WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.220 Welcome in everyone and welcome to you, the listener, 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:07.660 to another custom tailored deep dive. We have 00:00:07.660 --> 00:00:10.839 a story today that is, well, I think it's going 00:00:10.839 --> 00:00:12.580 to fundamentally change the way you listen to 00:00:12.580 --> 00:00:13.900 some of your favorite music. Oh, absolutely. 00:00:14.179 --> 00:00:16.559 Have you ever wondered who actually builds the 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:18.980 foundation of a musical genre? And I don't mean, 00:00:19.079 --> 00:00:21.660 you know, the person who becomes the famous face 00:00:21.660 --> 00:00:24.280 on the poster. Right. Or the... charismatic lead 00:00:24.280 --> 00:00:26.620 singer catching all the spotlights, I mean the 00:00:26.620 --> 00:00:28.859 architect in the studio. One's actually doing 00:00:28.859 --> 00:00:31.300 the heavy lifting. Exactly. The person whose 00:00:31.300 --> 00:00:33.960 literal breath, day in and day out, creates the 00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:37.039 very sound that comes to define an entire era. 00:00:37.240 --> 00:00:39.899 It is a phenomenal question. Yeah. Because we 00:00:39.899 --> 00:00:43.359 so often focus our attention entirely on... The 00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:45.799 vocalists, right? The front men. Always. But 00:00:45.799 --> 00:00:48.899 the reality of how a genre is actually born usually 00:00:48.899 --> 00:00:52.640 comes down to a small, tight -knit group of relentlessly 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:55.479 hard -working musicians just grinding it out 00:00:55.479 --> 00:00:57.700 in small, sweltering rooms. Yeah. And today, 00:00:57.820 --> 00:01:00.299 to match that specific vibe, I've got my visual 00:01:00.299 --> 00:01:03.939 backdrop set to a vintage, wood -paneled recording 00:01:03.939 --> 00:01:06.890 studio. I love that. Picture the shelves heavily 00:01:06.890 --> 00:01:09.989 lined with classic vinyl records, worn brass 00:01:09.989 --> 00:01:13.129 instruments resting on iron stands, and maybe 00:01:13.129 --> 00:01:16.430 a thick creative haze hanging in the air. This 00:01:16.430 --> 00:01:19.590 is the world we are stepping into. That setup 00:01:19.590 --> 00:01:21.609 is absolutely perfect for our mission today. 00:01:22.109 --> 00:01:25.129 Because today our deep dive is tracing the monumental 00:01:25.129 --> 00:01:28.590 life and legacy of a man widely known as the 00:01:28.590 --> 00:01:31.489 chief musician. Yes. We are talking about Roland 00:01:31.489 --> 00:01:34.370 Alfonso, sometimes billed as Rolando Alfonso. 00:01:34.530 --> 00:01:37.969 He was a Jamaican saxophonist whose sheer talent 00:01:37.969 --> 00:01:40.909 and tireless work ethic quite literally powered 00:01:40.909 --> 00:01:43.750 the evolution of ska, rocksteady, and reggae. 00:01:43.909 --> 00:01:46.670 He really is a foundational figure. And to understand 00:01:46.670 --> 00:01:48.750 his impact, we have to look at the sheer breadth 00:01:48.750 --> 00:01:50.829 of his musical capability from the very beginning. 00:01:51.030 --> 00:01:53.579 Right. He was born in Havana, Cuba, on January 00:01:53.579 --> 00:01:57.159 12, 1931. But he relocated to Jamaica with his 00:01:57.159 --> 00:01:59.260 Jamaican mother when he was just two years old. 00:01:59.379 --> 00:02:00.980 And he was basically a prodigy, right? Basically, 00:02:01.180 --> 00:02:03.040 yeah. I mean, he didn't just pick up one instrument 00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:05.319 and call it a day. Over the course of his career, 00:02:05.379 --> 00:02:08.240 he mastered the alto saxophone, the tenor saxophone, 00:02:08.460 --> 00:02:11.120 the baritone saxophone, and even the flute. Okay, 00:02:11.180 --> 00:02:13.460 let's unpack this. Because you don't just wake 00:02:13.460 --> 00:02:15.740 up one morning and become the architect of Jamaican 00:02:15.740 --> 00:02:18.159 music. No, you definitely don't. It takes a very 00:02:18.159 --> 00:02:22.080 specific, demanding kind of grind. his musical 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:24.340 journey actually started at the stony hill industrial 00:02:24.340 --> 00:02:27.039 school which is where he first picked up a saxophone 00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:29.280 right but he didn't stay in the classroom for 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:33.939 long by 1948 he left school and immediately jumped 00:02:33.939 --> 00:02:37.259 into the professional world joining eric deans's 00:02:37.259 --> 00:02:40.139 orchestra yeah what was the reality of playing 00:02:40.139 --> 00:02:43.180 in an orchestra like that in late 1940s jamaica 00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:45.500 Joining a group like Eric Dean's in an orchestra 00:02:45.500 --> 00:02:49.080 back then was, it was an intense education in 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:51.139 itself. I can imagine. It was not about chasing 00:02:51.139 --> 00:02:54.300 fame. It was entirely about stamina and versatility. 