‘Lectric Diaspora

“Versioning” is at the heart not only of reggae but *all* Afro-American and Caribbean musics… It’s a democratic principle because it implies that no one has the final say. – Dick Hebdige, Cut ‘n’ Mix

Stop that flautist

June 15th, 2008

Herbie Mann performs a pleasant version of the reggae classic “Draw Your Brakes”, featuring Cissy Houston (Whitney Houston’s Mom!) on I-Threes-esque vocals.

Herbie Mann – Draw Your Brakes

I don’t know who the band is, but they pull off a pretty convincing reggae for 1976. I’m always kinda intrigued by Reggae-Jazz fusions, and I’ll be featuring more in the future. 

 
This is another song of personal historical significance: my mother had a beloved LP of “The Harder They Come” when I was a kid – her only reggae album, and thus the 1st I was exposed to. I’m still bewildered by the patois invocation at the beginning of the original!



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