If you had the pleasure of attending a
Skatalites show in the 1990s, you would have encountered an interesting mix of older and younger listeners -- baby boomers who were old enough to remember the band's classic 1960s lineup were standing next to post-baby boomers who weren't even born in the 1960s but knew how tremendous
the Skatalites' impact on ska and reggae had been. One thing the older and younger listeners could agree on was the fact that under saxophonist
Tommy McCook's direction,
the Skatalites were still quite engaging. Released in 1993,
Ska Voovee finds
McCook leading a lineup that includes a few other original members (bassist
Lloyd Brevett and drummer
Lloyd Knibbs) along with various newcomers. Thankfully, this 1993 edition of
the Skatalites is quite faithful to the band's history -- lively instrumentals like "Skamaica" and "Skapan" are instantly recognizable as
Skatalites performances. Other
Skatalites CDs of the 1990s employed some talented jazz musicians as guests, and
Ska Voovee is no exception -- trombonist
Steve Turre and trumpeter
Frank Gordon are both featured on "The Don," which is dedicated to the late trombonist extraordinaire
Don Drummond. But as much as
Ska Voovee has going for it, the disc falls short of essential; novices, in fact, would be better off starting out with a collection of the outfit's seminal 1960s hits. Nonetheless, this is a solid, consistently engaging effort that
the Skatalites' die-hard fans will enjoy.