00:02:55.240 --> 00:02:57.139 Alfonso quickly passed through various bands 00:02:57.139 --> 00:02:59.400 on what was universally known as the hotel circuit. 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:01.360 The hotel circuit. Yeah, and we should pause 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:03.389 to understand what that... actually entailed 00:03:03.389 --> 00:03:06.009 in that era it was the 1940s and 50s equivalent 00:03:06.009 --> 00:03:09.270 of being a wedding dj who has to know every single 00:03:09.270 --> 00:03:12.490 top 40 hit to keep the crowd moving wow except 00:03:12.490 --> 00:03:14.590 you were doing it live on a breath instrument 00:03:15.310 --> 00:03:18.669 For hours on end. Just nonstop. Exactly. If you 00:03:18.669 --> 00:03:20.949 were playing the hotels, you were catering heavily 00:03:20.949 --> 00:03:23.729 to tourists and wealthy locals. You had to be 00:03:23.729 --> 00:03:26.150 able to play absolutely anything the crowd demanded 00:03:26.150 --> 00:03:28.969 at a moment's notice. You're like jazz, calypso. 00:03:29.069 --> 00:03:31.969 Jazz standards, American R &B, calypso, ballroom 00:03:31.969 --> 00:03:34.449 dance music. You were a working class musician 00:03:34.449 --> 00:03:37.919 in the truest sense. sweating it out in the tropical 00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:40.039 heat night after night. So it was less about 00:03:40.039 --> 00:03:42.699 artistic expression and more about sheer survival. 00:03:42.860 --> 00:03:45.080 Why? Keeping the dance floor packed. Exactly. 00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:47.919 And that rigorous, relentless schedule forged 00:03:47.919 --> 00:03:51.520 him. It built the engine. It really did. By 1952, 00:03:51.539 --> 00:03:54.620 that specific hustle led to him making his very 00:03:54.620 --> 00:03:57.159 first recordings as a member of Stanley Mata's 00:03:57.159 --> 00:04:00.620 group. Okay. This entire early era, moving from 00:04:00.620 --> 00:04:02.620 the disciplined school band to the grueling hotel 00:04:02.620 --> 00:04:04.639 circuit and finally into the primitive early 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:07.080 recording studios, built Alfonso's foundation. 00:04:07.460 --> 00:04:09.819 He became a workhorse session musician who could 00:04:09.819 --> 00:04:12.400 adapt to any style on the fly. Being a workhorse 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:14.879 in those trenches clearly paid off. And that 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:17.620 brings us to 1956, where he first recorded for 00:04:17.620 --> 00:04:20.000 the fiercely legendary producer Clement Dodd, 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:22.420 who most people know as Coxone Dodd. A giant 00:04:22.420 --> 00:04:25.079 in the industry. Huge. But there is a fascinating 00:04:25.079 --> 00:04:27.720 and honestly a really tragic detail in our source 00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:30.519 material about this specific session. Oh, the 00:04:30.519 --> 00:04:34.139 lost tapes. Yes, those 1956 recordings. They 00:04:34.139 --> 00:04:36.339 were lost before they could even be mastered. 00:04:36.680 --> 00:04:38.920 How does something like that even happen to a 00:04:38.920 --> 00:04:42.639 pioneer's first major session? This raises an 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:45.870 important question. about the fragile, highly 00:04:45.870 --> 00:04:48.410 ephemeral nature of early recording history. 00:04:48.550 --> 00:04:50.389 Yeah, we take it for granted today. We really 00:04:50.389 --> 00:04:52.459 do. When we think of recording a song today, 00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:54.779 everything is instantly backed up to a digital 00:04:54.779 --> 00:04:57.439 cloud. It's infinitely reproducible and secure. 00:04:57.759 --> 00:05:01.360 But back in the mid -1950s in Kingston, capturing 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:04.860 a sound was a delicate physical process. You 00:05:04.860 --> 00:05:07.560 were laying down live, full -band instrumentation 00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:10.740 directly onto physical tape or acetate. Acetate. 