by Greg Prato
In 1983, reggae founders/legends the Skatalites regrouped for a one-off concert at the Jamaica Sunsplash. Skatalites manager Herbie Miller (also Peter Tosh's manager at the time) flew in the band's original lineup from all parts of the world, sans member Don Drummond, who had unfortunately passed away. And even though they'd split up nearly 20 years before (they were together for a total of two years, 1963-1965), it's as if they'd been jamming together all along, as the newly re-formed group gels and excels in this live setting. The performances are taken from an intimate club gig that the band played to warm up for their upcoming festival gig, recorded at Miller's Blue Monk Jazz Gallery. Originally released in 1986 as a double cassette, the 1998 double-CD re-release adds five bonus cuts that didn't appear on the original version. It's clear that the band is having a good time stretching out musically, as evidenced on such outstanding cuts as &Ska Ba,& &Man in the Street,& &Lee Harvey Oswald,& and &Tear Up.& Also included in the reissue are up-to-date liner notes by Herbie Miller himself.