Review
Publication date : Monday, March 07th 2011 - 12 571 views
Professor - Madness
Thirteen years and seven albums after starting the Groundation adventure, its leader Harrison Stafford launches his first solo project, "Madness", under the name Professor
In 2008, "Rockamovya" was Harrison Stafford's first foray outside Groundation. But Marcus Urani and Ryan Newman, the other two founders of the prolific Californian band, were also part of it. This time, "Professor" (a nickname he explains he earned because his name is "too long and too complicated for most Jamaicans") cut himself off from his accomplices to put this project together: "My aim was to go in the opposite direction from the Groundation albums; I wanted to record, mix and master the whole album in Kingston, Jamaica, with some of the greatest musicians in the history of Reggae."
Those great musicians include drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace (an accomplice already present on "Rockamovya") and Flabba Holt, bassist of the Roots Radics. An impeccable rhythm section, completed by Lloyd Obeah Denton on keyboards and Dalton Brownie on guitar, who bring to life this album, "Madness", inspired by his trip to the West Bank and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"I had visited Israel before, in fact with Groundation we had played 3 memorable concerts in Tel Aviv, but this time I wanted to see the country from the Palestinian point of view. I joined a French activist, also a longtime friend, in East Jerusalem and spent the following 10 days travelling around the West Bank with Palestinians and their families, and visiting the towns of Hebron, Ramallah, Jericho, Nablus and Qalqilya."
One encounter in particular shaped the project: with a Palestinian poet who explained to him that reggae spreads a negative message because it is too Zionist, and is regarded as a pro-Israeli music in Palestine. The concept was born: to write an album from the Palestinian perspective.
From this trip to the West Bank, Harrison Stafford draws eight compositions (and their respective dubs) that move a little away from Groundation's reggae fusion, without entirely disowning it. More roots, more melodic too, as in East Jerusalem, and with guests such as U-Roy (on the very good Madness), Bernard Collins (The Abyssinians) and Winston McAnuff.
"Madness", released on 19 April 2011 on the Soulbeats label.
Report written by Jérôme Bast
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