00:05:10.779 --> 00:05:12.660 Yeah, and we should define acetate. These were 00:05:12.660 --> 00:05:15.160 essentially large, heavy glass or aluminum discs 00:05:15.160 --> 00:05:17.839 coated in a thin layer of lacquer. So like a 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:20.420 really fragile record. Basically. Yeah. The needle 00:05:20.420 --> 00:05:22.680 literally cut the sound grooves into that lacquer 00:05:22.680 --> 00:05:25.860 in real time. Wow. If that single fragile disc 00:05:25.860 --> 00:05:28.980 was dropped or left in the heat too long or simply 00:05:28.980 --> 00:05:31.560 recorded over by a producer trying to save money 00:05:31.560 --> 00:05:34.519 on materials. Oh, yeah. Before it could be mastered 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:37.360 and pressed to a durable vinyl record, the music 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:40.639 was just gone forever. Just vanished. It really 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:42.740 makes you realize what it meant to be a musician 00:05:42.740 --> 00:05:45.670 at that time. You weren't playing for posterity, 00:05:45.689 --> 00:05:47.810 you were playing purely for the moment, hoping 00:05:47.810 --> 00:05:50.379 the physical media survived the afternoon. It 00:05:50.379 --> 00:05:53.060 is wild to think that the earliest recorded sounds 00:05:53.060 --> 00:05:57.040 of one of music's greatest pioneers just vanished 00:05:57.040 --> 00:05:59.819 into thin air because of a fragile piece of lacquer 00:05:59.819 --> 00:06:02.759 or some intense heat. It's heartbreaking. It 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:04.819 really is. But he certainly didn't let that stop 00:06:04.819 --> 00:06:08.480 his momentum. In fact, by 1958, his career takes 00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:10.699 what looks like a completely bizarre turn on 00:06:10.699 --> 00:06:13.079 paper. Right. Alfonso actually became part of 00:06:13.079 --> 00:06:15.519 a stage act for a comedy duo known as Bim and 00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:18.819 Bam. And wait, a comedy tour. Sponsored by Macaulay 00:06:18.819 --> 00:06:21.639 Liquor? Yep. That sounds like a novelty act. 00:06:21.819 --> 00:06:24.360 How does stepping away from serious jazz and 00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:26.720 R &B to play behind comedians actually help his 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:28.920 career? I completely understand why that sounds 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:31.779 like a step backward. But you have to view it 00:06:31.779 --> 00:06:34.920 through the lens of the music business in 1950s 00:06:34.920 --> 00:06:37.220 Jamaica. Okay. You took whatever gig paid the 00:06:37.220 --> 00:06:39.620 bills, certainly. But this was also about raw 00:06:39.620 --> 00:06:44.019 exposure. Bim and Bam were hugely popular. They 00:06:44.019 --> 00:06:46.339 were packing theaters and dance halls. But he 00:06:46.339 --> 00:06:48.199 wasn't just standing in the dark background while 00:06:48.199 --> 00:06:51.040 these comedians told jokes, was he? Not at all. 00:06:51.120 --> 00:06:54.600 He was a fiercely featured part of the act. The 00:06:54.600 --> 00:06:57.600 absolute highlight of the stage show was Alfonso 00:06:57.600 --> 00:07:00.500 stepping up to the front and delivering a dynamic, 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:03.800 blistering version of Louis Prima's song Robin 00:07:03.800 --> 00:07:06.269 Hood. Oh, wow. Yeah, he was blowing the roof 00:07:06.269 --> 00:07:08.569 off these venues, blending his jazz chops with 00:07:08.569 --> 00:07:10.589 pure showmanship. That makes a lot more sense. 00:07:10.629 --> 00:07:13.029 He was using a massive platform to showcase his 00:07:13.029 --> 00:07:15.389 sound. Precisely. If we connect this to the bigger 00:07:15.389 --> 00:07:18.670 picture, that specific gig, as quirky as a liquor 00:07:18.670 --> 00:07:21.009 -sponsored comedy tour might sound today, was 00:07:21.009 --> 00:07:23.529 a massive catalyst. Because everyone saw him. 00:07:23.649 --> 00:07:25.970 Everyone. Because he was out there being vibrant, 00:07:26.050 --> 00:07:28.009 being seen by thousands of people all over the 00:07:28.009 --> 00:07:29.889 island, he caught the right kind of attention 00:07:29.889 --> 00:07:31.470 from the people who controlled the industry. 