Tad Dawkins, principal of Tad’s International Record, says the company is determined to break Two Colors, the album by guitarist Ernie Ranglin and saxophonist Dean Fraser, internationally.
The 11-song set is scheduled for release by that company on May 27. It is a blend of mostly reggae and smooth jazz instrumentals.
“We give all our projects maximum effort and force to get as much international coverage as possible. However, since this is an instrumental album we are not limiting our coverage to the reggae market. The fact is, the sounds of the Two Colors album crosses over into the smooth jazz genre and so we will be promoting it with this in mind,” said Dawkins.
De Ranglin is lead single from Two Colors. Featuring Big Youth, it entered the South Florida 25 Reggae and Foundation Radio Network charts one week before the album’s release.
That makes Ranglin, who is 89, the oldest artist to make the charts which are operated by veteran broadcaster Clinton Lindsay. Burning Spear and Jimmy Cliff at 77, previously held that distinction.
Ranglin has been recording since his teens. He famously played on and arranged Millie Small’s My Boy Lollipop, a ska song that made the Top 10 of the British and American pop charts in 1964.
His jazz phrasings can be heard on numerous hit songs such as The Wailers (It Hurts To Be Alone) and John Holt (Stranger in Love). Dawkins described Two Colors as “gigantic as the men themselves”.
“Their contribution to the reggae industry cannot be over-emphasized. To be given the opportunity to work on a project with these two exceptional musicians is ground-breaking and humbling for Tad’s Record,” he said.
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