I’ve had the pleasure for seeing The Skatalites twice in the early 90s with many of the founding members including singer Doreen Shaffer and bassist Lloyd Brevett. Seeing the band play at the old 9:30 Club was the one of the highlights of my youth. My friends and I hopped and skanked all night to the rock steady rhythms, hypnotic bass lines and blaring horns. While only Doreen remains now from the original line-up, the band continues. As members leave, they are replaced by new, younger musicians and the sound persists. The band continues to play the same songs and melodies that have passed thru all the various waves of ska. The Skatalites is not only the individuals that make up the band but a wider sonic ska entity that moves thru the generations. If I had a theme song it would be “Guns of Navarone”. Enjoy.