00:07:31.949 --> 00:07:34.889 The producers. Exactly. That extreme visibility 00:07:34.889 --> 00:07:38.550 led directly to Clement Dodd and another powerhouse 00:07:38.550 --> 00:07:41.649 producer named Duke Reed, making Roland Alfonso 00:07:41.649 --> 00:07:44.889 a regular in -house member of their recording 00:07:44.889 --> 00:07:47.509 session bands. So he's hustling. He's building 00:07:47.509 --> 00:07:49.769 his reputation. He's playing in half a dozen 00:07:49.769 --> 00:07:52.870 configurations. Once he was in those studio doors, 00:07:53.050 --> 00:07:55.250 he was seemingly everywhere at once. He really 00:07:55.250 --> 00:07:58.629 was. In 1959, he joins a band led by Cluett Johnson 00:07:58.629 --> 00:08:01.970 called Clu J and his Blues Blasters. Great name. 00:08:02.230 --> 00:08:04.970 Incredible name. They were backing up many of 00:08:04.970 --> 00:08:07.149 Dodd's recording sessions, playing in a style 00:08:07.149 --> 00:08:09.750 heavily influenced by American R &B, but with 00:08:09.750 --> 00:08:12.709 a distinctly Jamaican twist. Right. And our sources 00:08:12.709 --> 00:08:15.860 note Alfonso wasn't just playing his horn. actively 00:08:15.860 --> 00:08:18.220 acting as an arranger for many of Dodd's sessions. 00:08:18.600 --> 00:08:20.800 What does an arranger actually do in that context? 00:08:21.120 --> 00:08:23.240 The role of the arranger is utterly crucial, 00:08:23.519 --> 00:08:26.519 especially in an era before heavily produced 00:08:26.519 --> 00:08:28.720 multi -track recording. Where you could just 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:32.340 fix it in post. Exactly. It means Alfonso wasn't 00:08:32.340 --> 00:08:34.100 just showing up looking at sheet music someone 00:08:34.100 --> 00:08:37.059 else handed him and playing his notes. As an 00:08:37.059 --> 00:08:39.500 arranger, he was helping to dictate the overall 00:08:39.500 --> 00:08:42.720 feel, the harmonic structure, and the very groove 00:08:42.720 --> 00:08:45.500 of the songs. He was telling the bass player 00:08:45.500 --> 00:08:47.919 where to walk the line, telling the guitarist 00:08:47.919 --> 00:08:50.139 when to chop the rhythm, and voicing the horn 00:08:50.139 --> 00:08:52.379 sections so they punched through the mix. He 00:08:52.379 --> 00:08:54.379 was shaping the sonic architecture of the tracks. 00:08:54.639 --> 00:08:57.899 And as the 1960s began, his workload only intensified. 00:08:58.409 --> 00:09:01.549 He was arranging and recording for a whole roster 00:09:01.549 --> 00:09:03.529 of heavyweight producers. We're talking Duke 00:09:03.529 --> 00:09:06.970 Reed, King Edwards and Lloyd Daly, who went by 00:09:06.970 --> 00:09:09.710 the brilliant nickname the Matador. Best nicknames 00:09:09.710 --> 00:09:11.450 in the business. They really are. But I'm looking 00:09:11.450 --> 00:09:13.789 at the notes here and the list of bands he bounced 00:09:13.789 --> 00:09:16.809 between during this era is dizzying. The Alleycats, 00:09:17.090 --> 00:09:20.889 the City Slickers, Aubrey Adams and the Dew Droppers. 00:09:21.029 --> 00:09:23.529 Yeah. Why was he constantly shuffling between 00:09:23.529 --> 00:09:26.029 so many different groups? That shuffling comes 00:09:26.029 --> 00:09:29.070 down to the stark economics of the 1960s Jamaican 00:09:29.070 --> 00:09:32.230 music scene. In those days, session musicians 00:09:32.230 --> 00:09:34.870 didn't get points on a record or long -term royalties. 00:09:35.090 --> 00:09:39.590 No residuals? None. You got paid a flat fee per 00:09:39.590 --> 00:09:43.169 song or per session. Ouch. Yeah, so to make a 00:09:43.169 --> 00:09:46.549 sustainable living, a virtuoso like Alfonso couldn't 00:09:46.549 --> 00:09:48.950 just tie himself to one exclusive band. He had 00:09:48.950 --> 00:09:52.360 to be a musical mercenary. I see. The same core 00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:54.679 group of genius -level musicians were simply 00:09:54.679 --> 00:09:56.799 reshuffling themselves into different configurations, 00:09:57.240 --> 00:09:59.759 adopting new names to back different singers 00:09:59.759 --> 00:10:02.500 or satisfy competing producers all in the same 00:10:02.500 --> 00:10:05.000 week. That's wild. You might be an alley cat 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:08.539 on Tuesday for Duke Reed and a city slicker on 00:10:08.539 --> 00:10:11.120 Thursday for Coxone Dodd. That sounds exhausting. 00:10:11.820 --> 00:10:14.279 But it perfectly sets the stage for a major convergence 00:10:14.279 --> 00:10:17.139 in 1963. It does. After spending a few months 00:10:17.139 --> 00:10:19.039 playing in Nassau in the Bahamas, Alfonso comes 00:10:19.039 --> 00:10:21.659 back to Jamaica and helps create something monumental. 00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:24.460 A turning point. Clement Dodd had just opened 00:10:24.460 --> 00:10:26.899 a brand new recording facility, and Alfonso takes 00:10:26.899 --> 00:10:29.200 part in creating the very first session band 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:31.360 for that space. They were initially called the 00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:34.720 Studio One Orchestra. And that name, the Studio 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:37.960 One Orchestra, carries massive historical weight. 