VA - Jamaica to Toronto: Soul Funk & Reggae 1967-1974 (2006)

In 1963, the flight from Jamaica to Toronto was 8 hours. Today it’s 3 1/2. Countless people have made the dwindling journey over the years, but in the sixties and seventies there was a new breed of traveler: the finest ska, rocksteady, and reggae recording artists the West Indies have ever produced. We’re talking Studio One, Treasure Isle, Trojan, and WIRL veterans Jackie Mittoo, Johnnie Osbourne, Wayne McGhie, Lloyd Delpratt, The Mighty Pope, Noel Ellis, Jo-Jo Bennett, and many more. Arriving in their new Canadian home, these talented singers, songwriters, musicians, and performers simply did what came naturally to them. One by one, they hit the studio and captured some of the hardest tunes this side of Kingston. Jamaica to Toronto: Soul Funk and Reggae 1967-1974, details this crucial sonic migration and stands tall as the second helping of Light In The Attic’s new Jamaica to Toronto series, compiled by DJ/Canadian music historian Sipreano.

Jamaica to Toronto has been over three years in the making, a combination of deep crates, exhaustive research, and foundational tales presented with the same attention to detail as 2004’s Wayne McGhie & The Sounds Of Joy release (LITA 008), the initial release in the Jamaica to Toronto series. The CD version of Jamaica to Toronto is accompanied with a 36-page book, exploding with unseen archival materials and extensive liner notes.

The 16 songs on Jamaica to Toronto range from the in-demand Northern Soul attack of Eddie Spencer’s “If This Is Love (I’d Rather Be Lonely)” to Jo-Jo And The Fugitives’ unknown break-beat monster, “Chips-Chicken-Banana Split”. Taken from his 1971 album Wishbone, Mittoo’s “Grand Funk” sounds like a Jamaican Santana, while The Hitch-Hikers featuring The Mighty Pope represent raw funk of the highest order on the righteous “Mr. Fortune”. Reggae comes courtesy of dancehall don Johnnie Osbourne’s “African Wake” as well as the magical “Memories” from Noel Ellis. Jamaica to Toronto is only the beginning, so sit back and buckle your safety belt; this musical flight is about to take off…