JULY 2, 2009
Cave Recordings, Old-School Rhythms
Jamaican Percussion Master Releases Solo Album
Jamaican percussionistist Larry McDonald has released his first solo album Drumquestra. The album features over 20 percussive instruments played by an all-star orchestra of Jamaican drummers. Other than the fact that McDonald has played with legends like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, what caught our attention about this release was his quest to revive roots of Jamaican music by mixing new sounds with old school rhythms like mento, a style predating ska and reggae.
On top of that, what's really hot about this album is that McDonald recorded some of the songs in the Green Grotto caves at Runaway Bay on Jamaica's North Coast. The caves have a storied history having been used at times by Spaniards escaping British colonizers and runaway African slaves. The caves even made the setting for the main villain's underground lair in the James Bond film Live and Let Die.
Check out link below to hear, "Mento in 3," one of the songs from Drumquestra that features recordings from the caves.