The Rocksteady Seven
The Rocksteady Seven, also known as David Hillyard & The Rocksteady Seven, are an influential ska and reggae fusion band formed in 1998 by tenor saxophonist Dave Hillyard.
Based in New York, the seven piece ensemble mixes instrumental Jamaican “roots” rhythms of early ska jazz sounds of the Skatalites, Burning Spear with extended improvisation like jazz musicians David Murray, Charlie Haden, and Pharaoh Saunders.
Biography
David Hillyard & the Rocksteady 7 are innovators in the Jamaican Jazz genre, which experiments in mixing jazz, reggae, latin, and ska. The group features a shifting collective of some of the best musicians in New York City with experience playing with a variety of musical acts from Sting to the Skatalites.
Senior among them is veteran percussionist, Larry McDonald on congo. Larry began his career at the inception of ska music with Carlos Malcolm’s Afro Jamaicans. He went on to perform on several classic reggae tracks such as Cherry Oh Baby, Funky Kingston and Rivers of Babylon until he left Jamaica and played long stints with Taj Mahal and Gil Scott-Heron.
The Rocksteady 7 has played numerous venues in New York City from the Knitting Factory, Wetlands, Bbkings, and the Bottom Line. For most of 2005, they were regulars at Detour, a small jazz club on the lower east side of New York. They have also played at Los Angeles’ Whisky A Go Go, Knitting Factory, Echoplex (dub club) and House of Blues; the Toronto Jazz Festival; and numerous club dates in the eastern United States and Canada. Since early 2004, they have also played 3 European tours in Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, and Germany, as well as completing a tour of the U.S. in 2011.
Discography
- Playtime - (1999), Hellcat Records
- United Front - (2003), Do Tell Records / Brixton Records
- Way out East: Live at The Kassablanca - (2007), Brixton Records
- Get Back UP! - (2009), Brixton Records
Rocksteady 7 Members
- Dave Hillyard - saxophone
- Will Clark - trombone
- Jeremy Mushlin - trumpet
- Mike Bitz - bass guitar
- Vic Ruggiero - piano
- Dave Hahn - guitar
- Eddie Ocampo - drums
- Dave Wake - organ
- Larry Macdonald - percussion
External links
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