planning to bring the Skatalites to Buenos Aires for the first time!). A n d the production of a Skatalites live album that everyone's been waiting for, a mere 40 years after the breakup of the original group! 'Skatalites in Orbit Vol. 1' has been released in December 05 (Grover Records, V.O.R) and it's only the beginning. A series of live releases is planned to keep this band and this band's incredible spirit alive forever.
*source : [riddimjamaica.net](http://www.riddimjamaica.net)*
**also check:** http://www.roots-archives.com/forum/rea ... #msg-63832
By the end of 1963, 'uptown' bandleaders were filling out their setlists with the latest ska hits but 'The Skatalites' still did not exist as such. The future Skatalites wanted to play their own ska music live, but to get booked, they needed two things: a name and a bandleader. The latter appeared when they convinced Tommy McCook (recently returned from eight years playing jazz in the Bahamas) to lead the band. The former came from McCook's 'punful' variation on Knibb's suggestion of 'Satellites'.
Thus equipped, the Skatalites were ready to take the live music scene in Jamaica by storm. By all accounts, they were one of the most exciting live bands on the island, but unfortunately, it seems that the only live performance that has survived in any recording medium is a famous piece of silent film that shows them playing on the back of a parade float. It often appears in ska documentaries with some studio record as soundtrack, but no actual live sound recordings appear to have survived that era. After a brief reunion in 1983-84, the band re-formed permanently in 1989 and went to work as a full-time touring band - without a break.
They tour Europe, the States and Japan relentlessly. With a core of original members the Skatalites show an entire generation of ska revivalists what ska was supposed to be. Seeing the Skatalites live has become like 'going to church' for younger fans who knew them only through their recordings. And recently there was even a very special double debut: The Skatalites live in Argentina! (It took 4 years of planning to bring the Skatalites to Buenos Aires for the first time!). A n d the production of a Skatalites live album that everyone's been waiting for, a mere 40 years after the breakup of the original group! 'Skatalites in Orbit Vol. 1' has been released in December 05 (Grover Records, V.O.R) and it's only the beginning. A series of live releases is planned to keep this band and this band's incredible spirit alive forever.
*source : [riddimjamaica.net](http://www.riddimjamaica.net)*
**also check:** http://www.roots-archives.com/forum/rea ... #msg-63832