| Ball of Fire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1997 (UK) 1998 (US) | |||
| Genre | Ska jazz | |||
| Label | Island Jamaica Jazz [1] | |||
| Skatalites chronology | ||||
| ||||
Ball of Fire is an album by the Jamaican band the Skatalites, released in 1998 in the United States. [2] [3] The band supported the album with a North American tour, including shows with several Hellcat bands. [4] [5]
The eight-piece Skatalites recorded Ball of Fire with four original members. [6] The band reinterpreted some of their older instrumentals—which had been hits in the United Kingdom—stretching them out and giving them a jazzier sound, with longer guitar and horn solos. [7] [8] [9] Ernest Ranglin played guitar on some of the tracks. [10] The title track was written in the early 1960s. [11]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | B+ [13] |
| The Austin Chronicle | [14] |
| The Indianapolis Star |  [15] |
| Los Angeles Daily News | [16] |
| MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide | [17] |
| Rolling Stone | [18] |
| (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | [19] |
The Austin Chronicle wrote that Ball of Fire "is nothing less than a live, in-the-studio recording with a sparkling sound ... Here is one of the greatest 'groove' bands of all time at the top of their form." [14] The Independent stated: "Ultimately, you're left with the feeling that it's being done for their benefit, rather than yours. That's jazz, I guess." [20] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution determined that Ranglin "contributes lightning quick bebop lines, taking the music beyond its structural limitations." [13]
Rolling Stone deemed the album "a casual, disarmingly sweet trip through the band's storied songbook." [18] The Los Angeles Daily News opined that "the current lineup recaptures the original energy and jazz roots." [16] The Indianapolis Star determined that "enough cannot be said about the strong, smooth solos on trumpet (Nathan Breedlove) and alto sax (Lester Sterling)." [15]
AllMusic wrote that the album "finds a reunited Skatalites reworking their greatest hits, playing long, extended passages that allow the band to demonstrate their substantial instrumental abilities." [12]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "James Bond Theme" | |
| 2. | "Latin Goes Ska" | |
| 3. | "Confucious" | |
| 4. | "Occupation" | |
| 5. | "Rock Fort Rock" | |
| 6. | "Eastern Standard Time" | |
| 7. | "Ball of Fire" | |
| 8. | "Swing Easy" | |
| 9. | "Ringo" | |
| 10. | "Freedom Sound" |
Ska is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the off beat. It was developed in Jamaica in the 1960s when Stranger Cole, Prince Buster, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, and Duke Reid formed sound systems to play American rhythm and blues and then began recording their own songs. In the early 1960s, ska was the dominant music genre of Jamaica and was popular with British mods and with many skinheads.
The Toasters are one of the original American third wave of ska bands. Founded in New York City in 1981, the band has released nine studio albums, primarily through Moon Ska Records.
The Slackers are an American ska band, formed in Manhattan, New York in 1991. The band's sound is a mix of ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, soul, garage rock, and jazz. The Slackers' notability is credited to their prolific career, tours of North and South America, Europe, and elsewhere, and signing to notable punk label Hellcat Records.
Redlight is an album by the Slackers, released in 1997.
Studio One is one of Jamaica's most renowned record labels and recording studios; it has been described as the Motown of Jamaica. The record label was involved with most of the major music movements in Jamaica during the 1960s and 1970s, including ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub and dancehall.
Ernest Ranglin is a Jamaican guitarist and composer who established his career while working as a session guitarist and music director for various Jamaican record labels including Studio One and Island Records. Ranglin played guitar on many early ska recordings and helped create the rhythmic guitar style that defined the form. Ranglin has worked with Theophilus Beckford, Jimmy Cliff, Monty Alexander, Prince Buster, the Skatalites, Bob Marley and the Eric Deans Orchestra. He is noted for a chordal and rhythmic approach that blends jazz, mento and reggae with percussive guitar solos incorporating rhythm 'n' blues and jazz inflections.
Bob Marley and the Wailers were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer.
