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"Wicked!" I exclaimed to everyone around me, none of whom I
knew. My smile was so wide I thought my teeth were going to burst out
of my mouth. We were in the middle of Burning Spear’s masterpiece,
"Tumble Down," when Spear completed a vocal line. By the sound
of the drum break, a long dub sequence was imminent–anticipation
for the bass line–boom! Ah, that’s the sound. Wicked!
Wicked, my favorite saying of the moment, is a Jamaican term, previously
co-opted by New England’s teenagers in the late 80s, when West-coasters
were using "rad" for everything noteworthy. Wicked is a word
so rich and so versatile. Like it describes all of the Burning Band members’
talent, from Cecil Ordonez’s bluesy guitar rifts all the way down
to Spear’s conga playing.
 Wicked
describes the Burning Band’s new bassey, Dave Richards, who, in his
mesh sport suit, tennis shoes, and sideways visor, looks like he missed
the Shaggy tour bus and was left behind in some fluke accident to play
bass for Burning Spear. Delivering smooth bass lines and oozing talent,
Richards is definitely a musician to watch. And wicked also describes
the luxury of a horn section.
Having just seen Alpha Blondy at Maritime Hall in San Francisco, and
a week prior at the Monterey Bay Reggae Fest, the horn section was on
my mind. A little fun fact: Alpha travels with 21 people, while Spear
only travels with a measly 13! It’s true that synthesizers have become
mighty sophisticated within the last few years and bands can get away
without having a brass section (Steel Pulse and Aswad are good examples),
but let me tell you, if you can get a horn section on payroll, that’s
the way to do it. And with 21 people, what’s another three?
 The
Burning Horns–Clyde Cummings (sax), James Smith (trumpet) and Micah
Robinson (trombone)–sounded sharp during the two performances I saw
in San Francisco and at the Cocoanut Grove in Santa Cruz. Their sound
was round and full, rich and musical--they even followed dynamics–something
to which I wouldn’t mind more reggae bands paying attention. Robinson
told me that the brass section had had a shaky start to the "Don’t
Hurt the Rastaman" tour, but it is evident that those problems have
been addressed.
 As
we all know, the purpose of the band is not to overshadow the lead singer,
nor to butcher his/her music. A good band will make the lead singer sound
like the excellent messenger that s/he is. The Burning Band knows this
and was successful. I even saw a few smiles come from Winston Rodney (a.k.a
Burning Spear), "the most serious man in Reggae." They went
through some of the greats: "Slavery Days," "Old Marcus
Garvey," "Tumble Down," "Door Peep," "Jah
No Dead," "Rockin’ Time," and included more contemporary
songs from his later albums.
The shows I saw were packed. People came out of the woodwork to see Spear,
despite the tragic terrorist attacks a few days earlier. In San Francisco,
they were even competing with Anthony B, who was performing across town
at Slim’s. In Santa Cruz, the show sold out within the first half
hour of the opening act.
 Catch
the "Don’t
Hurt the Rastaman Tour," if they come to a venue near you. They
are promoting a still untitled album as yet. And while you’re at
it, check out Alpha Blondy and the Solar System for yet another excellent
live band experience. If that’s not possible, pick up their new disc
"Paris Bercy," on the Shanachie label. It’s well worth
it!
Special thanks to Denise, Brent, Sylvan, 2B1 and Pulse Productions
for access.
Related articles:
Reasoning with Burning Spear
Reggae
on the Rocks 1999
---------------------------------------------
Laura Gardner is the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of www.jahworks.org
and is known for her in-depth interviews with top international reggae artists.
Her work has published in the BEAT Magazine, Reggae Review Magazine, the KALX
Radio Program Guide, as well as other reggae-based websites. She can be reached
at editor@jahworks.org.
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