This video has been up since April, but it’s news to me- so now it’s news for you. This short interview based documentary was directed by Marie Le Claire, whose name I recognized instantly. I remember a few years ago, The Slackers announced a concert documentary and even released this trailer. I contacted Le Claire and she says that the project was never finished, and it sounds like we’ll have to settle for the short we have.
It really is a great video, too. Here’s Vic in the studio talking mostly about his dad, and weighing the pros and cons of working as a musician. There’s some great concert and rehearsal footage between the interview segments, and some faces from Slackers past. I love getting a glimpse of their cramped rehearsal space- oh and Vic does a Mick Jagger impression.
Documentaries about Jamaican music are popping up all over the place. Here’s one that I can’t wait to check out. Dub Echoes promises to form a direct connection from contemporary electronic music all the way back to 70’s Dub Reggae. It’s surely not the first time these connections have been pointed out, but it looks like a pretty solid film none-the-less.
It features DJ Spooky, Theivery Corporation, Bunny Lee, Dub Pistols, King Jammy, Lee Perry, Ticklah, Mad Professor and many more. But don’t take my word for it… check the trailer:
Here’s something I just got hipped to, through a clip Maddie Ruthless recently posted to FaceBook. The clip in question turned out to be just a small piece of a Reggae documentary from a 70’s UK entertainment news program. I can’t find much information on the show itself, which was called Aquarius. However, I was able to track down the episode, in it’s entirety.
The episode takes a nice aproach to educating it’s uninitiated white viewers. The producers seem to be trying to heal racial tensions in England, by celebrating Jamaica’s most identifiable cultural export, Reggae. One guest points out that what kept Reggae off of the charts was not racism, but a lack of understanding Reggae and Jamaican culture, from the record companies’ point-of-view.
Of course, if you’re a frequent visiter to Ska Blah Blah, I imagine you need no tolerance lesson. For you, I recomend this movie for it’s great performances and insightful interviews, from Roy Shirley and many more.
I’ve been looking for a copy of This is Ska, ever since I caught a glimpse of it on a friend’s Laserdisc. Clips have been available for years, but the entire movie was hard to track down. Then I ran across the whole thing (in four parts) on YouTube, this morning!
So here it is- for you- Check out Jimmy Cliff, Toots and The Maytals and Byron Lee and The Dragonaires, The Blues Busters and The Charmers. The best part about this doc, in my opinion, is the awesome, original ska dancing from these clean-cut Jamaican teens.
I know that it was filmed at the Sombrero Club in 1962, and that the film’s intro is sampled in tons of tunes- however, it’s still very difficult to find any info about it. If anybody’s got some info, send it my way.
Here’s another great find from Lawless over at DancinMood.com.
I’m sure many of you are familiar with the vintage Jamaican label, Randy’s. Familiar or not, this 40 minute doc is sure to school you on a few things you might not know. I especially enjoyed the segmants where they discussed Lord Creator- and why the Chin’s chose a calypso as their Jamaican Independance release.
Lord Creator is a great old Calypsonian, who was a tremendous influence on Dr. Ring-Ding and many others. And this documentary also features Ken Boothe, Johnny Moore, Clive Chin and many others.
There are a lot of Ska/Reggae documentaries coming out this next year- most of them on DVD. I imagine most of those will contain an obligitory history of the various branches of JA music. The Randy’s doc skims over many of the details of what Ska, Rocksteady and Reggae are, and focuses more on the label’s involvement in those movements. Very well done.
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Sep 29 2009
