Song of the Day: "Take 5" - Dave Brubeck... King Tubby

Filmed in Germany, in 1966, this version of the Paul Desmond classic "Take 5 [1]" - Dave Brubeck Quartet - is especially beautiful to hear and watch - great composition - upbeat tempo - excellent improvisations - classic German camera-work - austere staging and lighting - crisp clean high fidelity recording - showing how cool four cats in the 50s and 60s could be. Upon his death in 1977, Desmond left the rights to royalties for performances and compositions, including "Take Five", to the American Red Cross, which has since received combined royalties of approximately $100,000 per year.

1966 in Germany

Dave Brubeck - piano
Paul Desmond - alto sax
Eugene Wright - bass
Joe Morello - drums

King Tubby thought they were cool...

King Tubby a.k.a. Osbourne Ruddock
Take 5 Dub....

Biography

King Tubby's music career began in the 1950s with the rising popularity of Jamaican sound systems [2], which were to be found all over Kingston [3] and which were developing into enterprising businesses. As a talented radio repairman, Tubby soon found himself in great demand by most of the major sound systems of Kingston, as the tropical weather of the Caribbean island, (often combined with sabotage by rival sound system owners) led to malfunctions and equipment failure. Tubby owned an electrical repair shop on Drumalie Avenue, Kingston, that fixed televisions and radios. It was here that he built large amplifiers for the local sound systems. In 1961/62 he built his own radio transmitter and briefly ran a pirate radio station playing ska [4] and rhythm and blues [5] which he soon shut down when he heard that the police were looking for the perpetrators.[1] [6] Tubby would eventually form his own sound system, Tubby's Hometown Hi-Fi, which became a crowd favourite due to the high quality sound of his equipment, exclusive releases and Tubby's own echo [7] and reverb [8] sound effects, at that point something of a novelty.

Death

King Tubby was shot and killed on February 6, 1989 by an unknown group of people outside his home in Duhaney Park [9], upon returning from a session at his Waterhouse studio. It is thought that the murder was probably an attempt at robbery.

Jamaica is one tough country.