Saturday, January 30, 2010

Lynn Taitt R.I.P

Some 30 years have passed since the golden age of Jamaican music.
That magical musical era is to this listener a mere span of 15 years - from 1965 to 1980. What fuelled this world changing music explosion has been addressed in numerous books, essays and reviews but never explained - and rightly so. There is no satisfactory explanation for genius, inspiration or artistic innovation.
At a rough guess, the most important figures in Jamaican music in the aforementioned 15 year period number 100 true innovators (I must give this more thought!). There are fewer of these oft unappreciated and underrated musicians, singers and producers alive with every passing year.
Ranking somewhere in the top 20 of that select few is the incomparable Lynn Taitt.
Sadly he passed on recently, but not without bestowing upon humanity a wealth of wonderful music. Credited with the invention of the Rocksteady music style, Lynn Taitt was a masterful musical arranger and the proponent of a deceptively simple guitar playing style that has influenced every reggae player to this day though they may be unaware of this fact.
One hopes that Lynn passed on knowing that he gave much and owed nothing.

Thank you Nairlin 'Lynn' Taitt'
We owe you...

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