Music and the beach go together. Some just fits for unknown reasons (like Darko Rundek), other for more obvious reasons (like Bob Marley and Jimmy Buffett). But when it comes to the beach and the ocean, of style of music stands out ahead of all others, surf music. I have loved surf music ever since I first heard the deep guitar of Miserlou as a kid. So what I was expecting to hear when I played this CD was a lot different than what it actually is.

Primal Sky combines so many types of music, it’s hard to describe. My first impression was that of a New Age artist surfing in Mexico while listening to some acid jazz, and it works. It works fantastically.

The album Caballero Del Mar is one of the more relaxing albums I’ve listened to in a while. I could definitely see myself coming out of the ocean after riding some waves (if I lived somewhere that I could surf of course) and turning on some Primal Sky.

I was scared at first, the name of the band sounds sort of like a death metal band, but it is very misleading. Here is a sample of what you can expect. This song is called Flamenco Beach.

Here are some more posts about Beach Music;

• Bob Marley – No Woman No Cry video
• Bob Marley Album Burnin’ In the Library of Congress
• Darko Rundek Beach Music
• 10 Questions for Jimmy Buffett

1. The Baths – Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

Snorkeling, caves, grotto’s and beautiful sandy beaches are what you can expect at The Baths in BVI. The giant boulders have created a type of maze to walk through.

2. Flamenco Beach – Culebra Island, Puerto Rico

Tropical forests, beaches, nature, turtles. What more could you want from an exotic island. Much of Culebra Island is protected, for wildlife, plants, and historic monuments.

3. Flic en Flac – Mauritius

Flic en Flac is a small village on the West Coast of Mauritius. Of course, it has the required white sand beaches, and it also has a blue lagoon.

4. Copacabana – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Before you start trying to sing some Barry Manilow, this isn’t the nightclub, but the beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is the opposite of a quiet village, and is one of the party capitals of the world.

5. Playa Tamarindo – Costa Rica

If you want to get away, go to Playa Tamarindo Costa Rica. The jungle looks like it comes right up to the beach. The sea turtles love it so much, they come back every year to make more sea turtles.

Come back for the next five exotic beaches on the list.

However, the Newport Folk Festival this year has some acts that I’d really like to see. Like The Black Crowes, Trey Anastasio from Phish, Stephen & Damian Marley (sons of Bob Marley), and my favorite, Jimmy Buffett.

Wow, the Marley’s and Jimmy Buffett in Newport. I love it. Last time we were there, we went out in the bay in my uncle’s boat and saw just a tiny bit of the Newport Jazz Festival.

I’d love to go out this year for the Folk Fest. Nothing would be better than sitting on a boat in Narragansett Bay, listening to the Marley’s and Jimmy Buffett.

By the way, if you’ve never been to Rhode Island, because it’s a small state you are never far from the beach, especially if you go to Newport, Middletown or Portsmouth. They are all on Aquidneck Island, and you are never more than a few minutes from the beach, from downtown, from shopping (if you are in to that sort of thing) or historical places.

If you want to go, you can buy tickets at the link above. If you do go, tell me about it in the comments.

I love this version of “No Woman No Cry.” It’s slowed down a bit, and it just has a groove that you can’t beat. Since they can’t use Bob Marley’s music in the movie No Woman No Cry about the book of the same title by Rita Marley, I guess we’ll have to put together our own soundtrack.

Luckily, unlike the whole Verizon ringtone deal, this has support of the Marley family, and Ziggy Marley will be one of the producers of the film.

The Library chooses a small number of recordings every year, they are based on historical, artistic and cultural importance. This is a big deal to many people. Rita Marley said “The album Burnin’ was the work of prophets.” For it to be preserved forever sort of justifies their belief about Bob Marley.

The album itself is great. It includes ‘Get up, Stand Up,’ ‘Rastaman Chant’ and ‘I Shot the Sheriff.’ It was a work of not only Bob Marley, but the rest of the Wailers. Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer all sang lead vocals and contributed to the album.

