Tommy McCook

Tommy McCook (Thomas Matthew McCook) (March 3rd, 1927 Havana, Cuba - May 4th, 1998 Atlanta, Georgia).

Saxophonist (tenor, viola) and flutist, type-setter and arranger jamaïcain. It crossed the various stages of the music jamaïcaine while remaining throughout its career an actor of foreground. At its beginnings, it was allured by the Jazz. It concentrated on the concerts in the clubs and hotels in which it was very popular. But this prevented it from being among the pioneers of the Ska. On the other hand its influence in insular music industry was real thereafter with the center of the Skatalites, of Supersonics, these two formations being the references of the Sixties, the Aggrovators or the Revolutionaries. With the beginning of the year 1980, it was at the origin of the recombining of Skatalites.

Biography

Training and jazz

Tommy McCook arrives to Jamaica in 1933 when his/her mother decides to return in her native land. It finds a work in a hotel of Kingston, Bournemouth Beach Club where the evening a Big band occurs directed by Eric Dean. His/her older brother studies with the Alpha Servant boys School and plays in the orchestra of the school. The Tommy young person discovers the music thus. At eleven years, it enters this same school and starts the training of the saxophone tenor. In 1943, it is recruited within the Eric Dean' S Orchestra . It joined then the Don Hitchnman' S sextet , with which it will be one of the first musicians jamaïcains to be recorded, then the Roy Coburn' S Blu-Flames . It côtoie in this formation the bass player Cluett Johnson, the trombonist Gift Drummond and the saxophonists Bobby Gaynair and Roland Alphonso.

In 1954, McCook leaves for a series concerts to the the Bahamas, accompanied in others by the guitarist Ernest Ranglin and the trumpet player Franck Anderson. It will remain there until 1962. It is at the time of a voyage to Miami, that he discovers the virtuosity of John Coltrane and that he then decides to devote himself only to the jazz. On its return in Jamaica, eight years after the beginning of its exile, it founds a small formation of jazz. Tommy McCook is quickly recognized like one of the best saxophonists and becomes impossible to circumvent. During its absence, a local music industry developed, accompanied by a sound revolution. The ska point its nose. Its rival of always, Roland Alphonso, are committed as musician on a cruising. The producers Vincent Chin and Clement “Coxsone” Dodd thus propose in Tommy McCook to record but it is reticent with this new musical form. Dodd is only able to convince it to take part in the recording of a disc of jazz published under the title Jazz Jamaica from the Workshop . One day, he hears Schooling the Duke , title of a production of Coxsone interpreted by Bobby Gadnair, Johnny " Dizzy" Moore and Don Drummond. The solos of the section coppers enable him to discover that its vision jazzy music can open out fully in the ska.

The leader

Its first recording ska is it from now on traditional Exodus for Coxsone in November 1963. Always follow Adam' S Apple with Coxsone and Goldfinger for Duke Reid. The beater Lloyd Knibb, which he attends in the concerts and with the camp rasta of Count Ossie, proposes to him to take the head of a group including/understanding the best musicians of the island. The pay of a musician was then from day to day according to his presence with a concert or sessions of recording. It is thus a question of making sure of the contracts while assembling the best possible group. After having first once declined the offer, Tommy McCook ends up accepting the proposal of Lloyd Knibb.

Skatalites are born thus at the end of 1963. The group will occur in the highest places of Jamaica, of Kingston in Montego Bay while passing by Falmouth under the name Tommy McCook and The Ska-talites . For this period, they will be the reference group creating of the hundreds of instrumental pieces. McCook is in the beginning the many traditional ones of which Freedom Sound, Fidel Castro, Black Sunday, Cleopatra and so much of others. Skatalites will be also the backing band of many singers like Ken Boothe, Alton Ellis, Jackie Opel, Lee Perry, Delroy Wilson or the Wailing Wailers. Tommy will then arrange most of coppers on these songs, whose Simmer Down celebrates it. Between 1964 and 1965, it will thus take part in many sessions of recording for various producers (Coxsone, Duke Reid, Lloyd Dalley, Leslie Kong, Vincent Chin, King Edwards and Justin Yap). After more than one year of common life the group separates. One of the called upon reasons will be inter alia the competition between Roland Alphonso and Tommy McCook which will end up wearying its members.

The producer Arthur Duke Reid then proposes in McCook to become the artistic director of his labels. He founds Supersonics then, groups very new studio of Treasure Isle, built with the top of the alcohol store of Duke Reid. He finds there Johnny Moore, Lloyd Knibb with the battery where sometimes replaces it Hugh Malcom, the saxophonist Lester Sterling, the trombonist Vin Gordon, the pianist Gladstone Anderson, the organist Winston Wright, the bass player Jackie Jackson and the guitarist Lynn Taitt. Collaboration with Duke Reid is profitable since they will dominate the era rocksteady by producing Alton Ellis, Justin Hinds and the Dominoes, the Melodians, the Paragons, Phyllis Dillon and the Techniques. Tommy McCook will interpret the many instrumental ones and versions of these standards of the song jamaïcaine. Mabrak will be the version of the Queen Majesty of the Techniques, My Best Dress that of My Best Girl of Paragons but also Buck & The Preacher the instrumental one of I See Your Face of John Holt or Expo, Indian Love Cal, Lara' S Theme, Kansas City, Mr. Solo, My Girl, Open Jaw, Our Man Flint, Real Cool, Rock Away, Saboo, Sir Don, Soldier Man, Soul For Sale, Soul Serenade, Wall Street Shuffle, Work Your Soul and so much of other titles. For this period, it will take part in sessions of recording for Blondel Keith Calnek and her labels Caltone and JonTom (for Johnny Moore and Tommy McCook). Before disintegrating in 1969, Tommy McCook and the Supersonics will leave an album produced by Winston Riley former singer the Techniques with which the group played. While keeping a weekly engagement at Treasure Isle Tommy McCook will become a musician freelance playing in various producers.

