Natty Will Fly Again

Description

Harrison “Professor” Stafford, singer and leader of the Californian group Groundation, has returned to Jamaica — and this time, it’s not to sing. A lover of the culture, the music, and the island in general, he moves to the other side of the studio and produces Natty Will Fly Again, a unique and passionate project. There he brings together three emblematic figures from this island, which has become world-famous for the reggae breeze it has blown across the planet, a reggae it continues to defend with pride. Alongside Pablo Moses, Winston Jarrett, and Roydel “Ashanti” Johnson, Harrison Stafford pays tribute to the Jamaican roots sound. He draws these three great voices into the twists and turns of his music, in search of a perfect sound, carefully shaped and crafted. He even pushes these icons to their limits to go even further and create a meticulously built sound between roots tradition and refined jazzy arrangements. To measure the authenticity and importance of these recordings, one must remember the journey of these three symbolic singers of the reggae movement. As soon as he arrives in Kingston, Pablo Moses meets Geoffrey Chung, won over by the song “I Man a Grasshopper” and its conscious lyrics. Recorded in 1975 at Black Ark Studio by Lee “Scratch” Perry, the track propels Pablo Moses into the spotlight and leads him to produce his first album Revolutionnary Dream. After studying afro music, he releases his second album A Song in 1980, becoming in just a few years one of the major voices of global reggae. Still recognized today as one of the finest voices in the genre, he continues to inspire at 66 years old. Winston Jarrett settles in Kingston at the age of five in 1945 and grows up alongside the pioneers of reggae: Rasta Elder Mortimore Planno, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer. He learns guitar with Jimmy Cliff and Alton Ellis, and sings for the first time in 1962 with the group Alton Ellis & The Flames. In 1967, he forms his own group, Winston Jarrett & The Righteous Flames. In 1969, he joins Lee “Scratch” Perry and begins recording at Black Ark Studio with the future musicians of Bob Marley: Aston “Family Man” Barrett on bass and Carlton Barrett on percussion. Roydel “Ashanti” Johnson, born in 1943, arrives in Kingston at 16. He spends his time in the capital’s studios, sings for his childhood friend Lee “Scratch” Perry, and plays guitar for groups such as Ras Michael & The Sons of Negus or Prince Far I & The Arabs. In 1977, after hearing Ashanti perform “Row Fisherman Row,” Perry invites him into the studio to record an album. Ashanti brings Cedric Myton with him, while Perry calls in the baritone Derrick “Watty” Burnett. Together, they form one of reggae’s most emblematic trios: The Congos. They record The Heart of The Congos, still considered today as one of the best reggae albums ever produced.