Here is an mp3 of Bob Marley’s ‘Get Up, Stand Up’

One guy that I listen to that does remind me of lazy days by the beach is Darko Rundek. He’s from Croatia, but his music has influences from all over the world. It reminds me of Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project. Not in sound, but in influence. Reggae, South American, Croatian, Balkan, African. It’s all in there somewhere. Here is one of my favorite:

This is off of the album U Sirokom Svijetu. (I can’t find this anywhere for sale). My favorite album is Ruke.

So I do listen to something besides Buffett and Marley.

THE Anglican church in Jamaica will include the lyrics of songs rendered by two of the country’s most famed reggae artistes – Bob Marley and Peter Tosh – in the next publication of its church hymnal due by the end of the year.

Rector of the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Rev Canon Ernle Gordon, made the announcement yesterday at the 2007 Michael Manley awards function for community self-reliance at the Little Theatre in Kingston.

Gordon, speaking with the Observer after the awards, said the songs will be Tosh’s version of Psalm 27 and Marley’s internationally acclaimed One Love, but he said the use of reggae rhythms in the Anglican Church was nothing new.
“We’ve been having reggae and mento masses for 25 years,” he said, noting that One Love was used in an ordination service at the St Andrew Parish Church two years ago.

The reason behind incorporating what is generally referred to in Christendom as secular music into the church book of hymns, said Rev Gordon, was the need to establish a Caribbean interpretation of theology.
“I don’t live in England; I live here, so my theology and how I think must reflect my cultural morals. The theology has to be Caribbean-oriented. You have to interpret the Bible according to where you are,” he said. “The church in Jamaica is out of date,” he added.

At the same time, Gordon said the use of the reggae rhythms was not secular, since Anglican theology does not separate the sacred and the secular.

However, the rector made it clear that the emerging genre referred to as reggae gospel was different from what the Anglican church was doing. The difference, he said, boiled down to the words that are used in each case.
“We make it clear that the words we use are correct theology and that they are catholic theology. We even have the Lord’s prayer in mento. (but) whether we use ancient words or not, we make certain that the words relate to the Bible and to our own Anglican interpretation of it,” said Gordon.

Gordon said, too, that unlike many of the proponents of gospel reggae, the Anglican church does not use music for entertainment, but as an offering to God.

“We move our bodies to the songs because we are beings of spirit,” he said. At the same time, he blamed the interpretation of the Bible to which the majority of the Christian world now subscribes for much of the divergent beliefs that exist among the various denominations in Jamaica.

“We have to pick from the Bible and relate it to society. We have to do more expository preaching where we teach and educate the congregation,” said Gordon.

I’m not sure I agree with what Rev Gordon believes about changing theology. I think the culture around you can influence your worship (such as music choices) and your understanding, but it shouldn’t change your theology. Maybe that’s just the preacher’s kid in me, but Christian church theology is handed down straight from the Apostle Paul.

However, I love the music of Bob Marley, and no one can deny that his is religious music. The debate comes from mixing to different religions, Rastafarian and Anglican. I’d love to hear your comments about this.

Anyway, enough about controversial subjects like theology and church. One Love by Bob Marley is off of one of the greatest albums of the last century, Exodus. Take a listen to it and see what you think;

If you liked it, you can get it over at Amazon.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any Peter Tosh to share, but I would like to hear his version of Psalm 27.

What do you think? It’s like Vanilla Ice and Queen all over again. Except Vanilla Ice sucks, and Bob Marley rocks. The Banana Splits aired from 1968 until 1970. It was one of the first drug induced Sid and Marty Krofft Saturday morning kid shows. “Buffalo Soldiers” was written by Bob Marley in 1980 and released posthumously in 1983 on the album “Confrontation.” Although Banana Splits was an American show, Marley probably would have seen reruns when he was in America.

I know that being a musician myself, sometimes when you write music, you come up with and awesome line. A melody that you just can’t believe you came up with. It sounds so great. Then, it starts to sound familiar. I’ve done that before and ended up stealing a line from Journey of all bands. It’s tough.

There is nothing new under the sun, and music doubly so. Even John William of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park and Jaws fame has taken themes from classical music. With only eight notes in a scale, it’s hard to come up with something completely new.

So what do you think, did Bob Marley steal from the Banana Splits, or is just a coincidence?

Jimmy has his own day!! The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has passed Resolution 333, which names June 23rd as “Jimmy Buffett Day.” That is awesome.