17 January 26 - February 1, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | Music | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | Legacy Building The Skatalites’ Larry McDonald on the birth of reggae. BY DAVID ROLLAND H ow can a band carry on without most of its original lineup? The Skatalites’ beautiful in- strumental music preceded and influenced reggae when the band formed in 1964, but that was nearly 60 years ago. In 2023, only singer Doreen Shaf- fer is alive and performs with the band. For percussionist Larry McDonald, the way the Skatalites have continued as a legacy band follows an honorable musical tradition no one thinks twice about in the world of jazz or classical music. “I think of it how you have the Duke El- lington and Count Basie orchestras. They’ve both been dead a long time, but new musi- cians play their songbooks,” McDonald says. “We play the Skatalites’ charts. As the styles change, it changes how players play those songs. The arrangements will always stay the same.” At 85, McDonald’s musical legacy is inter- woven with the original Skatalites lineup. “I played with all the original members before they even became a band. We all played in the hotel circuit in Jamaica,” Mc- Donald tells New Times. It wasn’t until the age of 24, after years of working day jobs, that McDonald began to work as a musician. “It was the mono re- cording days, so no one could make a mis- take in the studio,” he remembers. “I wasn’t good enough yet to get much work then. I was not as good as the Skatalites, who were luminaries.” After years of working at a tax office and as a tallyman, where he’d go to the docks and count the bananas, McDonald decided to make a go at pounding the drums. “Back then, you didn’t tell your parents after you went to school that you became a musician,” he says. “Musicians had bad reputations. You weren’t keen to tell your parents you were one of them.” It was the early ‘60s, right as ska and rocksteady were blowing up around the is- land of Jamaica. Meanwhile, the Skatalites were defining the sound of ska on their own, collaborating with musical legends like the Wailers and Lee “Scratch” Perry. Looking for musical gigs wher- ever he could find them, McDonald decamped to Mexico in 1967 to play with a limbo troupe. When he returned to Ja- maica in 1969, the music scene was quickly changing. “There was no talk of reggae in Mexico. When I got back, I tuned into the radio [and] a friend was a DJ, said hi to me on air, and played ‘Long Shot Kick de Bucket’ by the Pio- neers. That was the first reggae song I heard,” McDonald says. “It made me want to find out what the hell was going on. I’d done ska and rocksteady, but reggae was something new, and I wasn’t going to be left behind.” Afterward, McDonald started researching indigenous Jamaican rhythms. “I took bits and pieces from all of them and put them to- gether,” he adds. He also found a way to in- corporate his love of jazz into his playing. “I was a bebop head before anything. I still have that approach to music where you got to be fast on your feet. There’s still elements of jazz and Latin mu- sic in what I play.” As McDonald was finding himself musically, including perform- ing with Gil Scott-Heron in the U.S. for years, he returned to Jamaica in 1983, the same year that the Skatalites came out of hibernation to perform at the Reggae Sunsplash festival. Since then, the group has been touring in one configuration or another for the last four de- cades. McDonald joined the current iteration only a few years ago. “A lot of the band came aboard when the original Skatalites were still playing. They know more about these songs than I do,” Mc- Donald says of his younger band members. “The bass player Val Douglas recorded with anyone Jamaican you ever heard of. Everyone in the band has a strong background. They make it so the Skatalites are Jamaica’s legacy band.” The Skatalites. 7 p.m. Friday, January 27, at the Ground, 34 NE 11th St., Miami; thegroundmiami.com. Tickets cost $35 to $40 via eventbrite.com. ▼ Music The Skatalites stop at the Ground on January 27. Photo by Fernando F. Hevia “I’D DONE SKA AND ROCKSTEADY, BUT REGGAE WAS SOMETHING NEW.” Sacred Space Church-turned-nightclub the Angeles gears up to be a concert destination. BY JESSE SCOTT H allelujah! Fort Lauderdale is set to gain another concert venue, this time in the form of a church turned nightclub expanding its scope. The Angeles, owned by Knallhart Manage- ment Group, opened its doors in December 2021 as a nightclub alongside the adjacent Holly Blue restaurant in Flagler Village. The venue is set to dabble in live-music experiences in its second year of existence. To help with bookings, the venue has signed a partnership with promoter MRG Live, one of the largest independent promoters in Canada that regularly secures talent for the likes of the famed Vogue Theatre in Vancou- ver and Toronto’s Biltmore Theatre. “The Angeles was made to be a nightclub. It’s got that spooky ambi- ance, neon lights, and the right vibe,” Sarah Elaz, project coordinator for MRG Live, tells New Times. “So we’ve gone in and made a few changes to outfit it to make concerts happen.” Before becoming the Angeles, the space was the chapel portion of the 125-year-old First Evangelical Lutheran Church complex. In addi- tion to the stone-clad façade, the church’s stained-glass windows remain overlooking the dance floor area. The spot can host 500 guests on its main floor and a second-level VIP nook. Elaz says the most significant changes to the venue will be in its branding, shifting from night- club-only to focus on a hybrid of DJ engage- ments, live music, and private events. Physically, the space has extended its stage and enhanced its sound system to accommodate bands. The venue’s first dip into live music came last month, with a show by tribute band Zozo the Ul- timate Led Zeppelin Experience, which Elaz called “a success.” As of press time, the spot has six shows booked through March, including Brooklyn-based saxophone-rockers Moon Hooch (January 20) and Shane Smith and the Saints (January 29), who recently opened for country megastar Eric Church during his world tour. “At this stage, we’re all about pinpointing what the community really likes,” Elaz adds. “We’re ready to adapt to hit the mark and will be throwing some spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.” Beyond the Angeles, Knallhart Management Group also operates several buzzy watering holes and eateries throughout Fort Lauderdale, including Rhythm + Vine and Roxanne’s. Once the Angeles gets a steady flow of live music pro- gramming, Elaz expects more live experiences booked across Knallhart’s other venues. The Angeles. 441 NE Third Ave., Fort Lauder- dale; 954-907-7448; theangelesftl.com. [email protected] Live music is coming to the Angeles in Fort Lauderdale. MRG Live photo
