Music Review: Ernest Ranglin | Ronnie Scott's | James Bond movie Dr No | Jimmy Cliff

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The Review - MUSIC - grooves with RóISíN GADELRAB
Published: 8 October 2009

Pioneer Ranglin’s Ronnie return

PREVIEW: ERNEST RANGLIN
Ronnie Scott's

THE story goes that he built his first guitar out of a sardine can and some wire, aged just six. Other tales about Ernest Ranglin include the fact that when the 1962 James Bond movie Dr No was being filmed in the Caribbean, he just happened to be on hand for the film-makers to provide some suitably tropical sounds for Sean Connery to tackle baddies to.
Ernest, now well into his 70s, was a jazz guitar pioneer, and is doing a two-night stint at Ronnie Scott’s next Thursday and Friday. It is a rare London appearance not to be missed if you like reggae music, ska and jazz: he is the No 1 proponent of Jamaican guitar and his music transcends the usual boundaries.
Ernest worked for many years at the Jamaican hit factory Studio One, recording both his own work and also as a session musician. And his influence is immense – he has been credited with inventing the archetypal guitar lick, scratching, that can be heard on every single ska and reggae record.
Stars who owe so much to Ranglin include the likes of Prince Buster, Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker and The Skatalites; but what makes him really stand out is his ability to marry modern jazz with more traditional Jamaican reggae.
His appearance at Ronnie Scott’s is not the first time this jazz venue has given him centre stage – in 1964, he travelled to England with his guitar and did a one-night gig. He impressed Ronnie so much he became the club’s resident guitarist for the next nine months. He is a legend, and this is a gig not to be missed.
• Ernest Ranglin appears at
Ronnie Scott’s, Frith Street, Soho on October 15 and 16. 020 7439 0474

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