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Old tricks for new dogsSax hero Dean Fraser guides
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by ERIN MACLEOD If there’s ever a sweet saxophone riff in reggae music, it’s almost guaranteed that the man responsible is Dean “Cannon” Fraser. But not only has Fraser contributed his sax skills across the spectrum of Jamaican music, he’s also provided his production prowess to some of the best new artists. This week, he’ll be in Montreal for the second year in a row, acting as bandleader for Tarrus Riley and Duane Stephenson, two incredible vocalists and performers. The Mirror spoke to Fraser about roots rock reggae and his roles as both musician and teacher.Mirror: Dancehall seems to be order of the day in Jamaica, but the roots sound of Riley and Stephenson has gained tremendous popularity. Dean Fraser: A lot of youngsters in Jamaica have lost connection to the reggae genre. They are more into the dancehall genre, which is the most potent of the day. But we are creating more open-mindedness about the whole of the music when we have the opportunity to work with young, talented, very prolific writers and singers like Stephenson and Riley. They are writing how other youngsters would write and they are saying things that other youngsters would say. Stephenson has one of the greatest voices in reggae music and Riley is unique and different. Here are two people who come on to the scene and people are astonished. Fortunately, a lot of other youngsters have joined in. M: You seem able to connect between music that has come before and music that is still to come. DF: Yes. We are able to extend the music to another level, while keeping the roots. These two individuals have really tried to learn about music and they understand what they are doing. Whatever I tell them, they retain and absorb it. It’s going to pay off for them in the long run. M: The band also links experience and youth. DF: The drummer, keyboardists and guitarists are all in their early twenties, but the bass player, percussionist and myself, we are all big people. We lay the foundation so that these youngsters can really lean on us and learn. Mixing the old and the new creates a whole vibe. WITH TARRUS RILEY, DUANE |
