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JA MAN ALL STARS IN THE DUB ZONE (Blood and Fire)

Sometimes you put a cd in your player and just keep listening to the music over and over again, day after day - it simply becomes a part of ya life, as it was there all the time - only you didn't notice, you just enjoyed them music.

Dat is bij mij ook gebeurd met deze compilatie van JA Man All Stars. Originally recorded, late seventies, at the famous Channel 1 studio's in Orange Street, it has now been reissued by the Blood & Fire Crew. Respect. (Eigenlijk dateert het album al van begin 2003.) Ja Man Records was het geesteskind van Dudley Manzi Swaby, die eind jaren zeventig zelf zijn record label begon in de befaamde Orange Street in Kingston, also known as Beat Street. Beat Street was THE music street in Kingston. You could find the legendary Channel 1 studio overthere, which was one of the leading reggae recording studio's at the time. At n°101 you would find Bunny Lee, at 125 the famous producer Leggo Douglas had a record shop , n°127 was Prince Buster's Record Shack and. On number 129 you would find Ja Man Records.

Ja Man records was an underground label, putting out their records without any name, just the records label was marked in black & white. It was simply enough at that time. To understand completely: Ja Man All Stars actually was a session band, led by Sly Dunbar. They played and backed a lot of tunes for different artist. Among the Ja man All Stars, you could find Robbie Shakespeare, Horsemouth Wallace, Fish Clarke, Flabba Holt and so on. So this is really ol' times music. After the vocal versions came the dub sessions, the finest and purest Jamaican dub, nice and easy. Dance hall style had yet to start, as an international answer to the conscious roots and culture music. It was a great and very interesting time, as well inna Jamaica as inna Babylon Belgium.

Here inna Belgium , reggae freaks where having a few hugh ( even very hugh) dance-hall parties in Antwerp (Paradox). Inna Brussels you had Radio Capitale, later Bruxel FM with THIS STATION RULES THE NATION, and reggae-parties on three floors-levels in Schaarbeek. Mr Mickey Dread was presenting his early-morning radio sessions at VPRO radio station at six o'clock in the morning . Believe me , it was crazy but sure a good way to start the day. Reggae Geel took of as 'a party for a few freaks' hanging around inna Geel. I think there were about thirty or fifty people at the first party at Geel at the time.

Me mean ,this time the reggae music was changing from local 'world' music from Jamaica to take its part in the international music scene. And the ganja and stuff, me friends, was coming over from Afganistan, Maroc, Nepal, sometimes even real ganja from Jamaica : weed with lots of seed, remember. People were not even 'dealing' in stuff and weed, no no no Jah, it didn't work that way at all. The right way to get your stuff was to drive over at some 'friends', have a nice talk and simply come back with the stuff you needed. No fussing around. Any deal at that time (about stuff, records or whatever) was closed by a handshake and people used to trust one another. The gun was not ruling as it is in the now-a-days stuff-business. These were the good days. Me even remember have a smoke with 'the men in blue', them wondering and discussing about recognizing the quality inna good stuff.

Of course, you also had the bad days. Yes it could really turn out bad. Me remember somebody taking so much care on me music collection, me really never saw them records back. I&I remember crying for me lost music. Or I&I remember that there was a time when most of the 'friends' ended up in jail: a group of 10 'friends' were arrested to question for over one whole week. Another time when two or three people were held inna Norway, a man and his women were caught in India, and another friend was questioned inna England. All at the same time, ya know. And somebody was coming back from a so called business-trip inna Berlin, which was really a hard place to be caught overthere. No problems for this one - me remember. When me write this , it looks like ‘cool talkings’ now-a-days but it was not that way at the time. You didn't think about it, just did what you had to do, that's it, you know.

Also with the music. Today it looks like those days were revolutionary days: the Wackie sound from New York, late Studio One records, the beginning of the dance hall style and for sure Ja Man records. It just was our daily bread (or breath?). So Blood and fire gives us an impression how dub was in these early days: nice and clear dub, not beating up your head but refreshing dub with vibes and tunes people could recognize.
This album is a compilation of two records: one from late seventies with Ja Man's Dub (1977), and one from early eighties King's Dub (1980), also by Manzie. Both recorded and mixed at Studio One, with respect for the authentic sounds. Also a few, even harder to get, B sides of Ja Man Records are presented here. Even beginning of the eighties this stuff was hard-to-get, only possible by UK import at the time.

So Blood & Fire hits again with Manzie 'Ja Man' Swaby and his underground label 'Beat Street 129'. (Bim Sherman's early sessions , like Mighty Ruler and Ever Firm were recorded for this Ja Man label.) On this compilation you'll find a dub version of Bim Shermans Migthy Ruler. As me said, the Jaman label never mentioned a name of the artist, only a black & white label, so Bim is not mentioned. But you can trust me: 'Rasta Feeling' is the dub version of Shermans really hard-to-get Mighty Ruler. (Email Jo)

Published on 20/12/2003 by Anonymous