Ernest Ranglin - Gentle Mr.Fingers

[St.Noah]

It was quite a musical weekend in Auckland.

Friday night I saw Ernest Ranglin & Monty Alexander in concert at St.James'Theatre - a fantastic gig marked by consumate musicianship, manifest empathy and frequent delightful touches of humour.

Saturday night on the same stage was George Clinton - didn't go but I hear it was a cracker. However I was present at a small congenial gathering of friends with West Indian connections at which the honoured guest was Mr.Ranglin himself, who came for an hour to autograph CDs, crack jokes, answer questions and shoot the breeze in a soft Old Jamaican lilt. He came across as a wonderfully humble, gentle and sweet man with ever a twinkle in the eye.

He told me that (contrary to my belief) he was never Bob Marley's guitar teacher, but that he was offered the gig and had to decline since at the time he was 'with Jimmy Cliff'.

Man, I touched those fingers. Gotta pik of him & me too.
Magic!
Jim

 

[Have Fun]

Well I was just about to post a thread on Ernest Ranglin but thought I'd first do a search ... so here I am

I was recently given a CD of this guy ... I never heard of him before and I was really taken with it.

the CD is Memories of Barber Mack & by the way he plays I can see that he came across as "wonderfully humble, gentle and sweet man with ever a twinkle in the eye."

I am now looking for some of his other stuff .. Do you have anything in particular to recommend ?

 

[Anex]

Ernest Ranglin is ace, the first thing I heard by him was on the St. Germain record. I still love that solo.

 

[St.Noah]

is almost certainly the album of choice - his first for Island Jamaica Jazz and the one that re-launched his career in '96. I'll never forget wandering into a record shop around that time and hearing it (and him) for the first time. I was instantly transfixed and bought it on the spot.

I also have Barber Mack and a couple more - In Search Of The Lost Riddim, which has more of an African flavour and features Baaba Maal, and Modern Answers to Old Problems. All good stuff IMHO.

Unfortunately his old old stuff seems to be almost unobtainable.

HTH Jim

 

[Have Fun]

Ernest Ranglin is ace, the first thing I heard by him was on the St. Germain record. I still love that solo.

Just happened to have a first listen to St Germain "Tourist" today & thought this guy has been listening to Ernest

so I do a search here for St Germain to find out a bit more about them & up pops this thread again

Whaddya know eh?

 

[rbrown]

I am now looking for some of his other stuff .. Do you have anything in particular to recommend ?

Below the Bassline is absolutely brilliant - I like it a lot more than Memories of Barber Mack to be honest. Another great album is Yard Movement by Monty Alexander, Ernest Ranglin plays on this throughout.

Rich