Ska Trek

16/02/26 - ゴッドファーザー愛のテーマ (Love Theme From "The Godfather)

Today's Tune Of The Day is ゴッドファーザー愛のテーマ by the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

These chaps are one of the reasons we started the Ska Trek project. Their sense of fun, musical energy and on-stage energy is what we aspire to achieve. As a result, it is one of our goals to play on the same bill with them at some point.

This track is taken from the 2006 ‘Wild Peace’ album.

27/11/25 - Tunisia by Rotterdam Ska-Jazz Foundation

Today's Tune of The Day is Tunisia by the Rotterdam Ska-Jazz Foundation

Back in the late 90s I went to Leeds College of Music to do my Jazz degree and although I didn't learn to play jazz or develop the desire to play jazz…ever, as a result, I was introduced to a number of stonkingly good tunes. A Night In Tunisia by Dizzy Gillespie is one of my favouriters and it features a four-bar break for the next soloist which has been termed ‘the longest four bars in jazz!’.

It is a tune that is full of energy and has a melody that I toiled long and hard to try and play on both trombone and bass guitar. My efforts didn't meet with much success.

With the original title shortened to just Tunisia, this version has ramped up the excitement levels and has transitioned from jazz to ska very successfully. It is taken from the album Big Horns - RSJF ft. Bosco (EP 2017) which is also well worth a listen.

Enjoy.

04/11/25 TOTD - 'Chase The Devil' by Max Romeo

Today's Tune Of The Day is Max Romeo's ‘Chase The Devil’ (1976)

I love this tune. The reason why I love it is purely down to when I played it on bass with The Scorchers a while back. I only played with the band a few times but I always looked forward to playing this - it has a bassline that I slightly modified to enable me to ‘dig in’ to it and rock my soul.

In fact, this tune, a Ska Trek version, will be played at our gigs, with plenty of audience participation, and it will give me the chance to resurrect that bassline.

15/09/25 Tune Of The Day - '(Theme from) Exodus' by Jazz Jamaica

So today's Tune Of The Day is ‘(Theme from) Exodus’ by Jazz Jamaica and written by Ernest Gold.

When I was doing my Jazz degree in 1998 at Leeds College of Music, I came across an album by the Jazz Crusaders called ‘Freedom Sound’. My favourite track on this album album was a track called ‘Theme From Exodus’. It had a melody that had an almost dark, haunting feel created by Wayne Henderson's muted trombone over a pedalled D note in the bass until it blossoms into a solo section that, to me, portrays a sense of emancipation, liberation and hope. This track touched something unfathomable deep inside me. I didn't know the Exodus from which this was the theme but I loved all the same and still do.

More recently I saw the Bob Marley biopic film ‘One Love’ in which there is a scene that shows that Bob Marley's seminal album ‘Exodus’ had it's title taken from the soundtrack that he heard of a 1960 film of the same name. It is an epic historical drama film about the founding of the State of Israel, produced and directed by Otto Preminger.

The Jazz Jamaica version typifies the ‘ska-ification’ process that Ska Trek undertakes to create the tunes that we play.

27/8/25 Tune Of The Day - 'One Step Beyond' by Prince Buster

Today's tune of the day is the original 'One Step Beyond' by Prince Buster, made famous by Madness.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2JX6SE1ZsNGWDcb3kDZVfJ?si=43056ca882544042

We all know the version of this song by Madness but I'm sure a lot of you did not know that it was a cover.

Wikipedia says:

"One Step Beyond" is a tune written by Jamaican ska singer Prince Buster as a B-side for his 1964 single "Al Capone". It was covered by British band Madness for their debut studio album of the same name (1979). Although Buster's version was mostly instrumental except for the song title shouted for a few times, the Madness version features a spoken intro by Chas Smash and a barely audible but insistent background chant of "here we go!". The spoken line, "Don't watch that, watch this", in the intro is from another Prince Buster song, "Scorcher" — and is also used at the start of Dave and Ansell Collins' "Funky Funky Reggae" — whilst the next line "This is a heavy heavy monster sound" is taken from another Dave and Ansell Collins song, "Monkey Spanner".

