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"Jonah is so refreshing - this album, if given the right push, will be a classic"
Howard Hendricks
JASON WILSON & TABARRUK - "JONAH" (WHEEL RECORDS) In Canada there has always been a booming reggae scene. Organ virtuoso, studio wizard and riddim brain (the late) Jackie Mitoo emigrated at the end of the 60's to Ontario, where his Studio One companion Leroy Sibbles (singer with The Heptones and also as bassist whose contribution to the riddims Jackie Mittoo created is important) also settled. Also the late Joe Higgs, original hit maker during the Ska area, tutor to Bob Marley and writer of a foursome classical reggae albums, stayed a long time in Canada. Alton Ellis, the king of rock-steady, and his son Noel, a now forgotten roots singer from the rub-a-dub area have also lived in Canada. Just to illustrate that (the white) Jason Wilson could have met lesser influences when he was a young kid starting to play reggae himself. You even get the impression that he wants to excel past his Jamaican influences, so ingenious and virtuous is the music he developed. This is not typical reggae anymore, but a thoughtful, at times high driving interpretation of the original simple rhythms. There are horns and violins taking part, congas and accordions, real and programmed drums. The songs dare you to listen very carefully, and again, and again, to better hear all details and subtleties. The lyrics are of a literary content, even mythologist and melancholy, both strange and recognizable (that is if you occasionally read a book). This in short, is reggae for the experienced, with all respect to those who don't want to look further than riddims and reality lyrics. Try to picture yourself how UB40 would sound today if they were still writing their own songs, and if they would have had themselves led by the same evolution that Sting experienced. Though this comparison may have something to do with UB40's Michael Virtue joining on keyboards, and the successful cover version of UB40's 'Sardonicus'. Perhaps Sting is the right reference - like him, Jason Wilson dares to join reggae rhythms with jazz vibes and pop influences. Tabarruk dare to walk on new paths, where no rastaman has gone before. Maybe you should have a degree to completely get 'Jonah', posess an academic mind, be a boring white ass! Sometimes really that is me, and during those moments I really like to listen to this album. And according to me this CD should get better with the years. I'll keep you posted.
K. Michiels (Translated from Dutch) website www.reggaefoundation.com
'Jonah' is the third album from the Canadian based band Jason Wilson & Tabarruk'. The band was founded in 1989 by Jason Wilson. They released their first album 'Tabarruk' in 1994 and included special guest Alanis Morissette who sang on 'I Have faith'. Since then the band has shared the stage with lots of reggae artists like Burning Spear, Culture, Pato Banton, Judy Mowatt, Frankie Paul and Jackie Mittoo. Their follow up album, the critically acclaimed 'Dark Corners' set was released in 1998. This second release was supported by an extensive tour through Canada and The United States. The recording sessions for 'Jonah' started in October 1999 with co-producers Jeffrey Holdip. UB 40 keyboard player Michael Virtue (Jason's cousin) appears on 4 tracks. The music of the band is quite hard to describe. The reggae beat is all around, but the influences heard here are many. A violin, sound samples, jazz, a UB 40 cover (Sardonicus) are some of the ingredients of their music. Somehow their sound reminds us of Steely Dan inna reggae style. The innovative arrangements and mature vocal delivery of Jason Wilson give the album a very sophisticated feel. Jason Wilson is a very talented songwriter and a gifted musician, whose lyrical outings are very interesting. He describes us as 'Jonah, finding faith in the whale' in Wicked Shall Weep, the highlight of the album. On Kalypso he takes us back to the Greek classics. Described as a reggae-jazz-dub experience The Africville Seasides is a track of timeless beauty. Forgiveness is an uptempo reggae tune, whilst You Are The Reason To Believe is a strong lovers tune. Seckle is a pop influenced track about artificial faith and finding yourself in the wrong place. One of our favorite tunes here is Almost There, a song about faith in oneself and hope for the future. 'Jonah' is a striking album, filled with distinctive songs across a reggae beat.
rating from 5 (excellent) to 1 (poor)
Teacher & Mr. T. website www.reggae-vibes.com In the past month I have encountered a great reggae band playing at various venues throughout Saskatoon. The most striking things about the band in the three shows I was able to see were the vocal and keyboard skills of bandleader Jason Wilson. I was impressed first by his obvious grounding in traditional reggae and second by the way he used his skills as a pianist to supplement this rootsy sound. The sets I saw him play flawlessly blended covers by the traditional reggae greats with songs of his own without making his compsitions seem out of place. Wilson's third album was released this summer on an Ontario based label, and it features twelve original songs, recorded with impeccable production values. Wilson has spared nothing in creating exactly the sound he wants for every track, despite the fact the he plays every instrument available in the live shows, he still has assembled a rather large list of guest musicians. Jonah features the sounds of flugelhorn, trumpet, trombone, violin, saxophone and bassoon, creating a variety of musical voices to complement Wilson's keyboard work. Despite the Sting-like variety in instrumentation, it is the work of Wilson's keys that take these songs beyond a traditional reggae sound. Jonah rarely loses its undeniable reggae beat, but Wilson and Tabarruk take that rhythm to places it has never been, occasionally breaking away from the bouncy reggae tempo but always returning to it. Wilson is an incredible musician, and this is clear to anyone who saw him play live this summer, even if they don't like reggae. But he does not use Jonah as an opportunity to show off his playing skills with lots of flamboyant solos. Instead, the song writing is the showcase of this album, and each song sounds painstakingly crafted and produced into a piece of striking contemporary reggae. Jason Wilson's vocals also do a lot to make this album as good as it is, and his voice is as good a reason to see him live as his instrumentation. When I had a chance to speak with him, he struck me as an interesting guy, a modest self-supporter, a man immersed in hockey history, a man well rooted in his Scottish heritage, but not as the kind of guy who fits the reggae stereotype, so when I listen to his album, it seems hard to believe that these vocals are coming out of this guy. This is a big part of why his live shows are so striking, and even liberating. This is why I plan to see him play whenever I get the chance
Daddeey Scad
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