Ska

Toots Hibbert, frontman and lead vocalist of Toots & The Maytals, passed away a few days ago so tonight we're honoring his music and exploring the music that was influenced by Toots and the Maytals.

Once again, a show prompted by a memorial. This session of Bridging the Gap is going to be an upbeat collection of Ska, Reggae and Rocksteady music paying tribute to singer Millie Small who broke-through with her hit "My Boy Lollipop". She passed away yesterday at the age of 72.

While our beloved captain of the Bridging The Gap team is off galavanting in the Nihon motherland, I've decided to commemorate the veteran DJ himself by curating tonight's show in his honor. Every song in tonight's show is a song or artist I have been turned on to by sassy-pants himself, either from his old KTUH show "The Jet Set," or from Bridging The Gap, or his various club sets over the years. In a way, it'll be like he never left...

Besides her obvious penchant for alliteration, DJ Mermaid also loves soul music so tonight's show is full of it. Featuring tracks from classic soul, to neo-soul, with a sprinkling of ska.

A collection of island-inspired summer beach vibes. An ecclectic mix of reggae, ska, indie-electro, and rock. Perfect for a hot, summer day, lying on the beach. Some of the local tracks are songs that DJ Mermaid grew up with, including the Hawaiian Style Band, who's hosting our upcoming Talk Story event with members of the original Hawaiian Style Band.

Exploring a mixture of Jamaican Ska, Reggae & Dancehall with a spotlight on dancehall legend Sister Nancy ahead of her show at the Blue Note tomorrow.

Tomorrow night (Friday) I'm DJing a very rare Ska/Dancehall/Calypso set at Downbeat Lounge in Oahu's Chinatown for 1st Friday.  So I'm talking tonight's show to play some favorites from one of my 1st musical loves... and mixing in some Ska, classic Dancehall, and some Calypso.

This Saturday on Bridging the Gap, I’m playing an afro-funky mix of music ahead of my opening set for KCRW's Jeremy Sole.  We'll hear tasty selections of Afro-beat, ska, cumbia, and a little streel drum disco.

Tonight's show will revolve around Ska music, both old and new, and woven into Jazz, Soul, and Latin Music. 

This show is dedicated to Go Jimmy Go, who are playing their last show next week Saturday at the Republik. More info and tickets can be found HERE.

Tonight's show will skip through classic soul in the first hour, then weave through the roots of Jamaican music onto gems from West Africa. Always Eclectic- Always Hawaii Public Radio!