Ska-Boo-Da-Ba, Skatalites, LP

In his all too brief involvement in the Jamaican music business Justin Yap left his mark producing some of the best ska ever made, and "SKA-BOO-DA-BA" is perhaps the most coherent LP in that genre. Derived from a single 18 hour session at Studio One in November 1964, Justin and brother Ivan laid on food, drink and ganja: as Justin tells it "This was a monster session and it turned out the greatest recording for me". The highlights were the five original compositions by Don Drummond - "Marcus Junior", "The Reburial", "Confucious", "Chinatown" and "Smiling" along some well-chosen cover versions. Two from the Duke Ellington book: "Ska-Ra-Van" a take on the classic "Caravan" and "Surftide Seven", Ellington's "In A Mellotone". Title track "Ska-Boo-Da-Ba" is a version of Bill Doggett's 1958 "King" US 45 "Boo-Da-Ba". "China Clipper" and "Ringo" (titled "Ringo Oiwake") are taken from Arthur Lyman's "Taboo" LP. The last track on this fine LP, "Lawless Street", is a feature for Roland Alphonso.