ENTITY · CONCEPT

Horn-section arrangement

Well supported

The horn line is what separates a Jamaican rhythm section from a rock one, and for two decades the arrangements were written by a small number of players — Tommy McCook, Roland Alphonso, Bobby Ellis, Dean Fraser and their peers — moving between studios. A horn chart is compositional work, and it is almost never credited as such on the record it lifts.

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At a glance

Type: concept →
Era: Ska and independence-era culture →
Confidence: Well supported

Connections

In stories

Story · Well supportedSession bands built the reggae sound

From the Skatalites to the Firehouse Crew, uncredited studio bands built every era of Jamaican music while record labels named only singers and producers.