Here comes our video-interview “The Skatalites share their recipe of success with us!“with four current band members of The Skatalites. Watch to find two of the original members Ska Queen Doreen’s and Val’s personal ingredients that should be contained in any persons’ “recipe of success” and see how young members Natty and Zem have made it to become members of the band and what has become of them since. A sum of all parts definitively is reflected in their latest album “Walk With Me” and we hear how Val personally describes that album.
If you prefer to read on the interview rather than watch it, continue here:
Right after the Skatalites delivered an excellent performance in front of an audience where local “Benicassim” residents mingled with foreign Reggae-aficionados during the pre-festival that opened the 21st edition of the Rototom Sunsplash Reggae in Spain, the founding member and vocalist Doreen Shaffer, bass guitarist Val Douglas, saxophonist Azembo “Zem” Audu and guitarist Natty Frenchy talk to Ilona.
We talk to founding member Doreen Shaffer -or “our queen” as Natty Frenchy lovingly refers to her- about what it takes to be succesful and achieve greatness and she reveals: “Well, I would like to say perseverance … you have to be dedicated and I will say all of these musicians they love the music and they will go the extra mile to make it authentic, we try to keep it that way”.
Bass guitarist Val Douglas further adds another ingredient to this “recipe of success”, the one of being “true to what you do” and elaborates: “you can’t allow yourself to see other people do the wrong thing and follow them, you know what am I saying? You know if you are in a band that doesn’t rehearse or doesn’t go home and practise, you go home and you practise you know what I am saying? Get your part, get your section ready and Be ready at all times.”
Azembo “Zem” Audu definitively was READY when he got a call in April 2010 by Cedric Brookes, the former Skatalites member “who passed me the gig! And it’s funny because you listen to all these records and you never imagine that you are going to play with the Skatalites and then one day the phone rings and you get that call and then it’s been an amazing journey since then, just learning so much with these legendary musicians…”.
And Natty Frenchy emphasises: “it is a bessing to play with the Skatalites, it is a blessing to play Jah music, good music, positive music, it is a blessing to play with good musician, it’s a blessing to have a good friendship, we are family and it is very beautiful and we keep the tradition”.
Having two of the “early” members and two “newer” members of the Skatalites with us in the interview reflects not only the versatility of the current composition of the Skatalites, that well sparked and well made the Rototom pre-festival people dance and jump, but as well the flavor of their new album “Walk With Me” which bass guitarist Val Douglas describes as showing a “progression, yes, but it is kind of like a progression that the original guys would have done”.
This article is also available in Spanish on Reggae.es
Your Ilona “ilo” Kepic
