George Moxey Plays Music for Dancing (feat. Ernest Ranglin)

George Moxey, "King of the Ivories", the legendary pianist of the Caribbean.

Moxey is the leading pianist of the Jamaican dance music since the 1930s, and this is the only jazz album he recorded in the 1960s.

George Moxey has been pivotal in the making of the Jamaican dance music since the 1930s, teaching local musicians and has been praised as "Uncle George". Born in Nassau, the capital of Bahamas, Moxey moved to Jamaica in the 1930s where he formed and led an 8-piece band since 1939. His band took a big part in developing the local ballrooms and radio stations, therefore by the 1950s, he was a vital musician in the Kingston music scene.

This is a lounge style Caribbean jazz by himself and the Ernest Ranglin trio. By the young Ranglin at the time, Moxey must have appeared like a giant although the trio's performances beautifully support Moxey at all times. It would be hard not to pay attention to the combination of this piano and guitar geniuses, the whole album is mainly constructed with the traditional calypso and jazz standards, though it also contains solo piano and organ ballads as well. As Moxey used to play organs for churches, it's interesting how you can hear bits and pieces of those influences in his music, however it may be difficult to separate the churches and bibles with the background of Jamaican music.

After leaving Jamaica, George Moxey became an ambassador of the Caribbean music and by the 50s he already had become a legend there. This sound is the zest of the good ole' days, and from this background Jamaican music will develop into Ska, Reggae, to modern Ragga. Everything has its own roots, so has Jamaican music.

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Produced By:Ken Khouri

Recorded At:Federal Studio

Engineered By:Richard Khouri

Musicians:Lead Guitar: Ernest Ranglin, Piano: George Moxey