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Gig Alert: The Skatalites

The Skatalites
“On The Right Track”
Playing at: Irving Plaza
(17 Irving Pl., Gramercy, Manhattan,)
Get: Tickets ($45) | Directions

Consult any source on the genealogy of Jamaican pop, and you'll most likely find out the following: first, there was ska, then there was rocksteady, then there was reggae. Reggae can be heard from Timbuktu to Tokyo thanks to Bob Marley spreading its gospel in the '70s. Ska's story is also impressive. Sixty years after a little Jamaican band called the Skatelites invented the uptempo island sound, ska music is still a global pop phenomenon, melding with punk and jazz and catering to American suburban kids and Japanese hipsters alike. The music’s extended pop culture turn has no doubt helped keep the the Skatalites alive and touring. The group's laid back, horn-driven sound has little in common with the hyped-up ska-punk headbangers of today, but reverence for the old-school keeps the crowds coming out. “On the Right Track” is the title track of the band's 2007 album. It features an elegant horn melody, occasional dubbed-out vocal exclamations, and of course, that ever steady off-beat chop.