multi-media artist Jason Wilson‘s catalogue reissue series via Wheel Records/Proper Music Distribution continues on Sept. 25 with 2000’s JONAH, recorded with his band Tabarruk and nominated for a JUNO Award for Best Reggae Recording. Featuring collaborations with longtime UB40 keyboardist Mickey Virtue, the 12-track collection is based loosely on the biblical story of Jonah and the whale, and its moral lesson to examine the consequences of our life choices and take appropriate action where necessary.
About Jason Wilson:
Since the early 1990s, Jason Wilson has been able to balance his academic and writing pursuits with a musical career that began with the internationally successful reggae band Tabarruk, whose debut album featured a guest appearance by Alanis Morrissette. Wilson’s subsequent profile in the reggae field led him to work closely with Jamaican-Canadian reggae pioneer Jackie Mittoo, as well as recording and performing with UB40. Wilson has also collaborated with the legendary Jamaican guitarist Ernest Ranglin and James Brown/Van Morrison saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis. Now an Adjunct-Professor of History at the University of Guelph, Wilson’s latest book is a history of Canadian reggae entitled King Alpha’s Song In A Strange Land (UBC Press). Wilson’s life in music and beyond has been profiled on CBC’s The National and on BBC Radio.
Quote from Jason Wilson:
“Artists are often looking forward, resolutely searching for the next idea and imagining how it might be realized. Every once in a while, though, we are compelled to set our gaze behind us. This pandemic has forced many of us to do just that. And with this, we thought it was time to share these four earlier albums, which cover the ten-year period from 1998 through 2008. The process of preparing them has been immensely enjoyable and has brought back many outstanding memories. Maybe they’ll do the same for you or — it is hoped — they might help us make some new ones too!”
