Roots and Culture SPECIAL EDITION by King Django - DeepRiffs

ALBUM

Ska/klezmer fusion? Covers of "Night Boat to Cairo" and "Do Nothing" sung in Yiddish? An eerie, churning reggae instrumental punctuated by brief arguments in favor of a Saturday sabbath? It must be a joke, right? Well, no. In fact, Jeff "King Django" Baker (better known as the leader of the legendary New York ska bands Skinnerbox and the Stubborn All Stars) is dead serious with this project, which brings together his family's Jewish culture with the Jamaican musical heritage he's adopted, and works far better than one could possibly hope. Along with the bluebeat trombone and one-drop drums you hear Andy Statman's keening clarinet and old-world mandolin; along with a skanked-up traditional standard like "Heveinu Shalom Aleichem" you get Yiddish adaptations of old Specials and Madness songs. Among the original numbers are an extremely affecting portrait of an old woman, desolate in the wake of her husband's death ("A Single Thread"), and the chilling "Slaughter," a reggae memorial to those who died in the Holocaust. It's not all seriousness -- there's also a great instrumental entitled "Ska Mitzvah" -- but the overall tenor of this project is deeply sober and explicitly spiritual. One gets the feeling that there was some emotional anguish involved in its creation, and consequently there is a depth to this music that sets it apart from almost anything else you'll ever hear in the ska realm. This is a uniquely wonderful album.
© Rick Anderson /TiVo

1. Shtiklakh

Primary Artist: King Django; Main Performer
Composer: King Django; Composer

2. Seventh Day

Primary Artist: King Django; Main Performer
Composer: King Django; Composer

3. A Single Thread

Primary Artist: King Django; Main Performer
Composer: King Django; Composer

4. Lomir Alle Zingen

Primary Artist: King Django; Main Performer
Composer: Traditional; Composer

5. Nakht Shifl Ken Kayro

Primary Artist: King Django; Main Performer
Composer: G. Mcpherson/m. Barson
G. Mcpherson
M. Barson; Composer

6. Ya'aseh Shalom

Primary Artist: King Django; Main Performer
Composer: Traditional; Composer

7. Little Pieces

Primary Artist: King Django; Main Performer
Composer: King Django; Composer

8. Ska Mitzvah

Primary Artist: King Django; Main Performer
Composer: King Django; Composer

9. Heveinu Shalom Aleichem

Primary Artist: King Django; Main Performer
Composer: Traditional; Composer

10. Tu Gornisht

Primary Artist: King Django; Main Performer
Composer: Lynval Golding; Composer

11. Seven Day Dub

Primary Artist: King Django; Main Performer
Composer: King Django; Composer

12. Slaughter

Primary Artist: King Django; Main Performer
Composer: King Django; Composer

13. Nokh a Shtik

Primary Artist: King Django; Main Performer
Composer: King Django; Composer

Technical Specifications

Volume

1 volume only

Tracks

13 tracks available

Type

ALBUM

Format

Digital Media

Duration

55 minutes and 28 seconds

Explicit

None

Coverart

Available and up to 600x600 px

Booklet

Not available

Max Quality

CD Quality (Lossless)

16bit / 44.1 kHz

Stereo

Audio Extension

Lossless: FLAC, M4A, WAV, WV, AIFF

Lossy: AAC, MP3, M4A, MP4, OGA, OGG, OPUS, WMA

Archive Format

Available in these formats: ZIP, TAR, RAR

Lyrics

No lyrics found

Synchronized Lyrics

No synced lyrics found

Genres

Reggae, World, Worldwide, Christian, Ska, 3rd Wave Ska

Label

Stubborn Records

Music Distribution Service

CD Baby

Country

United States

Language

English (United States)

Popularity

Release Date

Dec 31, 2005

Track Preview

Available

Delivery Charge

Free

Delivery Method

Digital download link via Email or Personal Dashboard on this site

UPC

758216061321