“Studio was like a nine to five, or more so a ten to ten. At the time we used to have certain studios we’d go to on different days. Let’s say Joe Gibbs on Monday, Channel One on Tuesday, maybe Harry J on Wednesday, Randy’s on a Thursday, Dynamics on Friday and different producers would be producing right around the weeks and months and years,” candidly explained an animated Dean Fraser, as he reflects on the ever-shifting musical landscape of Jamaican music.
It’s been a long and thrilling roller coaster-esque career for ace saxophonist and famed musician, Dean Fraser. Standing as one of Jamaica’s most renowned musicians, Dean Fraser has witnessed and accomplished many feats throughout his four decade-long musical jaunt. His brilliance has steeped into the foundation of Reggae music and still plays relevant to the genre today.
“Well first and foremost the music is important and I’ve known nothing else but this music, so I personally have to preserve it,” quips Fraser. “It’s like a duty for me to see to it that younger artistes – they don’t have to be developed by me or anything like that – are doing the right things musically. So preserving it and making it what it truly is, is more important than anything else. Music will never stop. It’s just an ongoing thing. You just contribute in more ways than one and when you understand the music and where it’s coming from, it’s very easy for you to recreate because if you hit a snag you simply revisit. And if you notice whenever the US market hit that wall they just turn to Reggae; irrespective of the artiste – be it Dancehall or SKA or Reggae. Look at Boris Gardiner with his single Every Nigger is a Star. Kendrick Lamar took and polished it off and made it contemporary.”
“The youngsters of today need to do their homework. They have to understudy a few greats and get a deeper understanding of the music. You don’t even have to go to studios anymore, just stream the songs. Back in the days I would have to go to work and on my way home on a Friday after being paid, I’d spend 70% of it on albums. Sure that meant less food but it was just for the love of music and the records were my dictionary.”
When asked if his career feels like it has spanned over four decades, the sax star chuckles. “No, it come in like just yesterday!” From spending a lot of time in recording studios with the likes of Dennis Brown and Bob Marley to touring the world extensively, Fraser has certainly positioned himself as a pillar in the genre. But the real question to him then lies in the fact that as music evolves and the nature of the business changes, how do you stay relevant in such a competitive field? Sure at this point Fraser still tours and adds his magical touch to varied singles, but more importantly, he’s doing what he’s doing because of the pure love of music.
To Read More: Purchase your copy of Volume 9 #4– September-October 2017
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“Studio was like a nine to five, or more so a ten to ten. At the time we used to have certain studios we’d go to on different days. Let’s say Joe Gibbs on Monday, Channel One on Tuesday, maybe Harry J on Wednesday, Randy’s on a Thursday, Dynamics on Friday and different producers would be producing right around the weeks and months and years,” candidly explained an animated Dean Fraser, as he reflects on the ever-shifting musical landscape of Jamaican music.
It’s been a long and thrilling roller coaster-esque career for ace saxophonist and famed musician, Dean Fraser. Standing as one of Jamaica’s most renowned musicians, Dean Fraser has witnessed and accomplished many feats throughout his four decade-long musical jaunt. His brilliance has steeped into the foundation of Reggae music and still plays relevant to the genre today.
“Well first and foremost the music is important and I’ve known nothing else but this music, so I personally have to preserve it,” quips Fraser. “It’s like a duty for me to see to it that younger artistes – they don’t have to be developed by me or anything like that – are doing the right things musically. So preserving it and making it what it truly is, is more important than anything else. Music will never stop. It’s just an ongoing thing. You just contribute in more ways than one and when you understand the music and where it’s coming from, it’s very easy for you to recreate because if you hit a snag you simply revisit. And if you notice whenever the US market hit that wall they just turn to Reggae; irrespective of the artiste – be it Dancehall or SKA or Reggae. Look at Boris Gardiner with his single Every Nigger is a Star. Kendrick Lamar took and polished it off and made it contemporary.”
“The youngsters of today need to do their homework. They have to understudy a few greats and get a deeper understanding of the music. You don’t even have to go to studios anymore, just stream the songs. Back in the days I would have to go to work and on my way home on a Friday after being paid, I’d spend 70% of it on albums. Sure that meant less food but it was just for the love of music and the records were my dictionary.”
When asked if his career feels like it has spanned over four decades, the sax star chuckles. “No, it come in like just yesterday!” From spending a lot of time in recording studios with the likes of Dennis Brown and Bob Marley to touring the world extensively, Fraser has certainly positioned himself as a pillar in the genre. But the real question to him then lies in the fact that as music evolves and the nature of the business changes, how do you stay relevant in such a competitive field? Sure at this point Fraser still tours and adds his magical touch to varied singles, but more importantly, he’s doing what he’s doing because of the pure love of music.
To Read More: Purchase your copy of Volume 9 #4– September-October 2017
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