Drumquestra Out 6/2 On MCPR Music, Features Toots Hibbert
“Head Over Heels" Single Featuring Dollarman Out 4/7
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Jamaican percussion master and legendary reggae sideman Larry McDonald will release his album Drumquestra, the first solo record of his four-decade career, on June 2 via MCPR Music. The album was produced by Sidney Mills (Sly & Robbie, Steel Pulse).
Drumquestra is a wonderfully unabashed drum album: 15 tracks of reggae, dub and world music featuring Larry McDonald and his drum orchestra playing over 20 different percussive instruments. Songs like “Drumquestra" and “Mento In 3" showcase the primal elements of ancient melodies and rhythms that have shaped modern music. If you think that the tribal “Drumquestra" sounds like it was recorded in a jungle, you'd be right: Larry, his drum orchestra, and dueling scat vocalists Anjali and Richie Paray recorded the song in the Green Grotto caves at Runaway Bay on Jamaica's north coast.
The album is song-driven as well, featuring Toots Hibbert (Toots and The Maytals) along with Ras Tesfa, Shaza, Dollarman and Mutabaruka on reggae, dub and dance-infused tracks. The first single, “Head Over Heels," is a dance-hall slow burner with Dollarman on vocals; McDonald and his drummers bring the dense reggae beat front and center with congas and marimba.
Larry McDonald has worked with Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Bad Brains, Gil Scott-Heron and many more luminaries in his 40-year career. He is also a founding member of NYC-based bands The Rocksteady 7 and Dub Is A Weapon.
Check the single “Head Over Heels" now:
