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| Tommy McCook |
THE DEATH OF TOMMY MCCOOK IN MAY 1998 PASSED BY COMPLETELY UN-NOTICED BY THE MAINSTREAM PRESS. LIKE HIS FELLOW SKATALITES ROLAND ALPHONSO AND JACKIE MITTOO, MCCOOK NEVER RECEIVED THE RESPECT FROM THE GENERAL MEDIA THAT HIS CONTRIBUTION TO JAMAICAN MUSIC RICHLY DESERVED. MCCOOK WAS BORN IN HAVANA, CUBA IN 1924, AND MOVED TO JAMAICA IN 1933. HE TOOK UP THE TENOR SAX AT THE AGE OF 11, WHEN HE WAS A PUPIL AT THE FAMED ALPHA SCHOOL, AND EVENTUALLY JOINED ERIC DEAN'S ORCHESTRA.
IN 1954 HE LEFT FOR AN ENGAGEMENT IN NASSAU, AFTER WHICH HE ENDED UP IN MIAMI, AND IT WAS HERE THAT TOMMY FIRST HEARD JOHN COLTRANE, AND FELL IN LOVE WITH JAZZ. TOMMY RETURNED TO JAMAICA IN EARLY '62, WHERE HE WAS APPROACHED BY A FEW LOCAL PRODUCERS TO DO SOME RECORDINGS. EVENTUALLY HE CONSENTED TO RECORD A JAZZ SESSION FOR CLEMENT "COXSON" DODD, WHICH WAS ISSUED ON ALBUM AS 'JAZZ JAMAICA'. HIS FIRST SKA RECORDING WAS AN ADAPTATION OF ERNEST GOLD'S 'EXODUS', RECORDED IN NOVEMBER 1963 WITH MUSICIANS WHO WOULD SOON MAKE UP THE SKATALITES.
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