Rocksteady at the Ritzy, London

Fresh from my inbox comes news that will delight lovers of reggae music who’ll be in London on 30th September. In conjunction with the launch of a CD by the same name, there will be a screening of Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae, described as a heartwarming homage to the golden age of rocksteady.

Directed by Canadian filmmaker Stascha Bader, the film documents the recordings made for the Rocksteady album at the Tuff Gong Studios, Kingston, Jamaica in April 2008. It tells the story of the original vocalists and musicians involved, who include Judy Mowatt, Rita Marley and Marcia Griffiths, who had solo careers in the 1960s before forming the I-Threes, Bob Marley’s backing singers on his world tour, which took reggae to a global audience, Ken Boothe, Hopeton Lewis, DJ U-Roy, Stranger Cole, Derrick Morgan and Leroy Sibbles, among others; some of these artists meeting up to play together for the first time in forty years. Excerpts from an all star reunion concert staged in Kingston and older archive material complete the picture.

Not being a huge reggae fan myself, I can, however, still say that at least a few of the above names ring a harmoniously clear bell in my head.

The CD launch, screening and after party takes place at 9pm on Wednesday 30th September at The Ritzy Cinema, Brixton. The official CD release date is 5th October.

Click here to read more about this event. Here’s a trailer giving a taste of the “slow riddim” explored and celebrated in the film.