|
But before we go there, Mikey Dread shows us where
the name Black Ark comes from. We are introduced
to Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican black freedom
fighter who is said to have prophesied the coming
of Haile Selassie.
Lee Perry is still there, too, at the sea side.
He walks and talks in his own way, open for
everybody's interpretation. Arguably, Lee Perry is
the most remarkable person in Reggae Music. Before
we meet him in his studio, as said, we are
introduced to him and his family at the wonderful
seaside of Jamaica.
Mikey Dread continues to tell us all about Lee
Perry, after which we are taken to some Idren
smoking herb and chanting down Babylon: it is time
for the Deep Roots series to go into yet deeper
Roots of Reggae.
As the chalice blaze, everyone give thanks and
praise. The drums play the Nyabinghy rhythm: a
heart beat named Death To Black And White
Downpressors. It was Count Ossie who made the
rhythm known, a rhythm very much connected to
Reggae but musically not the same.
It was Count Ossie who played the drums when
the Ethiopian Emperor visited Jamaica: a
historical event that is -needless to say- one of
the most important events in the history of
Jamaica. The event is extensively covered in this
hour, too. And it has some pretty touching scenes:
Rasta's who are being given medals by the
Ethiopian Emperor, for example.
Back to the Nyabinghy session. More and more
reasonings, meditations, and bible chants. More
clouds, too.
After this foundation, we enter Black Ark
Studio's where Lee Perry is ready to introduce
himself and the studio he was going to burn down
later. In the video, however, he takes off his
shoes in a symbolic act of respect towards the
works that have been produced in Black Ark. Music
that stays vital until this very day.
The Perry Family starts playing music as we are
taken into the mixing room, finding chords as they
jam on Marley's "No Woman No Cry". Lee
Perry continues to talk and after a while, we find
him behind the microphone where he voices a
riddim, gets a box of collie, lights it up and
voices some more.
Suddenly, we are takes to a session with vocal
group the Mighty Diamonds. The contrast is, let's
say, kind of telling. When the finish their song,
we are already looking at the historical sights of
Haile Selassie's coronation. Mikey Dread tells us
about Ethiopia and the spiritual significance, and
Bob Marley's track "war", of which the
text was a speech by His Majesty. We see the King
of Reggae in action, performing the track in
closure of yet another episode in this must-see
documentary series.
|
