THE LIFER

You may have heard. Rico Rodriguez died a few days ago at the age of eighty. That's a bummer. Real bummer. He was a trombone player, one of the last links to pre-reggae Jamaican music still up and around, performing up until a couple years ago. He went to the Alpha Boys School, the former school of several musicians who would figure heavily in ska and early reggae. But Rico was one of few who kept at it throughout their life. From early sides for Coxsone Dodd, Duke Reid and Prince Buster and other Jamaican producers, to the UK and Trojan, a stint with the Specials, Special AKA, Jerry Dammer's Spatial AKA Orchestra, and Jools Holland's band, the guy was everywhere. He played on Dandy Livingstone's "Message to You Rudy" and on the Specials' cover of it twenty years later. As a sideman and as a solo artist, he was a constant for anyone keen to him. I'll miss that, seeing where he'd pop up next. Thankfully there is a plethora of stuff available. Here's just a taste.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Rico Rodriguez - Rico Special mp3 at Soul Garage
Forster Orchestra Featuring Rico – Lightning Street mp3 at Soul Garage
Rico Rodriguez - Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra - L-O-V-E mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Toots & the Maytals w/Rico Rodriguez - Rastaman mp3 at Melting Pot
Dandy Livingstone -  Rudy A Message to You (streaming) at YouTube
The Specials -  A Message to You Rudy mp3 at Reselect
The Specials - Ghost Town mp3 at BlahBlahBlahScience
Video:
The Specials - A Message to You Rudy at YouTube
The Specials featuring Rico - Jungle Music at YouTube
Rico Rodriquez playlist at YouTube
Visit:
Jerry Dammers on Rico Rodriquez at NME
Rico Rodriquez at Wikipedia