00:10:38.360 --> 00:10:40.919 Because of the sheer volume of classic tracks 00:10:40.919 --> 00:10:43.159 that specific studio would go on to produce, 00:10:43.399 --> 00:10:45.940 they were the house band that defined a generation. 00:10:46.259 --> 00:10:48.299 But they didn't keep that formal name for very 00:10:48.299 --> 00:10:50.500 long. No, they did not. That very orchestra, 00:10:50.580 --> 00:10:52.860 featuring Roland Alfonso's driving, arranged 00:10:52.860 --> 00:10:56.700 saxophone lines, soon adopted a new moniker, 00:10:56.759 --> 00:11:00.720 a truly legendary name. They became the Scatolites. 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:04.159 That is a true aha moment in global music history. 00:11:04.509 --> 00:11:06.909 The Scatolites are essentially the Big Bang for 00:11:06.909 --> 00:11:09.629 ska music. A Big Bang. I love that. They took 00:11:09.629 --> 00:11:11.889 that Jamaican R &B sound they had been refining, 00:11:11.909 --> 00:11:14.509 and they fundamentally shifted the rhythmic emphasis. 00:11:14.850 --> 00:11:16.269 Now, for someone who might not be a musician, 00:11:16.429 --> 00:11:18.169 what does shifting that rhythm actually mean? 00:11:18.370 --> 00:11:20.730 Think of a standard American rock or blues song, 00:11:20.850 --> 00:11:23.250 where the heavy drum hits and the musical emphasis 00:11:23.250 --> 00:11:25.710 land on the one and the three beats of a four 00:11:25.710 --> 00:11:28.789 -beat measure. Okay, one, two, three, four. Right. 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:31.779 It drives forward heavily. Ska flipped that entirely. 00:11:32.419 --> 00:11:34.879 Alfonso and his bandmates put the driving punchy 00:11:34.879 --> 00:11:37.039 horn stabs and the guitar chops on the two and 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:39.059 the four. The offbeat. Oh, interesting. That 00:11:39.059 --> 00:11:41.460 hesitation, that upstroke feel that makes you 00:11:41.460 --> 00:11:44.200 want to bounce rather than march. That is the 00:11:44.200 --> 00:11:47.179 literal DNA of Ska. That makes total sense. And 00:11:47.179 --> 00:11:49.440 it provided the rhythmic foundation that would 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:51.940 actually slow down into rock steady and then 00:11:51.940 --> 00:11:55.179 slow down again to become reggae. Roland Alfonso 00:11:55.179 --> 00:11:57.120 was right there at the geographic center of it. 00:11:57.360 --> 00:12:00.480 providing the melodic leads and the lush harmonic 00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:03.779 depth that made the offbeat sounds so rich. But 00:12:03.779 --> 00:12:07.460 the music industry is notoriously volatile. And 00:12:07.460 --> 00:12:10.200 the Scatolites, despite their massive influence 00:12:10.200 --> 00:12:13.080 and invention of a genre, actually disbanded 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:15.779 by August of 1965. Yeah, very short run. So they 00:12:15.779 --> 00:12:18.379 create this massive hit sound and then they're 00:12:18.379 --> 00:12:20.659 just done. Where does Alfonso go from there? 00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:22.639 He does what he always does. He adapts and keeps 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:25.659 playing. The hustle continues. Exactly. The Scatolites 00:12:25.659 --> 00:12:28.240 disbanding was partly due to internal band frictions 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:31.120 and the shifting demands of producers. But Alfonso 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:32.879 immediately forms a new group called the Soul. 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:35.460 Brothers, alongside brass player Johnny Dizzy 00:12:35.460 --> 00:12:38.519 Moore and keyboardist Jackie Matu. Okay. And 00:12:38.519 --> 00:12:41.600 by 1967, that group evolved yet again into a 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:44.220 band called the Soul Vendors. Now, the names 00:12:44.220 --> 00:12:47.659 Soul Brothers and Soul Vendors feel like a distinct 00:12:47.659 --> 00:12:50.279 departure from the sharp, frantic energy of the 00:12:50.279 --> 00:12:53.879 Scatolites. Was the music changing, too? Absolutely. 00:12:53.980 --> 00:12:56.220 Notice the transition in those names. Yeah, moving 00:12:56.220 --> 00:12:58.600 towards soul. The Scatolites represented the 00:12:58.600 --> 00:13:02.139 frantic, upbeat, sweaty energy of ska. But as 00:13:02.139 --> 00:13:04.100 the decade progressed, the music was evolving. 