The years reggae

During the Seventies, the Reggae develops and Tommy McCook works thus with many younger producers in their offering his experiment for the accompaniments of coppers. The copper section with which he works is often made up of Bobby Ellis with the Trompette, of Wine Gorgon to the Trombone and of the saxophonist viola Hermann Marquis. It records with Harry Mudie ( It May Sound Silly or Drifter With has Flute ), Augustus Clarke ( The Right Track and Schnectady' S Shock ), Lloyd Dalley ( Cyrus ), Rupie Edwards ( West Of Parade and Bubbling Horns ), B. Frankson ( Flower Pot ), Peter Weston ( Dracula ), Ken Gordon ( Fatman ), Clive Chin for Jaro the version of Java , Jimmy Radway ( The Great Tommy McCook ) or Niney ( One Train Load Off Collie or Zorro ). Clement Dodd will make him enregister Jamrec Jam , Tunnel One or Tenor One Cal on the riddim of Slogan One the Wall of the Viceroys. Its name will appear on two faces B of Bob Marley for Live , the version of Lively Up Yourself and instrumental Faceman of Screwface . Lee Perry will call upon him in 1972 for the recording of the LP Cloack and Dagger and he will exploit even of the piano certain songs of the album Black Board Jungle . He collaborates in a more regular way for Glen Brown between 1972 and 1977 (which leaves a LP Tommy in a confidential way under white label in 1977) for which he records the enivrants Tubby' S Control and Harry meet Tommy . He will go to London in 1973 with Jimmy Cliff and will meet the flutist Herbie Mann with whom he will record the album Reggae . In 1975, the government jamaïcain gives the “Order off to him Distinction”, national reward similar to our Order of the Legion of Honor. Vivian “Yabby You” Jackson will not deprive its talent for many of its productions and will produce even three LPs. Revenge, Plague Off Horn, Death Trap or Stop Your Quarreling represents the apogee of their collaboration. It also forms part of the group of studio of Joe Gibbs, the Professionals which accompany Culture or Dennis Brown on their LP respective Two Sevens Clash and Vision Off Refusals Brown . Ras Michael will call upon him for its album Rastafari produces by Tommy Cowan. As for the previous decade, Tommy McCook will belong to the outstanding groups of the music jamaïcaine. Like that of Bunny Lee, of which he is the appointed soloist, the Aggrovators or that of Chanel One the Revolutionaries , in second half of the Seventies, with which he will take part in various dub projects, with the albums of the Mighty Diamonds Right Time , of Derrick Harriott Reggae Chart Busters Style or with that of I Roy Cancer . In addition, McCook will play the actors and will appear at the beginning of film of Ted Bafaloukos, Rockers, turned in 1977.

But this period, a musical revolution with the arrival of the digital one succeeds, which will separate the musicians of producers. Tommy McCook will take part nevertheless in some sessions of the label Nighthawk in the years 1980. It will be section coppers on the album of the Itals, Justin Hinds, Junior Byles.

Return to the ska

In 1983, it will justify, with the manager Herbie Miller, her former comrades of the Skatalites to reform itself for the festival Reggae Sunsplash and in Blue Monk Jazz Gallery in Kingston. The success of the demonstration encourages Tommy McCook to go to live in the United States in 1985 to join the other members and in 1986 the group starts to turn. In 1992, Skatalites join the studios for the album Ska Voovee produced and directed by Tommy MCCook. It will compose 11 of the 12 titles. In 1994 and 1996, It produces, associated with Joe Ferry two new albums ( Hi-Bop-Ska and Skamania ). It is at this time that following health issues, McCook is done rarer on scene whereas Skatalites connect the world tours with the full houses. In 1997, it recorded its last album Tommy McCook and Friends for the label Moon Ska. It will leave in the trade in 1998, a few days before its death on May 5th of the continuations of an heart attack.

Discography

Sources

Bradley L . , Low Culture , editions Combined, Paris, 2005
Keyo B., booklet of the album the Skatalites , Foundation Ska , Heartbeat, 1997.
Keyo B., booklet of the album Tommy McCook and the Skatalites , Tribute to Tommy McCook , Heartbeat, 1999.
Maréchal Y., Tommy McCook in the encyclopedia of Reggae 1960-1980 , editions Alternatives, Paris, 2005.

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