« This excellent 3-CD set gets right to the heart of the matter » by Mojo (UK)

As is well documented, Jamaican ska drew heavily on the rhythm and blues of black America, most notably the New Orleans variant (wich echoed Carribean cadences), and the jump blues that formed rock’n’roll’s direct precursor. This excellent 3-CD set gets right to the heart of the matter, tracing ska’s growth from distant blues inspiration, thanks to the sound systems’ championing of delights like Gene Coy’s Killer Diller, Harold Land’s San Diego Bounce and Willis Jackson’s Later For Gator, all included here. Louis Jordan, Professor Longhair and T-Bone Walker provide the blues foundation on CD1, Jimmy McCrackin, Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson and Rosco Gordon pave the way for Jamaican inspiration on CD2, before Owen Gray, Monty Morris and various Skatalites pick up the action on CD3, heralding the arrival of a home-grown Jamaican music industry. David KATZ – MOJO (UK)