Rico Rodriguez This Day in Bremen - Live, October 21, 1981 (CD)

(MIG Music) 13 tracks, digisleeve

Born in Cuba in 1934, raised in Kingston (Jamaica) and passed away in London in 2015, trumpeter Rico Rodriguez was an icon of ska and reggae who was continuously musically active from his apprenticeship at the Jamaican Alpha Boys School with Don Drummond until old age.

With his love of jazz and the combination of rhythm 'n blues, ska and reggae as well as the African-inspired sounds of the Burru drum, the so-called Rasta chants, Rico developed his very own style. Rico moved to London in the early 1960s, but it wasn't until a decade later that he was recognized as a musician when he was hired by Island Records as a studio musician. In 1976, Rico released his album “Man From Wareika” on Island, which is still considered a groundbreaking and outstanding example of Jamaican instrumental music.

In 1979, he joined the British ska band The Specials and formed the horn section with his friend and long-time companion Dick Cuthell, an English flugelhorn and cornet player. The rest is great rock history; the band's albums and singles stormed the charts not only in Great Britain. In addition to his engagements with The Specials, Rico did not miss the opportunity to go on tour with his solo program. Often accompanied by The Special AKA, a splinter formation of the Specials with band members Dick Cuthell, Jerry Dammers, Lynval Golding, Horace Panter and John Bradbury. This was also the case at Rico's concert in Bremen on October 21, 1981.