The Skatalites - Ska-Boo-Da-Ba

The Skatalites - Ska-Boo-Da-BaIn his all too brief involvement in the Jamaican music business Justin Yap left his mark producing some of the best ska ever made, and "SKA BOO DA BA" is perhaps the most coherent LP in that genre. Derived from a single 18 hour session at Studio One in November 1964, Justin and brother Ivan laid on food, drink and ganja: as Justin tells it "This was a monster session and it turned out the greatest recording for me". The highlights were the five

In his all too brief involvement in the Jamaican music business Justin Yap left his mark producing some of the best ska ever made, and "SKA-BOO-DA-BA" is perhaps the most coherent LP in that genre. Derived from a single 18 hour session at Studio One in November 1964, Justin and brother Ivan laid on food, drink and ganja: as Justin tells it "This was a monster session and it turned out the greatest recording for me". The highlights were the five original compositions by Don Drummond - "Marcus Junior", "The Reburial", "Confucious", "Chinatown" and "Smiling" along some well-chosen cover versions. Two from the Duke Ellington book: "Ska-Ra-Van" a take on the classic "Caravan" and "Surftide Seven", Ellington's "In A Mellotone". Title track "Ska-Boo-Da-Ba" is a version of Bill Doggett's 1958 "King" US 45 "Boo-Da-Ba". "China Clipper" and "Ringo" (titled "Ringo Oiwake") are taken from Arthur Lyman's "Taboo" LP. The last track on this fine LP, "Lawless Street", is a feature for Roland Alphonso.