Paying Respects to Jamaican Legend Robbie Shakespeare with Heavy New Groove from Havana Meets Kingston
10 December, 2021We were hugely saddened to hear that Robbie Shakespeare passed away at the age of 68. The bass player and record producer was half of one of the most influential rhythm sections in Jamaica, if not the whole world. Together with Sly Dunbar on drums, Sly & Robbie played on essential reggae records by Black Uhuru, Mighty Diamonds and Peter Tosh, as well as becoming a staple of mainstream British and US music, giving groove to Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, No Doubt and many more, even playing on Brazilian singer Vanessa da Mata’s most popular album Sim.
In recent years Sly & Robbie had been recording with Havana Meets Kingston, a project in which Australian reggae musician/producer Mista Savona took Jamaican musicians to Cuba to find common musical ground. The project has already released one album, Mista Savona Presents Havana Meets Kingston, in 2017, with Part 2 on its way. That album will include collaborations with Cimafunk, Beatriz Márquez and Brenda Navarrete, as well as this brand new single, “Solutions (We Can Do It)” featuring the vocals of Jamaica’s Stevie Culture. The hard-driving groove, with an unstoppable bass line, feels like a particularly fitting tribute to a master of rhythm. Rest in power Robbie!
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