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Roots to the Bone

Rico

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Customer Reviews

Trombone Reggae

Rico (Emmanuel Rodriguez) purportedly was 1 of the most important Jamaican musicians of the 20th century. He began gigging in the ‘40s and recording in the ‘50s. This recording purportedly is a 1994 re-release of 1975’s Man from Wareika (a hill outside Kingston) with some additional songs. Some rank it among the top 10 reggae recordings of all time. There is a bit more polish and sophistication to it than one hears in many reggae recordings. It contains a mixture of Reggae, Ska, Dub and Jamaican Jazz styles. Rico purportedly received classical training as a boy and worked for years as a session player in Jamaican and English recording studios. Textbook bass lines and syncopated rhythm guitar figures are fortified with big band brass arrangements, all decorated with Rico’s trombone melodies. Children of Sanchez is a Chuck Mangione tune. Take Five is Paul Desmond’s composition played in four. Far East features a sax solo and a piano solo with a little pentatonic flavor. No Politician is a bit reminiscent of Miles with its melodic stabs, muted trumpet solo and expressive use of Dub-genre reverb and echo. Firestick is almost ambient with its rhapsodic trombone solo over a minimalistic bass and percussion drone. Overall, it’s a good album that you will enjoy listening to, whether it’s playing in the background or you are actively listening to it.

Superb

Going to sleep to this album will rock you in your dreams. Haunting, languid melodies. One of my favorite reggae albums.

'Man From Wareika' with bonus tracks

This comprises all the nine tracks from one of the best ever instrumental reggae albums, 'Man From Wareika', recorded at Joe Gibbs and Randys studios in 2006.

Pretty hard to find, even on CD (there's a Japanese version of Man From Wareika with 18 cuts from this era). Island paid for the trip and released the vinyl.

All the big studio stars - Sly and Robbie, Skully, Ansell Collins and many more - backed up Rico and it's a classic - a great listen. Soulful and spiritual.

His 2001 CD 'Wareika Vibes' follows the same themes and is a great companion piece. Bad to the 'bone!

Biography

Born: October 17, 1934 in Kingston, Jamaica

Genre: Dance

Years Active: '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s

One of the most prolific session players of Jamaica's pre-ska era, trombonist Rico Rodriguez later emerged as a catalyst behind the U.K.'s Two-Tone movement of the late '70s, recording both as a solo artist and as a member of the legendary Specials. Born October 17, 1934, his musical pursuits began while attending Kingston's Alpha Cottage School, an institution for wayward boys, where he studied trombone under the legendary Don Drummond. In the years to follow, Rodriguez emerged as one of Jamaica's...
Full Bio

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Roots to the Bone, Rico
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  • $9.99
  • Genres: Reggae, Music, Ska
  • Released: May 02, 1995
  • ℗ 1995 Island Records Ltd.

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