Jungle Music

Jungle Music is a song by Rico Rodriguez, first released in February 1982 on a 2Tone single. Still 20 years after the first release this track is pure pleasure and remains a wonderful piece of music. Jerry Dammers and Dick Cuthell explored the music they just started to develop and that was resulting two years later in their most famous piece, the "Nelson Mandela" single: "Jungle Music" is more high life than reggae, but still reggae - and Rico manages to play solo trombone and singing and assembling the different styles. Perfect. 
 
George Marshall wrote in 1990: "Jungle Music could have come straight out of Walt Disney's Jungle Book let alone Walt Jabsco's stable (a compliment from a big fan of the film's music), and was Rico's most commercial released to date. He even put his trombone down often enough to supply the vocals. ... Of all the 2Tone records not making the charts, the colourful Jungle Music has the right to feel most hard done by. Still, the public's loss was the true fan's gain." (The Two Tone Story, p. 79) 
 
The song was later renamed and re-arranged and is still played in life performances of the musician. In 1982 he appeared as "What You Talkin' Bout" and in 1994 the song was released on Rico's live CD You Must Be Crazy as "Jungle Beat".
==First recording==
1982, produced by Jerry Dammers, UK with
*Rico Rodriguez (trombone, voc)
 
The Special AKA
*Jerry Dammers
*John "Brad" Bradbury
*Dick Cuthell
*Anthony Wymhurst (g)
*Satch Dixon
*Groco (perc)
*Horace Panter 
===Release history===
1982:
*Rico & The Special AKA: "Jungle Music" b/w "Rasta Call You" (7": 2Tone CHSTT19 /UK), released on 2 February 1982
*Rico & The Special AKA: "Jungle Music" b/w "Rasta Call You" / "Easter Island" (12": 2Tone CHSTT1219 /UK)
*Rico & The Special AKA: "Junge Music" b/w "Rasta Call You" (7": 2Tone /Chrysalis 104 205 /DE)
*Rico & The Special AKA: "Junge Music" b/w "Rasta Call You" (7": 2Tone K-8679 /Australia); a certain Matthews gets credits on this release
*Rico & The Special AKA: "Junge Music" b/w "Rasta Call You" (7": 2Tone CHSTT19 /Ireland)
 
For details see: 2-Tone.info
==Second recording==
Live in 1982 (?)
===Release history===
1982:
*"What You're Talkin' Bout", track on V.A.: Music And Rhythm (2LP: WEA)
==Third recording==
On 29 March 1994 Rico recorded the song with his band live at FZW, Dortmund, Germany with Euromobile by Peter Brandt. Mixed and produced by H.P. Setter at T´Bwana Studio, Dortmund. Mastered by John Cremer at EMI, Köln 
 
Credits:
*Rico Rodriguez (trombone, vocals) 
*Eddie "Tantan" Thornton (trumpet) 
*Michael "Bammie" Rose (saxophone, flute) 
*Tony "Grocho" Uter (percussion) 
*Chris Hewie (keyboards) 
*Michael Jaques (guitar) 
*Kelvin Nash (bass) 
*Julian Rout (drums) 
===Release history===
1994:
*"Jungle Beat" (7:33), 3rd track on: Rico & His Band: You Must Be Crazy (CD: T'bwana TBS CD 10 /Grover Records GRO-CD 002 /DE)
1999:
**"Jungle Beat" (7:33), 3rd track on: Rico & His Band: You Must Be Crazy (CD: Grover Records GRO-CD 002 /DE); same CD with an uplifted layout.
==Fourth recording==
Recorded live on 11 Nov. 2000 at "El Sotano" and on 20 Oct. 2001 at "Niceto Club", Buenos Aires, Argentina 
Exec. production: Sebastian Paradisi, Oscar Martin Cueto, Jose Luis Gutierrez, Alejandro Paradiso for Jama Roots Records. 
Eng.: Pedro Pearson, ass.eng: Facundo Fernandez 
Mastering: Jose Luis Gutierrez at Fatty Records 
 
Credits: 
*Rico Rodriguez (tb, voc) 
 
Roots To The Bone Band: 
*Juan Velasquez (b) 
*Sebastian "Sebolla" Paradisi (dr) 
*Maneco Saez-Germain (g) 
*Tomas Pearson (g) 
*Dante Clementino (keyb) 
*Guillermo "La Hiena" Soriano (perc) 
*Hugo Lobo (tr) 
*Sergio Colombo (ts) 
===Release history===
2003:
*"Jungle Beat" (10:18), 8th track on Rico Rodriguez: Togetherness (CD: Jama Roots Records JMRTSCD 001 /Argentina) 
2006:
*re-release of the CD Togetherness on Delanuca Records
==Fifth Recording==
Recorded live in Jan. 2005 at Club Ska, London
===Credits===
*Rico (tb, voc)
*Eddie 'Tan Tan' Thornton (tp)
*The Pressure Tenants (band)
===Release history===
2005
 
as "Must Be Crazy (Reggae Beat)" on: Laurel Aitken & Friends: Live At Club Ska (2DVD-Video: Cherry Red CRDVD 93 /UK)