(Cuban born Jamaican saxophonist Roland Alphonso was one of the island’s most beloved musicians, a founding member of The Skatalites – perhaps the most important group in the development of ska and, in turn, reggae music. Working with such important producers as Clement “Sir Coxsone” Dodd and Duke Reid, Alphonso played on dozens of R&B, mento, and early ska sessions, as well as doing arrangement work. By 1960 he had begun cutting singles with his own groups as a leader, including The Alley Cats and The City Slickers while still working as a sideman. This crucial collection culls together Alphonso’s finest singles in the early ska-era, just before the creation of the Studio One group, The Skatalites. Essential early ska from one of Jamaica’s most talented musicians, collected on 180-gram vinyl.
SIDE A:
01. Bridge View AKA Bridgeview Shuffle
02. Humpty Dumpty
03. Corn Bread And Butter
04. Feel So Fine
05. Mean To Me
06. Shuffling Jug
07. Another Moses
08. Hully Gully Rock
09. Blackberry Brandy.
SIDE B:
01. Marjorie
02. Sweetie Pie
03. Green Door
04. My Forty Five
05. Proof Rum
06. We’ll Meet
07. Back Beat
08. Four Corners Of The World
09. Romantic Shuffle)