Ska Cubano

Ska Cubano is the brainchild of British entrepreneur and music lover Peter Scott, whose love for classic Jamaican ska and Cuban son and mambo led him to dream of a musical group that could reunite these long lost musical relatives. Scott enlisted South London singer Natty Bo—the singer with one of London's most popular ska bands, the Top Cats, and a fan of all things retro—to oversee the musical development of the project.

Natty and Scott traveled to Santiago de Cuba to put together the band. Natty was writing songs, but wanted a native Spanish-speaker to sing with him. They looked for singers but had trouble finding someone with enough pizzazz who could cross the Latin and ska rhythms. "I was sitting in an old bar when Beny Billy walked in," recalls Natty. "He started strumming a tres and singing. His voice penetrated the walls. People stopped what they were doing. I knew I had to ask him to join the band."

Not only does Beny Billy have a voice reminiscent of the great Cuban singer Beny Moré, but Billy insists that he is the reincarnation of Moré. Billy—whose real name is Juan Manuel Villy—was raised in Cuba by his Jamaican grandmother. His voice is so similar to Moré's that he was called upon for the soundtrack of last year's "El Bárbaro del Ritmo," a film about Moré.

Ska Cubano put together a live version of the band featuring some of London's best Cuban and Jamaican musicians. Seventy-four-year old Jamaican trumpeter Eddy "Tan Tan" Thornton is a living legend who played with some of Jamaica's and London's best ska and reggae bands, not to mention his session work with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and others. Japanese sax player Megumi Mesaku is a bona fide ska fanatic, and her powerful, behind-the-back solos have earned her fame as one of the best ska saxophonists on the scene. Ska Cubano's musical director is Cuban bass player Ray Crespo, who has played with everyone from Omara Portuondo to Africando.

Natty Bo is also quick to point out that Laurel Aitken, "the godfather of ska;" tenor saxophonist Roland Alphonso, a founding member of the Skatalites; and prolific pre-ska trombonist Rico Rodriguez were all born in Cuba. He also explains that the Skatalites' "Latin Goes Ska" is an instrumental version of the Cuban song "Pachito El Che." So even though Ska Cubano makes a conscious effort to merge different styles, there is historic precedent.
—Courtesy Calabash Music