Coyabalites

by Craig HarrisThe Coyabalites have one of the strongest lineups in the history of Jamaica's music. There have been very few ska or reggae albums without the instrumental contributions of the band members. Among the many Jamaican performers who have been accompanied on their recordings by members of The Coyabalites are Bob Marley And The Wailers, Jimmy Cliff, Toots And The Maytals, The Mighty Diamond, Bunny Wailer, Dennis Brown, Judy Mowatt, The Meditations, Culture, Ziggy Marley And The Melody makers, Rita Marley, Alpha Blondy, Lee "Scratch" Perry, The Wailing Souls, Yellowman and U Roy . Performing regularly in Jamaican hotels, between recording sessions, The Coyabalites create a light, airy, jazzy, style of ska that is greater than the sum of its individual parts. Former members of The Wailers' horn section-Vin Gordon (trombone) and Glen Da Costa (saxophone) -- provide the front-line for The Coyabalites, while the sweet tenor tones of Justin Hinds, one of Jamaica's most illustrious singers, provides the band's vocal strength. The Coyabalites, who also feature Dean Fraser (saxophone), Ernest Ranglin (guitar), David Madden (trumpet) and Harold Butler (keyboards), released their debut album, "Unhinged", in 1997. In addition to original songs by Da Costa and Gordon ("More Scorcher") and Hinds ("Coyaba Ska/Carry Go Bring Home"), the album included ska-renditions of the Millie Small-popularized tune, "My Boy Lollipop" and the theme song of "Bonanza". Coyaba Ska was issued in spring 2001.