A MEMBER of the ‘golden age of reggae horns’, trumpeter David Madden has played on countless hit songs including Burning Spear’s Door Peep and This is Reggae Music by his band Zap Pow.
But on his new EP, Nice We Met, he shows a different side of his talent by singing. The seven-song project was released digitally on October 22.
“People know me for the trumpet an’ they know my soun’ so why not do something else, like singing?” asked Madden.
The 71-year-old musician shares vocals with singers Cherida and Toronto-based Ann Payne on the title song and In Heaven Riddim, respectively.
He goes solo on Share The Compliment.
Isax, a Jamaican saxophonist who also lives in Toronto, adds a different feel to Mystic Mood (re-titled Easy Mix), the hit 1971 instrumental Madden wrote while he was with Zap Pow.
“He (ISax) was here in Jamaica and we listened to the original an’ he liked it. As soon as he went up, he added his sax and it came off really well,” said Madden.
A past student of the Alpha Boys School, Madden has showed off his vocals before. On his Cyber Charged Ska album, released in 2000, he added lyrics to classic Skatalites songs like Confucius.
Nice We Met is Madden’s third EP. His previous, 4 Good Measure, came out in 2014.
— By Howard Campbell
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