Let's Face It is the fifth studio album by American ska punk band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. It was released on March 11, 1997, by Mercury Records and Big Rig Records.
The Scofflaws are a Huntington, Long Island, New York-based third wave ska band that debuted in 1988. Known for their rambunctious live shows, technically proficient horn solos and tight arrangements, the Scofflaws were one of the top third wave ska acts of the '90s and one of the most beloved bands on the now-defunct Moon Ska label, as well as the center and focal point of the once-thriving Long Island ska scene.
The Pietasters are an American eight-piece ska/soul band from Washington, D.C., with additional members from Maryland and Virginia.
Lester "Ska" Sterling OD, also known as Mr. Versatile, was a Jamaican trumpet and saxophone player.
Roland Alphonso OD or Rolando Alphonsoa.k.a. "The Chief Musician" was a Jamaican tenor saxophonist, and one of the founding members of the Skatalites.
Ska jazz is a music genre derived by fusing the melodic content of jazz with the rhythmic and harmonic content of early Jamaican Music introduced by the "Fathers of Ska" in the late 1950s. The ska-jazz movement began during the 1990s in New York and London, where pioneering avant-garde jazz and reggae musicians pushed the boundaries of reggae music. They were combining traditions with modern tendencies, using the reggae beat along with high improvisation and jazz harmonies, primarily by horns and percussion.
Deal's Gone Bad is a band from Chicago, Illinois. Their sound mixes reggae, rocksteady, and ska music with American soul. They have been together since 1994, with numerous lineup changes over the years. The current incarnation has been mostly stable since 2003. The band hews to a more traditional ska-reggae sound while many others working in the genre morphed into a more punk variety.
The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many other Jamaican artists who recorded during that period, including Bob Marley & The Wailers, on their first single "Simmer Down." They reformed in 1983 and have played together ever since.
Jerome "Jah Jerry" Haynes OD was a Jamaican guitarist and former member of The Skatalites.
Clue J & His Blues Blasters were a Jamaican band of the late 1950s and early 1960s led by Cluett Johnson, who were one of the first bands to play ska. Several of the band's members went on to join The Skatalites.
The SKAndalous All-Stars are an American ska band, composed of members of The Slackers, the Skatalites, Mephiskapheles, the Stubborn All-Stars, Agent 99, Ruder Than You, Sic & Mad, The Excalibur, Cocktaillica, The Hurtin' Buckaroos, Living Colour, Perfect Thyroid, the Cycle Sluts from Hell, and The Klezmatics, and is led by Slackers frontman Vic Ruggiero. Considered one of the first ska supergroups, the Skandalous All Stars built their reputation on ska and reggae stylized versions of popular rock and pop tunes. Their first two albums—Hit Me, released in 1997, and Punk Steady, released the following year—included dance-inspiring interpretations of songs by the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Blondie, Patti Smith, the Ramones, Kiss, Nirvana, Radiohead, Stevie Wonder, and White Zombie. With their third album, The Age of Insects, released in 1999, the group began focusing on the original songs of keyboardist and vocalist Ruggiero.
The Upbeat is a band formed in 1985 in the small beach-side community of Carpinteria, California. Heavily influenced by the 2 Tone Ska of the late 70s and early 80s, the group was formed by Alfredo “Fredo” Peralta, Mike "Oreo" Organista, Eric "Scaric" Vallen, Brandon "Hossinn" Seider, Grant "Saxpa" Cox (saxophone), Mike "Pussard" Honeyman (trumpet), Chaska "The Weasel" Slawson (drums), and Mark "Sparky" Gonzales. 2011 saw the introduction of new members, ska/reggae/rocksteady legends Zac Pike and Dan Boer (keys), from the bands Sandollar Sounds and Dynamic Pressure, as well as Brian "Polar Bear" LeBlanc (drums), from Santa Barbara's Civil Unrest and Makai. Their members Dan Boer and Zac Pike created music for Cartoon Network's Chowder.
Keith Sterling is a piano and keyboard player.