Bird of Paradise
Tracey Wilkins
Khalanoo Productions Inc.
2000
11 tracks
I had a hard time deciding what to say about Bird of Paradise. It may have been the concept of reggae performed as jazz that threw me off my stride. I started to write about the common and not so common underground roots of these two genres and about the phenomenal growth to world popularity both had enjoyed. Then I realized this is not what Bird of Paradise is about. While bringing jazz and reggae together may seem subversive, this release is really just a celebration of a man and his music.
Subtitled World Jazz Interpretations of Bob Marley's Music, this release transports the songs of this reggae star into the world of big band jazz and explores them from a substantially new perspective. While elements of the reggae sound are occasionally evident in these performances, especially in the horns and drums, the music here is one hundred percent jazz.
This is big-city jazz, bold and brash with a cosmopolitan air that incorporates not just the rhythms of the Caribbean but the bustling sounds of metropolitan America. The ten piece band features some of Canada's finest jazz musicians, including a large horn section and an aggressive rhythm section. The sound is tight and full-bodied, with a drive that seems unstoppable. It's big, commercial jazz made for mainstream radio.
It takes a powerful, confident singer to hold sway against such a big wave of music. Still a young singer in the world of jazz, Tracey Wilkins already has the power to carry it off. Wilkins has a powerful voice and a stylistic range that slides with ease between the quietest Diana Krall and the most brash Liza Minelli. She brings to her interpretations of Marley's work a sense of intimacy and drama that keeps his words and ideas in the forefront.
It's in the words that Bob Marley comes through this music and holds his own. Rising out of music that sounds strictly commercial, the politics of his lyrics take the listener by surprise. Wilkins' accomplished interpretations underline the words and bring them to the forefront, meanings intact and powerful as when they had first appeared on the world stage. Her interpretations are respectful of Marley's legacy, yet they also give his songs a distinctive sound that may bring them to a new audience.
The end of the set comes as a pleasant and interesting surprise. The second last track is a quiet instrumental arrangement of "Redemption Song" that displays none of the bombast that energizes some of the other tracks. It's a reverent transition to a fitting end of this set in commemoration of Marley and his music. The final track features neither Wilkins nor her big band. In a heartfelt spoken-word performance, poet Ewart Walters reads his 1981 poem "Reggae King" in tribute to Bob Marley. Walters' Jamaican accent gives the piece a certain authenticity.
Bringing songs from one very distinctive genre into another equally distinctive but substantially different genre, Bird of Paradise is an interesting experiment. Tracey Wilkins and the musicians who work with her have carried this off with panache, creating a world-class album of big band jazz built around the words and music of Bob Marley. This set is a fitting tribute to Marley and a shining extension to his musical legacy.
There's not much information online about Tracey Wilkins, but you can find a brief blurb with some interesting information at www.coolname.com. You can also find samples of four songs from Bird of Paradise in RealAudio format at www.jazzpromo.com.
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Review written: April 4, 2005
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