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A 15-hour tribute to the influential Japanese songwriter, Haruomi Hosono, known from his prolific productions and work in the electronic trio, Yellow Magic Orchestra. Expect mixes exploring his career and adjacent music from NTS' most dedicated Hosono-philes.

Lynn Taitt & The Jets

Lynn Taitt & The Jets

Lynn Taitt & The Jets has been played on NTS over 10 times, featured on 13 episodes and was first played on 11 October 2015.

Lynn Taitt (Nerlynn Taitt, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, 22 June 1934 – 20 January 2010) was a guitarist closely associated with Jamaican rocksteady music.

Lynn Taitt got his start as a musician playing in local Trinidadian steel drum bands, before taking up the guitar aged 14. He formed his own band, which was booked by Byron Lee to perform at the 1962 independence celebrations in Jamaica. Taitt decided to stay in Jamaica, living in Kingston, and played in a number of bands including The Sheiks, The Cavaliers, and The Comets, and worked with Baba Brooks, The Skatalites and Tommy McCook and the Supersonics. The most successful of his groups was The Jets, formed in 1966 and which included Hux Brown, Headley Bennett, Hopeton Lewis, Gladstone Anderson, and Winston Wright. Taitt's guitar style was inventive and unconventional, with a sharp percussive sound that accented the rocksteady beat. Lynn Taitt and the Jets played on hundreds of recording sessions for Jamaican producers such as Bunny Lee, Duke Reid, Joe Gibbs, Coxsone Dodd, and Sonia Pottinger, often performing up to five sessions a day. Their recording of "Take It Easy" was one of the first rocksteady singles and it reached number one in the Jamaican singles chart.

Taitt's contribution to Jamaican popular music includes his role as arranger and session leader for many of the recordings that he appeared on. He has been credited as having created the first rocksteady bassline, on the song "Take It Easy" by Hopeton Lewis. Various other Jamaican recordings have been cited as the "first" rocksteady release such as Alton Ellis & the Flames' "Girl I've Got a Date", and the Derrick Morgan rude boy anthem "Tougher Than Tough" with Lynn Taitt playing guitar on all of three.

Taitt emigrated to Toronto, Canada in August 1968, to take up the position of arranger for the house band at the West Indian Federated Club. Although he left Jamaica just before the rise of reggae, his playing was a strong influence on musicians such as Hux Brown who adapted Taitt's approach to the newer reggae style. Taitt's work can be heard on various 60s recordings by Derrick Morgan, Desmond Dekker, Lee Perry, Ken Boothe, Bob Marley and Joe Higgs, among others. He recorded with Johnny Nash on some of the latter's international hits, including "Cupid" and "Hold Me Tight".

Taitt remained active as a musician in Montreal, having recorded with such acts as The Kingpins ("Let's Go To Work" CD 1999) as well as performing live with the Montreal Ska All Stars and at the Montreal International Jazz Festival with The Jets (2002) and the Fabulous LoLo sings Rocksteady (2006).

He was the subject of the 2006 documentary Lynn Taitt: Rocksteady, directed by Generoso Fierro, and another titled Ruff 'n' Tuff.

Taitt died on 20 January 2010 after a long battle with cancer. His death was recorded in Montreal, Canada, at the age of 75.

Discography Glad Sounds (1968), Bigshot (Gladdy with Lynn Taitt & the Jets) Rock Steady: Greatest Hits (1968), Merritone (Lynn Taitt & the Jets) Hold Me Tight: Anthology 65-73 (2005), Trojan

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Lynn Taitt & The Jets

Lynn Taitt & The Jets has been played on NTS over 10 times, featured on 13 episodes and was first played on 11 October 2015.

Lynn Taitt (Nerlynn Taitt, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, 22 June 1934 – 20 January 2010) was a guitarist closely associated with Jamaican rocksteady music.

Lynn Taitt got his start as a musician playing in local Trinidadian steel drum bands, before taking up the guitar aged 14. He formed his own band, which was booked by Byron Lee to perform at the 1962 independence celebrations in Jamaica. Taitt decided to stay in Jamaica, living in Kingston, and played in a number of bands including The Sheiks, The Cavaliers, and The Comets, and worked with Baba Brooks, The Skatalites and Tommy McCook and the Supersonics. The most successful of his groups was The Jets, formed in 1966 and which included Hux Brown, Headley Bennett, Hopeton Lewis, Gladstone Anderson, and Winston Wright. Taitt's guitar style was inventive and unconventional, with a sharp percussive sound that accented the rocksteady beat. Lynn Taitt and the Jets played on hundreds of recording sessions for Jamaican producers such as Bunny Lee, Duke Reid, Joe Gibbs, Coxsone Dodd, and Sonia Pottinger, often performing up to five sessions a day. Their recording of "Take It Easy" was one of the first rocksteady singles and it reached number one in the Jamaican singles chart.

Taitt's contribution to Jamaican popular music includes his role as arranger and session leader for many of the recordings that he appeared on. He has been credited as having created the first rocksteady bassline, on the song "Take It Easy" by Hopeton Lewis. Various other Jamaican recordings have been cited as the "first" rocksteady release such as Alton Ellis & the Flames' "Girl I've Got a Date", and the Derrick Morgan rude boy anthem "Tougher Than Tough" with Lynn Taitt playing guitar on all of three.

Taitt emigrated to Toronto, Canada in August 1968, to take up the position of arranger for the house band at the West Indian Federated Club. Although he left Jamaica just before the rise of reggae, his playing was a strong influence on musicians such as Hux Brown who adapted Taitt's approach to the newer reggae style. Taitt's work can be heard on various 60s recordings by Derrick Morgan, Desmond Dekker, Lee Perry, Ken Boothe, Bob Marley and Joe Higgs, among others. He recorded with Johnny Nash on some of the latter's international hits, including "Cupid" and "Hold Me Tight".

Taitt remained active as a musician in Montreal, having recorded with such acts as The Kingpins ("Let's Go To Work" CD 1999) as well as performing live with the Montreal Ska All Stars and at the Montreal International Jazz Festival with The Jets (2002) and the Fabulous LoLo sings Rocksteady (2006).

He was the subject of the 2006 documentary Lynn Taitt: Rocksteady, directed by Generoso Fierro, and another titled Ruff 'n' Tuff.

Taitt died on 20 January 2010 after a long battle with cancer. His death was recorded in Montreal, Canada, at the age of 75.

Discography Glad Sounds (1968), Bigshot (Gladdy with Lynn Taitt & the Jets) Rock Steady: Greatest Hits (1968), Merritone (Lynn Taitt & the Jets) Hold Me Tight: Anthology 65-73 (2005), Trojan

Original source Last.fm

Tracks featured on

Most played tracks

It's Hard To Confess
The Gaylads, Lyn Taitt & The Jets
Rainbow1968
Merry Christmas
The Kingstonians, Lyn Taitt & The Jets
JJ Records1967
The Retreat Song Jikele Maweni
Patsy, Linnie Hibbert (Vipes), Lyn Tate & The Jets
Gay Feet, Dub Store Records2017
That's Life
Delano Stewart, Lyn Taitt & The Jets
High Note1968
I Need Your Loving
The Gaylads, Lyn Taitt & The Jets
Rainbow1968
Puppet On A String
Lyn Taitt And The Jets
Merritone1967
Soul Food
Lynn Tait & The Jets
Pama Records1968
Cool It
Dermot Lynch, Lyn Taitt And The Jets
Doctor Bird1968
To Sir With Love
Lynn Taitt & The Jets
Merritone1967
Napoleon Solo
Lynn Tatt & The Jets
Trojan Records1976