00:13:04.860 --> 00:13:07.779 The shift towards soul and their band names reflects 00:13:07.779 --> 00:13:09.639 the island's transition toward the smoother, 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:12.840 slightly slower, heavily bass -driven sound of 00:13:12.840 --> 00:13:16.340 rocksteady. Alfonso was adapting his arranging 00:13:16.340 --> 00:13:19.909 style perfectly to fit the more relaxed, soulful 00:13:19.909 --> 00:13:22.190 mood that was taking over the dance halls. He 00:13:22.190 --> 00:13:25.450 was adapting seamlessly and still taking on heavy 00:13:25.450 --> 00:13:28.230 leadership roles. In the late 1960s and early 00:13:28.230 --> 00:13:30.649 1970s, he became the leader of a band called 00:13:30.649 --> 00:13:33.570 the Ruinaires, who were the resident nightly 00:13:33.570 --> 00:13:36.129 band at a popular restaurant and nightclub appropriately 00:13:36.129 --> 00:13:39.250 called the Ruins. Right. But here, the tone of 00:13:39.250 --> 00:13:41.850 our story shifts dramatically. It's during this 00:13:41.850 --> 00:13:44.370 demanding residency that Alfonso suffers a major 00:13:44.370 --> 00:13:47.409 physical setback. At the age of just 41, he suffers 00:13:47.409 --> 00:13:50.169 a stroke. What's fascinating here is the sheer 00:13:50.169 --> 00:13:53.309 unyielding resilience of the man. A stroke at 00:13:53.309 --> 00:13:56.669 any age is a devastating, life -altering medical 00:13:56.669 --> 00:14:00.289 event. But for a horn player... To understand 00:14:00.289 --> 00:14:01.789 the gravity of this, you have to look at the 00:14:01.789 --> 00:14:03.889 mechanics of playing the saxophone. It's all 00:14:03.889 --> 00:14:06.889 physical. Completely. A player's entire livelihood 00:14:06.889 --> 00:14:10.250 and artistic expression depends on their embouchure, 00:14:10.309 --> 00:14:13.330 the highly developed micro muscles around the 00:14:13.330 --> 00:14:16.690 lips and face. It requires immense breath control 00:14:16.690 --> 00:14:19.389 from the diaphragm and lightning -fast fine motor 00:14:19.389 --> 00:14:22.269 skills in the fingers to navigate the keys. A 00:14:22.269 --> 00:14:25.289 stroke often causes facial paralysis, nerve damage, 00:14:25.389 --> 00:14:28.559 and loss of motor function. Suffering one at 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:31.220 41 could easily have been a career -ending tragedy. 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:33.740 It really puts his internal drive into sharp 00:14:33.740 --> 00:14:36.879 perspective because he didn't just survive the 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:39.039 stroke. The source notes he recovered remarkably 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:41.820 quickly from this setback. Unbelievable. He must 00:14:41.820 --> 00:14:43.980 have had to intensely retrain his body to play 00:14:43.980 --> 00:14:47.139 again. Because by late 1972, he actually relocates 00:14:47.139 --> 00:14:49.519 from Jamaica to the United States. And he certainly 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:51.740 didn't go there to quietly retire. No, not at 00:14:51.740 --> 00:14:53.500 all. He got right back to performing and recording. 00:14:54.100 --> 00:14:56.340 Relocating to the U .S. opened up a completely 00:14:56.340 --> 00:14:58.519 new chapter for him. He wasn't just a session 00:14:58.519 --> 00:15:01.120 player anymore. He was a living ambassador. Oh, 00:15:01.139 --> 00:15:02.980 that's a great way to put it. He was bringing 00:15:02.980 --> 00:15:05.779 the authentic, foundational sound of Jamaican 00:15:05.779 --> 00:15:08.240 music directly to the American live circuit. 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:12.399 just as reggae was starting to gain serious international 00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:15.179 traction and mainstream curiosity. And he was 00:15:15.179 --> 00:15:17.419 finally releasing his own focused work, too. 00:15:17.659 --> 00:15:21.500 In 1973, he released the first solo album entirely 00:15:21.500 --> 00:15:24.759 under his own name, fittingly, on the Studio 00:15:24.759 --> 00:15:27.940 One record label. Full Circle. Exactly. Throughout 00:15:27.940 --> 00:15:30.299 the 70s, he kept playing on countless records 00:15:30.299 --> 00:15:32.620 coming out of Jamaican studios, specifically 00:15:32.620 --> 00:15:34.779 doing prolific session work for the influential 00:15:34.779 --> 00:15:38.539 producer Bunny Lee. Plus, in the late 70s and 00:15:38.539 --> 00:15:40.779 early 80s, he was a regular, vibrant fixture 00:15:40.779 --> 00:15:43.360 on the live circuit around New York City, playing 00:15:43.360 --> 00:15:45.799 with a band called Ja Malala. The New York scene 00:15:45.799 --> 00:15:48.639 at that time was gritty, diverse, and incredibly 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:51.200 vibrant. By playing with Ja Malala, he was acting 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:54.179 as an active elder statesman. He was personally 00:15:54.179 --> 00:15:56.379 bridging the gap between the original pioneers 00:15:56.379 --> 00:15:59.320 of the 1950s Jamaican recording industry and 00:15:59.320 --> 00:16:01.899 the eager new wave of reggae and ska musicians 00:16:01.899 --> 00:16:04.639 coming up in places like Brooklyn and Manhattan. 