Tommy McCook

Tommy McCook

Tommy McCook - Blazing Horns/Tenor In Roots - Blood & Fire - CD

A magnificent 20 track set that brings together two great album from

Tommy. One set from producer Glen Brown was due for release on

Grounation around 1975 but never came. The other 'Blazing Horns comes

from producer Yabby U some four year later and came out on Grove

Music. Also included is 12" 'Riding West' from producer Bunny Lee.

Both albums are strong enough to stand up on there own release wise -

but the demands of the CD reissue seem to be that that the CD needs to

filled up - so if its going to be done in that way this is the way to

do it. Concentrating on 5 years from the roots era to the rockers era.

Tommy's relaxed style seems to work on everything - its funny that

Roland was even more relaxed - Jamaica never seemed to produced an

Hard Sax player much loved in the R&B styles in the fifties in the US.

Horns in Jamaica come from Jazz - and the superb tracks on this set

show that time and time again. One of the finest musicians in Jamaica

- Tommy McCook.

Tommy McCook - Tribute To Tommy - Heartbeat - CD. It's incredible to

think that is the first album of Tommy McCook's music available from

Studio One via of course Heartbeat.. Although it's been well worth the

wait - it would have been nice to see it out when he was alive. The

bulk of this set is from the Ska era, so perhaps it would be possible

for the next tribute to include some of his latter work with the

studio.

Tommy McCook - Tommy McCook - Attack - 1974

The Duke Reid - Tommy McCook connection was to Treasure Isle, what

Jackie Mitto was to Studio One. Tommy McCook and The Supersonics were

the session band for the Treasure Isle studio, throughout most of the

sixties. This 12 track album compiles most of the well known

instrumentals from the Ska era which Tommy contributed his Sax work

too. And includes 'Yard Broom' 'Eastern Standard Time' 'Dan-De-Lion'

and 'River Bank'. Other tracks feature artists like Justin Hinds,

Stranger Cole & Patsy.

Tommy McCook - Meets Glenmore Brown - Grounation/White Label. The

Grounation label had in it's brief existance already released at least

an handful of classic reggae albums. If they had continued this album

would have surely become yet another classic issue. Glen Brown's

rhythms were some of the strongest and most melodic in reggae during

the early to mid seventies. What Tommy does here is take them into

another musical dimension, with some wonderful saxaphone playing that

on some tracks is very mellow and on others is very militant

.