READING - Paris Gig Review

Johnny Clarke + Mafia & Fluxy / Baobab / Paris, December 9th 1998
Review and article by Steve Barrow
Reproduced by permission of the Author.

Billtopper Johnny Clarke was part of the triumvirate - alongside Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs - of solo singers than ran the Jamaican dancehalls hot in the period 1974-1980. Although he had releases on a major label, Virgin, in the 1970s, he is the least recognised of the three. This is partly because of his low profile - in Jamaican terms such a profile amounts to a virtual absence - on the scene during the eighties, and partly because he is often saddled with the tag 'do-over man', reflecting the number of covers he cut for producer Bunny Lee in the 1970s.
Setting aside the fact that Lee's do-overs were incredibly successful at the time, this tag not only ignores the fine roots and dancehall originals Johnny actually made, it also underestimates the quality of his singing. Happily today this has resolved firmly in his favour; not only has he been underexposed to an international audience, but also both his flexible tenor voice and vocal control have matured superbly. If anything Johnny Clarke is a better singer today than he was then; more importantly, he seems to have rediscovered his appetite for singing, both in person and on disc. He recorded a new album for Niney a couple of years ago; more fresh product will hopefully be available in 1999.

Johnny had last played Paris in late 1997 and 400 unlucky people had to be turned away because the venue in the Paris suburbs was completely rammed. This time he'd just flown in from London, after playing a huge festival in Kenya, appearing on a bill, which included Maxi Priest, Jah Shaka, and Lucky Dube. There, as in Paris, he was backed by the quartet of Leroy 'Mafia' Heywood (bass), Dave 'Fluxy' Heywood (drums), Carlton 'Bubbler' Ogilvie (keyboard), and Prince Stanley Andrew (guitar). Gussie P handled the live mix, completeing his fine tuning during the introductory instrumental from the band.

Due to a problem with drinking water in Africa, Johnny wasn't feeling too well - he'd actually vomited just before going on stage - but such is his professionalism that no one in the crowd noticed a thing as he jumped into his opener "King In The Arena". From then on, it was literally hit after hit - his second tune "None Shall Escape The Judgement" provoked an instant 'wheel up' - after which he took the crowd through a brief call-and-response pattern with his well-known vocal 'slurs'. The set continued with several covers including Marley's "Crazy Baldheads", the Heptones' "Baby", and Delano Stewart's "Rock With Me", with Mafia and crew delivering their propulsive version of the flying cymbal sound behind him. That led into a brilliant "Enter Into His Gates" that seemed to this listener to better the original record.

With the crowd by now giving maximum encouragment, Johnny launched into "Move Out Of Babylon" - and another wheel-up - complete with live dub section. After that, "Roots Natty Congo", "Every Knee Shall Bow", and "Babylon". At this point Johnny left the stage briefly, the audience screaming for more. He returned with his soulful cover of the Paragons "Left With A Broken Heart", one of the first songs he recorded for Bunny Lee 25 years ago. Then it was back to the originals - an extended "African Roots", sung with the crowd supplying backing chorus, an excellent "Play Fool Fe Catch Wise", with Johnny soaring beautifully over the tough steppers laid down by the band and mixed perfectly by Gussie P at the soundboard.

"Johnny Clarke and Mafia and Fluxy ROUGH!" said the singer, before his last song, a heartfelt "Blood Dunza". Then with a shout of "Guidance and protection!" he left the stage to prolonged applause. Mafia & Fluxy, Stanley and Bubblers finished up with a crowd-pleasing display on the same rhythm, with Fluxy playing on Mafia's bass strings with his drum sticks, and it then was all over for this time. As Johhny said to me after the show as a French TV crew filmed the muiscians packing up their instruments, "Next time in Paris gonna be greater!" Given his performance and the warmth of his audience's response to it, that next time will be sooner rather than later.

Steve Barrow / January 1999