Freedom sounds: The Skatalites celebrate 60 years of Ska at Saint Rocke

Freedom sounds: The Skatalites celebrate 60 years of Ska at Saint Rocke

by Gavin Heaney Bouncing offbeat bursts of chordal horns, guitar and keys counterpoint walking bass lines as the high hat skips around the shuffling drum beat, accenting African and Caribbean rhythms. The ska is an offset boogie woogie groove that incites riotous dancing known as skanking and The Skatalites were the innovators of ska music, which is the cornerstone of rocksteady and reggae. For 60 years they have written, recorded and performed …