Now hear dis!
Coming down with a new brand track as I would say
Down to di roots a di foundation
With good tidings for every nation, yeah
Yes listen up, dis a good tiding
And listen to di word of Dr. Ring Ding
Sometime a chat and a sometime a sing
When mi come mi come fi ride di riddim
Far and wide, still mi come ya fi stay
Come ya fi stay as I would really really say
Come ya fi stay, mi nah just a pass through
Listen keenly, I am talking to you
Tek a look around, enjoy di Panoramic View
Yeah
Big inna country and big inna town
Listen keenly to di Reggae Reggae sound
Big inna country and big inna town
Listen to di sound, now let me go down
Down to di roots a di foundation!
Yeah
Whether a yard, whether abroad
Ono haffi wuck hard
Yard and abroad
Wuck hard fi di money…
You haffi wuck hard fi di money
When yuh dung a yard,
You haffi wuck di ground
Becah di dutt it tuff… ya man di dutt it tuff
Inna di ground where you dig a hole
And dis a di half dat’s never been told
Do it today you nah fe do it tomorrow
Make a nice groove, and make a nice furrow
As I would really say, yeah yeah
Becah di groove a di ground
And di groundation a di foundation
Inna di groove is where you plant di beet
Becah di beet is a root, and di root is a beat
Di beat a di foundation
Di beat and di groove
Is like a roots music
And when beat nice you haffi dig it
Dig it, dig it
Dig out di beet
Now dis is how fe dweet
Listen good
You tek di beat inna di riddim kitchen
You tek di beet inna di riddim kitchen
Wash it
Mash it
Slice it
Dice it
Slice and dice, nice
With spice and rice
As I would really try to specify
You can cook it inna pot
But I prefer di pan
I prefer di pan
Mek every one understand
Cooking di beet
In di oven
Cooking di beet inna di oven
Becah a real beet oven
Yes it a real beat oven
Becah a beet is a root
And mi horn it haffi toot
Toot di horn as I would say
Yeah
So yuh fi cook it up nice
With a whole heap a spice
Tek my advice
Becah it taste so nice
Right outta di beat oven
A di riddim, a di foundation
You cook it inna pan
Mek all a dem overstand
Come outta di kitchen
So everyone can pitch in
Yes you know
A di riddim kitchen
And di beat oven
Obviously, this project took inspiration from Ludwig van Beethoven, who premiered the piece on December 8, 1813. We recorded in 2022, taking this piece on a journey through cultures, space, and time for some of the reasons listed below.
Beethoven's repetitive motif parallels the chant-like nature of reggae. Some of the accompanying strings float from low to high and back down again, in a way that graphically illustrates the classic reggae "organ bubble." The movement's simple and grounded rhythm leaves room for the upbeats of the "skank" on guitar and piano. And the tempo... It's like he knew Jamaican music 150 years before the heat of a Jamaican summer simmered ska until it melted into reggae. All it needed was a one-drop groove, but who can fault the composer for failing to transcribe the drum set part before the instrument was even invented (or rather, compiled)?
I fell in love with this Beethoven movement back in college (specifically, 2007), arranged and performed it around 2016, and never thought about recording it until Dr. Ring Ding reached out to ask me if I had any Caribbean reinventions of Classical/Symphonic music for Reggae Relay's Episode 101: "A Night at the Opera." The episode aired from Münster, Germany, on December 28, 2022.
The words "Yeah I'll have a reggae version to you" eventually turned into an invitation for the Doctor to join our collaboration. We followed the Jamaican tradition of taking a somewhat unique rendition of a single tune, changing the recipe, and yielding 4 different versions (Instrumental, Dub Poetry, Dub, and Blues). Hailing from Scotland/Canada/Germany/USA... these 7 cooks in the kitchen include legends who I've been listening to since 1997, friends I toured with, and some who have still never met each other. Our radio host served an international audience a concept that started with a German recipe, altered with Jamaican spice, cooked up in handcrafted Trinidadian steel pans....
This is the true Panoramic View: The musical world is a cultural melting pot.
From around the world, we send you love,
- AAC
credits
released January 11, 2023
Beethoven Symphony No. 7 Movement II: Allegretto in Reggae
Original movement by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827).
01) Beethoven Symphony No. 7 Movement II. “Allegretto” in Reggae
02) Riddim Kitchen ft. Dr. Ring Ding
03) Dubthoven 7 “Allegretto”
04) Bluesthoven 7 “Alle-guitar-o” ft. Glenn Kennedy
Featuring
Aaron Abrahamson Cote • Lead Tenor Pan, Percussion, Drum Set
Gregg Charest • Double Tenor & Cello Pans
Dr. Ring Ding • Trombone on tracks 1, 2, 3, & Vocals on Track 2
Glenn Kennedy • Lead Guitar on “Bluesthoven” version
Chris Mitchell • Piano & Organ
Agent Jay • Rhythm & Pick Guitars
Brad Thibodeaux • Bass
Lyrics on “Riddim Kitchen” by Dr. Ring Ding.
Dub Remix by Phantom Pan Man.
Arranged, Produced, & Mixed by Aaron Abrahamson Cote
Dr. Ring Ding recorded by Marcus Diekmann at Tuneland, Münster, Germany.
Agent Jay recorded at Stabby Road Studio, Brooklyn, NY.
Additional musicians recorded in home studios.
Mastered by King Django at Version City Studio, New Brunswick, NJ.
Aaron Abrahamson Cote plays steel pans crafted by Ellie Mannette. All Steel Pans used in this recording are maintained exclusively by Chanler Bailey of CB Panworks.
Cover art, concept, & design by Jon E Bravo of Ska Illustrated.
Special thanks to Jim Hitte, Matt Di Chiara, Chuck Rejto, & Richie Alexander for their talented ears in the review process, Gregg Charest, Brad Thibodeaux, & Craig Mills for gear recommendations, Mark & Donna Cote for additional recording space, and to the many listeners, friends, family, & musicians who made projects like this even possible. I used to sneak CD's from my brother's collection when I was 10 so I could hear King Django and The Slackers, and now I'm working with some of that crew. So extra deep heartfelt specialest thanks to my older brother, whose musical taste in the 1990's continues to inspire me and set the bar for my future.
Fronted by an island boy on steel pan, our music bridges cultures and experiences by sharing music through the lens that inspires us and makes us feel. Sheet music available for most original selections.
This compilation of calypso & reggae, featuring legends like Sugar Minott & Cedric Brooks, is perfect for the warmer weather. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 30, 2019