00:16:05.129 --> 00:16:07.450 His home country certainly recognized the weight 00:16:07.450 --> 00:16:11.169 of his lifelong contributions. In 1977, the Jamaican 00:16:11.169 --> 00:16:13.549 government awarded Roland Alfonso the Officer 00:16:13.549 --> 00:16:16.009 of the Order of Distinction. A massive honor. 00:16:16.230 --> 00:16:19.029 Huge. It's a national honor, publicly acknowledging 00:16:19.029 --> 00:16:21.370 that he wasn't just a nightclub entertainer, 00:16:21.389 --> 00:16:24.409 he was a vital cultural architect. And that formal 00:16:24.409 --> 00:16:26.590 recognition seemed to fuel his stage presence 00:16:26.590 --> 00:16:29.929 even further. Moving into the 1980s, he started 00:16:29.929 --> 00:16:31.929 touring more frequently and aggressively in the 00:16:31.929 --> 00:16:35.440 United States. And then in 1983... Something 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:37.940 magical happened for purist fans of the genre. 00:16:38.080 --> 00:16:40.679 Oh, yes. The original Scatolites reformed. Yes. 00:16:40.820 --> 00:16:43.100 And Alfonso was right there with them, horn in 00:16:43.100 --> 00:16:45.860 hand. He toured and recorded with the reformed 00:16:45.860 --> 00:16:47.899 Scatolites constantly throughout the 80s and 00:16:47.899 --> 00:16:50.700 the 90s. He was a man who truly lived his entire 00:16:50.700 --> 00:16:53.059 life on the stage. He really did. Which brings 00:16:53.059 --> 00:16:55.679 us to the final chapter of his story. And it 00:16:55.679 --> 00:16:58.460 is a gripping, highly theatrical end for a man 00:16:58.460 --> 00:17:01.179 who gave his literal breath to his art. Yeah. 00:17:01.299 --> 00:17:04.819 On November 2nd, 1998, Roland Alfonso was doing 00:17:04.819 --> 00:17:07.059 exactly what he loved most. He was playing a 00:17:07.059 --> 00:17:09.819 vibrant show at the Key Club in Hollywood. And 00:17:09.819 --> 00:17:12.240 right there during the performance, he suffered 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:15.480 a burst blood vessel in his head. It is a profoundly 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:18.059 dramatic way for a master musician's career to 00:17:18.059 --> 00:17:21.019 conclude. doing the work until the very last 00:17:21.019 --> 00:17:24.319 possible second. On stage. On stage. Following 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:26.259 the incident, he was immediately rushed to Cedars 00:17:26.259 --> 00:17:28.700 -Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He spent 00:17:28.700 --> 00:17:31.759 four agonizing days in a coma, but tragically, 00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:34.599 he suffered a second burst blood vessel. He passed 00:17:34.599 --> 00:17:38.480 away on November 20, 1998. He was 67 years old. 00:17:38.700 --> 00:17:40.660 Here's where it gets really interesting, because 00:17:40.660 --> 00:17:43.380 while the man himself passed away, the sheer 00:17:43.380 --> 00:17:46.819 towering volume of the music he left behind is 00:17:46.819 --> 00:17:49.140 almost impossible to fully quantify. It's massive. 00:17:49.339 --> 00:17:51.619 Just look at a tiny fraction of his discography. 00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:54.720 We have the seminal I Cover the Waterfront produced 00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:57.960 by Coxton Dodd all the way back in 1962. We've 00:17:57.960 --> 00:18:00.859 got the genre -defining ABC Rocksteady with the 00:18:00.859 --> 00:18:03.740 Originals Orchestra in 1968. And even well after 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:05.880 his passing, his work continued to be curated 00:18:05.880 --> 00:18:07.880 and celebrated, like the essential compilation. 00:18:08.450 --> 00:18:11.549 something special. Ska Hot Shots released in 00:18:11.549 --> 00:18:15.329 2000. It is a recorded legacy born from an unrelenting 00:18:15.329 --> 00:18:17.430 work ethic. It truly is. When you trace that 00:18:17.430 --> 00:18:19.910 discography, you were tracing the pulse of an 00:18:19.910 --> 00:18:22.009 island. Yeah. You played through the chaotic 00:18:22.009 --> 00:18:25.369 birth of Ska, the soulful transition into Rocksteady, 00:18:25.430 --> 00:18:28.869 and the heavy global exportation of reggae. He 00:18:28.869 --> 00:18:31.089 was there for every single foundational shift. 