INTERVIEW : DEAN FRASER
Interview by : Cyril le Tallec
Pictures by : Marlène Boulad
on Wednesday, August 19th 2009 - 9 181 views
The saxophonist Dean Fraser, whom we met a few months ago in a Kingston studio as he waited for Demarco and Tarrus Riley to record the track Over and over, answers our questions. A man who knows music, with his enormous career behind him, puts on his producer's cap to talk to us about Contagious, the third album by his protégé Tarrus Riley.
Reggaefrance / Where does your taste for music come from?
Dean Fraser / My taste for music comes from right here, in Jamaica, the Jamaican flavour... My first musical stirrings go back to the age of 10, it was at that age that I started to take a real interest in the musical world; I was learning the guitar but I ended up stopping and so I lost everything from that learning.
Where did you learn the sax?
It's the same person who took me to learn the guitar who finally took me back to music school in the early 70s, and that's where I started saxophone lessons. His name was Babe O'Brian.
You've played on an incredible number of albums by the most famous Jamaican artists and producers. Looking back, which encounter marked you the most? Is there an artist you regret not having worked with?
Lots of music, plenty of memorable moments... Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Dennis Brown, Culture, to name just a few... I was lucky enough to take part in loads of albums that made music history but I wasn't always credited as a musician. I worked with just about all the artists on the island so I can't remember the name of the artist I would have dreamed of working with, but there must be some (laughs)... over the years, I've made music with the majority of the artists on the island. It's always a good thing to share your musical experience with other artists and musicians
 J’ai eu la chance de pouvoir participer à plein d’albums qui ont marqué l’histoire de la musique mais je n’étais pas toujours crédité... 
Today, horns are used less than in the 70s; how do you see the reggae of the new generation?
The current generation is into dancehall: they listen and they feel things differently, but music is a cycle... Reggae will always remain the heart of our music. For example in Europe, roots dominates dancehall, but we have no problem being part of this music and helping young artists.
Do you think roots is still as powerful as in the 70s?
Yes and no. I think today's lyrics are more confused in their messages, but we have to be very vigilant about the kind of messages conveyed in our music, because some of today's words could never have been sung in the 70s. We must be careful about what we sing to the public; the freedom fighter gets mixed up with the terrorist. Our music has always stood for love, voiced certain political speeches or pleas against the misery and suffering endured by the poorest. Then some people tried to stick labels on our music, labels of violence or hatred, but our music has never stood for that... But some young artists should think twice before singing certain words because in the end they could find themselves in dark affairs because of the message they're peddling.
You belong, along with Monty Alexander and Ernest Ranglin, to that generation of Jamaican jazzmen. Is jazz just as present among the musicians of the younger generation?
I would say yes, because today's young musicians continue to draw inspiration from jazz and to listen to it; the main difference I think I have with them is that in my day, I was also influenced by Jamaican music and I took the time to study it... That's how I came to jazz. You know, Jamaican music is serious music, there is a lot to study because there were great musicians like the Skatalites with Jackie Mitoo, Tommy McCook and Roland Alphonso, the Sterlings or Don Drummond... So there's plenty to study... As for my own music, I claim the reggae side.
Should the Jamaican government subsidise music schools in order to keep the island's musical heritage alive and set up infrastructure for young people?
Yes, because that's where I learned music. But in a period of economic recession, the first budgets to be frozen are those devoted to the arts, and therefore to music. It may take a little time but I really think the government should pay more attention to our musical culture. You know, people are strange, they only began to take a real interest in this music when they saw the revenues generated by international artists such as Bob Marley, and I don't think our music will get the respect it deserves as long as mentalities are like that. It may change in 20 years, but for now that's how it is, you have to live with it!
You've made two albums of Bob covers (Dean Fraser plays Bob). What was your relationship with him? Did you work with him?
I knew him from when I was very young, because I lived in Trenchtown myself, so he was a neighbour. Then, in 1979, I had the opportunity to work with him on the album Survival. He also asked me to play the saxophone solo on Wake up and live on stage at the National Stadium during the celebration of the centenary of His Majesty Selassie. Bob Marley put me in the spotlight.
When can we expect another album from you as a musician? Can we hope for a Dean Fraser / Monty Alexander / Ernest Ranglin album one day? That would be a dream...
I'm going to go into the studio to get down to it this year, so yes, definitely, there will be a Dean Fraser album in the racks by next year at the latest. I'd love for Ernest and Monty to be on the project.
You're also a renowned producer; which production are you proudest of? Recently you produced Tarrus Riley and Etana, two artists who are doing well...
(He thinks...) Of course, right now it's Tarrus Riley and I'm very proud of him, he works very hard... There's also Duane Stephenson. What I appreciate about them is that they're young artists who work hard and above all who listen: they have a good sense of what's going on around them. In the end, it's easy and pleasant to work with them, I show them the way forward and it goes well. Then of course there were Sizzla and Luciano... However, some artists, when they find themselves at the top of the bill, think they can do everything on their own and start going down certain dead ends. Sometimes it's too late to correct course, which is why we work with young people, to educate them.
As a musician, how do you view the evolution of the career of an artist like Sizzla, whom you took under your wing at the start?
Some artists do too many things, I mean they work too much. They need a real team around them. As an artist, to maintain the level, you have to train and rehearse: if you don't maintain rigour in your work all the time, that's when you start to lose yourself. Then you find yourself on stage and you don't feel at ease, so it goes off in all directions. I think that's perhaps what happened to Sizzla... When you get on stage, you have to rehearse with your musicians beforehand so as to know exactly where you're going live without making mistakes. Sometimes certain artists come to Europe but they aren't equipped for it (laughs...)
You also produced a track on the Rootz Underground album. Do you believe in the return of bands of musicians in Jamaica? Today, solo artists have become the norm...
It's because it's a band that I work with them and that I will keep working with them. I think we need real bands here in Jamaica. I'm also working with a band called C-Sharp. Rootz Underground will end up being recognised worldwide because they're different, and being different, for me, is a real asset.
In terms of production, what's your view on the evolution of reggae over the years?
As I said earlier, music is a cycle. Today, the positive thing is that young people are drawing on the music of their elders. One of the finest things in Jamaica is the fact that there are parties every night all over the island and some sound systems play only music from the past, old reggae, roots, soul or rhythm & blues. So if you're curious about the evolution of our music, you don't have to go very far. You stroll around Kingston on a Friday night, you might hear hundreds and hundreds of different sound systems and most of them are really playing good music.
How do you see reggae progressing in the future?
It's the music of the people, of love, which defends the poor. It's a music that can't die, it can only rise higher, and perhaps it will also be the last.
Can you tell us about Tarrus Riley's new album?
I'm working on it right now. It should be called Contagious. We already have a few good tracks and a few featurings such as Bugle, Konshens, Alaine and Demarco. I'm trying to make an album with him as beautiful as Parables, and we wanted it to be different from everything you hear. We also want our young audience to be aware of what's going on so as to keep our tradition alive; it ties in with your earlier question about the evolution of our music, and it's what young artists must do today: clean up their lyrics and make the music more transparent. That's what's happening with Tarrus.
How did the latest European tour with Tarrus Riley, Jah Cure and Luciano go?
It really got going when our band arrived, but it wasn't there yet for the Paris date. We'll put that right for our next visit to Europe, so as to present him in the best conditions.
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