So now you know.

13/8/25 Tune Of The Day - 'Tribute to Jackie Mitto' by Aba-ariginals

Today's tune of the day is 'Tribute to Jackie Mitto' by Aba-ariginals or, to be more precise, Patrick Anthony Tenyue or Patrixx.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1yl6wQqBiWhoje6IA4xV8s?si=191c734093424c76

I had the pleasure of playing with Patrixx on the West End show ‘Soul Sister’ that also toured the UK. He is an immensely talented writer, arranger, producer and trumpet player who has worked with the likes of UB40, Maxi Priest, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, The wailers, Dave Stewart and Aswad, plus many many more.

We became good friends and he played on one of my tracks ‘Colour Blind?’ on my ‘Peace, Love & Funkiness’ album.

Keyboard virtuoso Jackie Mittoo was among the true legends of reggae - a founding member of the The Skatalites and an extraordinarily prolific songwriter, he was perhaps most influential as a mentor to countless younger performers, primarily through his work as the musical director at the famed Studio One.

I don't actually know definitively what it is about this track that I love so much. Whether it's the gentle groove, the super smooth horns or infectious melody, I don't know but it has a special place in my heart and in my Desert Island Discs.

12/8/25 Tune of the Day - Simmer Down by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Today's tune of the day is the irrepressible Simmer Down by Bob Marley & The Wailers.

https://open.spotify.com/track/5f4Bc6bJWwUJ5Rtc8Sjrwo?si=e7ff9e7e01704a4b

Who doesn't know (and love) this tune?

Wikipedia says…"Simmer Down" is the first single released by the Wailers, accompanied by the ska supergroup the Skatalites and produced by Clement "Coxsone" Dodd in 1963. It was the number one hit in Jamaica in February 1964.^[^{citation needed}^]

The song was directed to the "rude boys" of the ghettos of Jamaica at the time, sending them a message to cool down or "simmer down" with all the violence and crime going on in Kingston. The subject matter of "Simmer Down" made the Wailers stand out amongst their contemporaries. The ska sound of the single is a marked contrast to the slower reggae that the Wailers would later become internationally known for. The Wailers at this time contained Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Junior Braithwaite, Cherry Smith, and Beverley Kelso. It was Bob Marley's first hit and his career as a songwriter and performer took off from there."

It also featured in my favourite scene in the biopic film ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ in which Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry is seen dancing uncontrollably on the mixing desk.

It is also one of the tracks on our upcoming album ‘Project Genesis’.

10/8/25 Tune of the Day - 'Ska Reggae Hi-Bop' by The Skatalites

Today's tune of the day is 'Ska Reggae Hi-Bop' by The Skatalites.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2JXdi2W7rzHvDzJXHTdlfm?si=bf4ec506c7124c6a

It's about time that I introduced a Skatalites tune and this is probably my favourite tune of theirs. If Ska Trek were to ever cover a Skatalites tune then this would be it. Lots of bounce and danciness that I absolutely adore - all 8mins 22secs of it. I have to admit that I'm not the best dancer but I would certainly give it a good go if a DJ dropped this at a party I was at. Enjoy.

7/8/25 Tune of the Day - '54-46 (Was My Number)' by Ernest Ranglin

Today's tune of the day is ‘54-46 (Was My Number)’ by Ernest Ranglin.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3UWidDMD5KcDBZevFGXm9Q?si=d3f86af2c0f5485e

Taken from the album Below the Bassline (Island, 1996), this cover of the Toots & The Maytals song, for me, is the stand out track on the album, not just because of the very familiar bassline but the light and infectious groove from the outset that puts a smile on your face and movement in you feet. This is certainly one of the tracks that have inspired me to put this band together and play the music we do.