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:33.460 So what does this all mean when we look at the 00:18:33.460 --> 00:18:35.900 totality of Roland Alfonso's life? From learning 00:18:35.900 --> 00:18:38.500 horn at the Stony Hill Industrial School to sweating 00:18:38.500 --> 00:18:40.759 it out on the hotel circuit to suffering a stroke 00:18:40.759 --> 00:18:42.599 and fighting his way back to the stage of the 00:18:42.599 --> 00:18:45.480 Key Club in Hollywood. How do we accurately summarize 00:18:45.480 --> 00:18:48.519 his impact? Roland Alfonso wasn't just a saxophonist. 00:18:48.579 --> 00:18:51.480 He was the vital connective tissue of Jamaican 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:54.059 music. Connective tissue. I like that. When you 00:18:54.059 --> 00:18:56.759 critically examine his trajectory. From playing 00:18:56.759 --> 00:18:59.000 novelty comedy tours sponsored by liquor companies 00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:02.460 just to get seen, to acting as a musical mercenary 00:19:02.460 --> 00:19:05.740 paid a flat fee to anchor the absolute greatest 00:19:05.740 --> 00:19:09.400 session bands of an entire era. You realize that 00:19:09.400 --> 00:19:11.849 his superpower wasn't just his pristine technical 00:19:11.849 --> 00:19:15.089 skill on the saxophone. His true superpower was 00:19:15.089 --> 00:19:17.809 his fierce adaptability. He could arrange a massive 00:19:17.809 --> 00:19:20.289 session. He could quietly back a volatile singer. 00:19:20.490 --> 00:19:22.950 He could step up and lead a blistering solo. 00:19:23.250 --> 00:19:25.990 And he could evolve his embouchure and his style 00:19:25.990 --> 00:19:28.670 as the music itself demanded change. He built 00:19:28.670 --> 00:19:30.970 the sonic house that so many globally famous 00:19:30.970 --> 00:19:33.799 frontmen eventually got to live in. That is beautifully 00:19:33.799 --> 00:19:35.680 summarized, and it brings me back to you, the 00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:38.000 listener. Think deeply about your own life, your 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:40.019 own field of work, or whatever it is you study 00:19:40.019 --> 00:19:41.880 or are deeply passionate about. Yeah, ask yourself. 00:19:42.220 --> 00:19:45.480 Exactly. Are you the front man, the one constantly 00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:47.940 seeking the spotlight and the credit, or are 00:19:47.940 --> 00:19:50.119 you the architect in the background, much like 00:19:50.119 --> 00:19:53.049 Alfonso? Are you the person quietly laying down 00:19:53.049 --> 00:19:56.089 the steady, reliable expert foundation that ultimately 00:19:56.089 --> 00:19:58.970 elevates everyone else in the room? It's a powerful 00:19:58.970 --> 00:20:01.710 lens through which to view your own daily contributions. 00:20:01.849 --> 00:20:04.509 It absolutely is. And as we wrap up this deep 00:20:04.509 --> 00:20:07.230 dive into the life of the chief musician, I will 00:20:07.230 --> 00:20:09.670 leave you with one final lingering thought to 00:20:09.670 --> 00:20:12.779 mull over. Okay. Let's go all the way back to 00:20:12.779 --> 00:20:15.460 those lost 1956 recordings we discussed earlier. 00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:18.680 The fragile acetate discs that vanished before 00:20:18.680 --> 00:20:20.740 they could ever be mastered or pressed to vinyl. 00:20:20.839 --> 00:20:23.039 The ones that just disappeared. Exactly. Makes 00:20:23.039 --> 00:20:25.559 you wonder if the very first recordings of a 00:20:25.559 --> 00:20:28.319 foundational world shifting genius like Alfonso 00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:31.049 were simply lost to the ether. due to a careless 00:20:31.049 --> 00:20:33.630 mistake or the sweltering heat. How much of the 00:20:33.630 --> 00:20:35.809 cultural and musical history that we accept today 00:20:35.809 --> 00:20:38.690 as absolute fact is really just based on what 00:20:38.690 --> 00:20:40.769 happened to survive the cutting room floor? Wow. 00:20:40.890 --> 00:20:42.890 How many absolute masterpieces have we never 00:20:42.890 --> 00:20:45.650 heard simply because the physical tape was misplaced? 00:20:45.809 --> 00:20:48.690 That is a heavy, brilliant thought to end on. 00:20:48.750 --> 00:20:51.869 The unseen, unheard history that secretly shapes 00:20:51.869 --> 00:20:54.900 our modern world. I want to thank you all for 00:20:54.900 --> 00:20:56.920 taking this deep dive with us today. It has been 00:20:56.920 --> 00:20:58.900 an absolute pleasure to critically explore the 00:20:58.900 --> 00:21:01.319 life of a true musical giant with you. Keep listening, 00:21:01.420 --> 00:21:03.359 keep exploring, and we will catch you on the 00:21:03.359 --> 00:21:04.200 next deep dive.