Cedric "Im" Brooks (27 April 1943 – 3 May 2013) was a Jamaican saxophonist, flautist, and influential figure in reggae, jazz, and Rastafarian music. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, he grew up in Denham Town near Trench Town, in a household influenced by both church and secular music, including trumpeter Baba Brooks. At age 11, he enrolled at the Alpha Boys School, a renowned institution for nurturing Jamaican musical talent, where he studied music theory and clarinet, later mastering the tenor saxophone and flute.In the early 1960s, Brooks played with groups like The Vagabonds and the Granville Williams Band. His first major success came in the late 1960s as part of the duo Im & David with trumpeter David Madden, releasing instrumental singles for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd’s Studio One label. He became a key session musician at Studio One, contributing to tracks that shaped Jamaica’s musical heritage alongside artists like Ernest Ranglin and Jackie Mittoo.In 1970, Brooks collaborated with Rastafarian drummer Count Ossie, forming The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, where he served as musical director and horn section leader. Their triple-LP Grounation blended nyabinghi drumming with jazz and reggae, becoming a landmark release. In 1974, he founded The Divine Light (later The Light of Saba), exploring Jamaican music’s evolution from mento to reggae in albums like From Mento to Reggae to Third World Music (1975) and The Light of Saba (1974). His 1977 solo album Im Flash Forward, built on Studio One rhythms, is considered a pinnacle of Jamaican instrumental music.Brooks’ music fused reggae, jazz, calypso, funk, Afro-beat, and nyabinghi, drawing inspiration from avant-garde artists like Sun Ra and Fela Kuti. His spiritual Rastafarian beliefs shaped his work, evident in tracks like “Blackness of Darkness” and “African Calling” from his 1977 album One Essence. In the 1980s and 1990s, he worked as a session musician, including with Carlos Malcolm’s ska and mento orchestra in 1998. After the death of Skatalites’ saxophonist Rolando Alphonso in 1999, Brooks joined The Skatalites.He moved to the U.S. in the 1960s for college and later settled there permanently. Brooks died of cardiac arrest on 3 May 2013 in Queens, New York. His discography includes influential albums like United Africa (1978) and singles such as “Mun Dun Go” (1970), celebrated for their rare and innovative sound.
"Smiley" is an instrumental track by Jamaican saxophonist and flautist Cedric "Im" Brooks, released in 1972 on Clement "Coxsone" Dodd’s Studio One label. It is built on the College Rock Riddim, a seminal reggae rhythm derived from Eddie Floyd’s Stax soul hit "I’ve Never Found A Girl." The riddim, crafted by Studio One’s house musicians (likely spearheaded by keyboardist Jackie Mittoo), is characterized by a faster tempo than the original soul track, driven by prominent bass and rhythm guitar rather than piano and drums. This gave "College Rock" a distinct reggae feel, making it a versatile foundation for multiple artists.
Details of "Smiley":
Musical Style: "Smiley" showcases Brooks’ signature tenor saxophone, delivering a melodic, expressive performance over the College Rock Riddim. The track blends reggae’s laid-back groove with jazz-inflected phrasing, reflecting Brooks’ ability to fuse genres. Its smooth, soulful saxophone lines evoke a reflective, uplifting mood, aligning with his Rastafarian-inspired approach to music.
Production: Recorded at Studio One’s Brentford Road studio, "Smiley" benefits from the label’s crisp production and tight musicianship, featuring members of the Sound Dimension band. The track emphasizes Brooks’ improvisational skill, with the riddim’s steady bassline and guitar chops providing a solid backdrop for his horn work.
Significance: Described as a “beautiful” instrumental, "Smiley" stands out for its emotive saxophone and its place within the College Rock Riddim’s catalog of classics. It complements other notable tracks on the riddim, such as Jackie Mittoo’s “Freak Out,” Prince Jazzbo’s “School,” and Jennifer Lara’s “Ain’t No Love.”
Origin: Created in 1972 by Coxsone Dodd, the College Rock Riddim repurposes the chord progression of Eddie Floyd’s soul hit into a reggae framework. Its driving bass and rhythm guitar make it distinct, and it became a cornerstone of Studio One’s output.
Cultural and Musical Impact: "Smiley" reflects Brooks’ broader musical vision, influenced by avant-garde artists like Sun Ra, whose experimental jazz and African rhythms inspired Brooks’ multi-rhythmic, spiritually charged style. The track’s place on the College Rock Riddim underscores his ability to elevate a familiar rhythm with his distinctive saxophone voice, contributing to the riddim’s legacy as a platform for both vocal and instrumental innovation.
This track encapsulates Cedric Brooks’ role as a reggae-jazz pioneer, using the College Rock Riddim to deliver a soulful, instrumental gem that resonates with fans of roots reggae and beyond.
The Light of Saba
Cedric "Im" Brooks formed The Divine Light in 1974, later renamed The Light of Saba, a group pivotal in blending Jamaica's musical traditions with global influences. The band built on the foundation laid by Brooks’ earlier work with The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, combining nyabinghi drumming, reggae, jazz, mento, calypso, and Afro-beat. Their seminal album, From Mento to Reggae to Third World Music (1975), traced the evolution of Jamaican music, featuring tracks like “Rebirth” and “Words of Wisdom” that showcased Brooks’ virtuosic tenor saxophone and flute alongside spiritual and cultural themes rooted in Rastafarianism. Another key release, The Light of Saba (1974), highlighted the band’s innovative sound, with intricate horn arrangements and rhythms that echoed African and Caribbean traditions. These recordings, often produced under Brooks’ own Sun Ship label, emphasized live, organic instrumentation, contrasting the increasingly electronic trends of 1970s reggae. The Light of Saba’s music was marked by its improvisational jazz elements and socially conscious lyrics, making it a cult favorite among collectors and fans of roots reggae and world music.
Interest in Sun Ra
Cedric Brooks’ fascination with Sun Ra, the avant-garde jazz composer and cosmic philosopher, deeply influenced his musical approach. Sun Ra’s blend of free jazz, African rhythms, and spiritual mysticism resonated with Brooks, who shared a similar interest in connecting music to African heritage and cosmic consciousness. Brooks was drawn to Sun Ra’s experimentalism, particularly his use of unconventional instrumentation and polyrhythms, which mirrored Brooks’ own explorations in nyabinghi and jazz fusion. This influence is evident in The Light of Saba’s complex arrangements and Brooks’ solo work, such as One Essence (1977), where tracks like “Africa” and “Blackness of Darkness” reflect a Sun Ra-esque blend of improvisation, spiritual depth, and Afrocentric themes. Brooks’ time in the U.S. during the 1960s, studying music and encountering jazz scenes, likely exposed him to Sun Ra’s Arkestra performances, further shaping his vision of music as a vehicle for cultural and spiritual liberation. His incorporation of flute and clarinet alongside saxophone also paralleled Sun Ra’s multi-instrumental approach, adding textural diversity to his recordings.
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