Reggae’s musical forefather, Ska, has a longstanding link to the jazz music of the United States. Many of the first Ska releases were covers or reinterpretations of jazz standards. This connection is made explicit in the output of the New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, who specialise in a lively and rhythmically daring mix of original songs and jazz classics in ska. This is a frenetic danceable history lesson not to be missed.
