CD Review: Ernest Ranglin & Avila's 'Bless Up'

Ernest Ranglin & Avila
Bless Up
Avila Street Records

Jamaican-born guitarist and composer, Ernest Ranglin, has been wowing crowds and countries for decades with his signature style of ska, jazz, mento, reggae, and blues music. The instrumental tunes on Bless Up are very classy and rich with jazzy leanings, ska infusions, and island charisma. The rootsy jazz guitar stylings on "Bless Up" cement Ernest's reputation for indelible recordings and compositions. The rippling guitar and piano melody are backed by a beautiful, laid-back percussion section. The jazzy, reggae-tinged "Joan's Pen" is a heady mixture of classic vs. contemporary that finds an inner balance for everything to work just right. The swaying melody of "Follow On" showcases more diverse talent from Ernest's finger-tips. The sassy piano and horn section adds some pizzazz to the jazzy rhythm and guitar arrangements. There are sixteen tracks in all that span the gamut from jazz, lounge, tropical, roots, reggae, ska, and blues. Bless Up is a step up from other recordings that may be similar, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone comparable to the great Ernest Ranglin. He's 81 and still cranking out the tunes. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Avila's 'Featuring Ernest Ranglin'

Avila
Featuring Ernest Ranglin
Avila Street Records

Jamaica's ska purveyor, Ernest Ranglin, dazzles crowds worldwide with his scratchy, nimble guitar sounds he produces in several world music and fusion styles. Ernest tackles roots, jazz, funk, and fusion with a strong command of Afro-beat styles. The entire CD features Ernest with several guests, including Yossi Fine, Ian Inx Herman, Jonathan Korty, Ryan Scott, Alex Baky, Jonathan Chi, Evan Frazer, and Alexis Rezon. The music is instrumental and groovy with drums, trumpet, bass, B3, piano, lap steel, melodica, and assorted percussion picking up a majority of the sound. The funky, smooth jazz leanings of "Ernossi" signals a relaxing side of the music that is still dance-focused. The edgy, horn-driven "Swaziland" adds a touch of township jazz, funk, and percussion greatness to the forefront. The opening track, "Manenberg," is actually a song by Abdullah Ibrahim, but it is still a jazz-centered tune with smooth notes and funkadelic notions. Let Ernest take you on a whirlwind of music brimming with boiling rhythms and sounds from Jamaica, Africa, and beyond. ~ Matthew Forss