Guitarist Dwight Pinkney.
Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
Covering Marley songs is nothing new. Picking, in more ways than one, through personal memories of the 'Gong' and presenting his melodies stripped of lead vocal lyrics is another matter.
That is what guitarist Dwight Pinkney, who received an Honour Award at the most recent International Reggae and World Music Awards in New York, has done on his new album, Dwight Pinkney Picks Marley Memories.
"It has been in the making from in the '60s really," Pinkney said about the 13-song set. "One of the songs on it was co-composed by The Sharks (the band that he started out with), although we did not get any credit. It was at Coxsone's studio. Coxsone assigned as studio band," he said.
Solo guitarist
So The Sharks did 'Put It On' with The Wailers and, four decades later, Pinkney 'picks' the melody in solo guitarist mode. The 'pick' in the album's title refers to not only the guitar work but also to actually choosing the songs.
"Everybody says this play Marley, that play Marley - they call me Pickney," the guitarist said, laughing at the corruption of his name. "Everything just fits."
A number of the songs were presented on previous albums, including Screwface, Trench Town Rock and Waiting in Vain, while work to complete the set started some nine months ago. One Love, Jammin', Nice Time, No Woman No Cry and Redemption Song are among those done specifically for this project. It is produced by Pinkney, Keith Francis and Grub Cooper, who played on the set with Sly Dunbar, Aubrey Manning, Carl Ayton, Ansel Collins, Earl Fitzsimmonds, David Madden, Romeo Gray, Steve Golding and Sticky Thompson, among others.
Straight reproduction
Pinkney said he went for a "straight reproduction in terms of the guitar and even the rhythm. A lot of people cover Marley songs, but they put personal interpretation over the authenticity of how Bob would do it. Everyone has their own choice, but to me it does not do the true kind of justice to the song and the writer. I think if I am doing a tribute to Bob I should do it as close to the original as he would".
Staying true to the original applies not only to the lead instrument, but all of the music. So the trio of percussive instruments which is featured throughout Jammin' is faithfully reproduced. "That is just an example of how I tried to reproduce the authenticity. The feel of the music, that is what a lot of people covering Marley songs often cannot reproduce. That is a very important aspect of the music, the feel," he said.
It was also important for Pinkney to present a wide span of Marley's career, hence the inclusion of Let Him Go, a very early song which is not as well known as many of the others. "I wanted to span the career of the Marley expression. That is one of the early Marley. It was even earlier than Screwface," Pinkney said.
And there was no intimidation as he approached the anthemic Redemption Song. "What gave me the confidence in expressing the melodies was to keep them as true to the original as I could have expressed it. It is not Pinkney change Marley melodies, it is Pinkney picks," he said.
Currently, he is working on two albums by Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes and Affiliates members, Charmaine Limonious and Althea 'Di Chick' Hewitt, as well as singles by persons, such as Ras Mannaseh. And he is satisfied with his picking of Marley's melodies, both in terms of choice and guitar playing.
"I don't think him would be snobbish if him hear me play his songs. I know him woulda put han' at him jaw an say 'gwaan Dwight'," Pinkney said, putting his hand to his chin in an imitation of the famous Marley pose.
