'Skazz' and other Jamaican jazz not to be missed

There’s not tons of Jamaican jazz. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any amazing Jamaican jazz musicians. And given that Aug. 6, 2012, marked 50 years of Jamaican independence, it seems timely to note some of the great Jamaican jazzers. Here are three of my favourites.

1. Jazz Jamaica, a band formed by Gary Crosby (Ernest Ranglin’s nephew) back in the early 1990s, designed to mix up traditional Jamaican music styles with jazz. So, music like ska mashed up with jazz improvisation. Some call it ska jazz, others call it skazz. Whatever you call it, it’s got a great groove.

2. Probably the best-known Jamaican jazz artist, worldwide, is the hard-swinging keyboardist Monty Alexander. What’s always impressed me about Alexander is how he’s managed to establish such jazz credibility in mainstream American jazz while also exploring Jamaican music. The man has recorded with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, etc., and the likes of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare.

And because of that, you really need to hear him in both contexts. First, in straight-ahead jazz mode, with a live recording of “Two Bass Hit.”

And second, in concert with fellow Jamaicans Ernest Ranglin and the aforementioned Sly & Robbie. (Speaking of great grooves!)

3. Here’s one more treat for you, from the late Jamaican sax player, Andy Hamilton. But before getting to the music, a quick note about his life story, which is one of those truth-is-stranger-than-fiction tales.

Hamilton made his debut recording at the age of 73. He was famous in Jamaica in the 1940s, entertaining the likes of Noel Coward and playing parties on actor Errol Flynn’s yacht. Hamilton stowed away on a boat in 1949 to relocate in England, where he got a factory job in Birmingham before becoming well known as a jazz musician and an impresario. And, among other honours, he was appointed member of the Order of the British Empire in 2008. He died June 3, 2012, at the age of 94.

Wow.

And here’s his best-known piece, “Silvershine,” a big favourite of Flynn’s.