Last week, we sadly lost a true music pioneer in Cedric "Im" Brooks, who passed away at the age of 70. The Jamaican native, who mostly played tenor saxophone and flute, was one of the more well-regarded musicians to have bridged the gap between reggae, funk, Afro-Caribbean roots and jazz. Brooks first made a name for himself as part of a duo with trumpeter David Madden in the late sixties, releasing a series of instrumental singles on the legendary Studio One label. During the seventies, Brooks recorded and released a number of albums and singles as both a solo artist and with groups like The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari and Divine Light (later called The Light of Saba), as well as playing as a regular studio musician on many recording sessions. Overall, Brooks was one of Jamaica's most talented and adventuresome musicians, who constantly was exploring and incorporating new sounds and elements into his music. He surely will be missed.
Here is one of my favorite selections, in "Africa", off of The Light Of Saba's 1979 album Sabebe.
No comments:
Post a Comment