Bless Up

The veteran Jamaican guitarist Ernest Ranglin helped to give birth to reggae, playing on early recordings that defined the genre by the Wailers, Jimmy Cliff and others. Now in his 80s, his latest all-instrumental album features musicians from South Africa, Israel and the US and blends reggae, ska, jazz, Latin and much else besides. The opener, ‘Bond Street Express’, sets the tone – a righteous, one-drop reggae rhythm underpinning soulful Hammond, some mighty horn riffs and Ranglin's shimmering solos, which boast a distinctive Arabic influence and a jazzy, Wes Montgomery feel. South African drummer Ian ‘Inx’ Herman adds a strong township jazz flavour, not least in the choice of material that includes a brace of Abdullah Ibrahim compositions in ‘Blues for a Hip King’ and ‘Bra Joe From Kilimanjaro’, which features some wonderfully empathetic interplay between pianist Jonathan Korty and Ranglin's spacy, Jerry Garcia-like guitar. ‘El Mescalero’ is more of a Latin melange, blending flavours of tango, chachachá and calypso in the style of the late Cuban guitarist Manuel Galbán. There's a loose-limbed, airy feel to it all but a focus and discipline, too, so that it never spills over into jamming self-indulgence. ‘World dinner jazz’ is perhaps not the most enticing description, but Ranglin's Bless Up fits the bill to perfection.