David Katz
Encyclopedia
David Katz is an author, music journalist, photographer, A&R consultant, disc jockey and reggae
historian, raised in the US but long resident in Britain.
Katz is author of People Funny Boy: The Genius of Lee "Scratch" Perry (first published by Canongate
in 2000, revised edition published by Omnibus in 2006, Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae (Bloomsbury, 2003), and Caribbean Lives: Jimmy Cliff
(MacMillan, 2011). He also contributed to the Rough Guide to Reggae of Steve Barrow
and Peter Dalton (Penguin
, 1997), A Tapestry of Jamaica (MacMillan Caribbean, 2003), I-Land Reggae: From Heartbeat to Revolution (Opo, France, 2004), Caribbean Popular Music: An Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady and Dancehall (Greenwood
, 2006), "Les Origins Du Reggae: Retour Aux Sources" (Harmattan
) and "Keep On Running: The Story of Island Records" (Island Trading Company, 2009). His writing and photographs have appeared in many international publications, including The Guardian
, The Telegraph, The Independent, Mojo
, Q
, The Wire
, XLR8R
, Rhythm, Wax Poetics
, Riddim, Sky Writings, Caribbean Beat
and Murder Dog. Katz has co-ordinated and annotated over 100 retrospective collections of Jamaican music for labels such as Island
, Universal
, Trojan
, Motion, Ariwa, Heartbeat
, Wall of Sound
, Nuphonic
, Strut
and Auralux, has released an original record in France, and has co-hosted reggae radio programmes on three continents for stations such as Kiss
, Xfm
, BBC 6 Music
, BBC Radio 2
, BBC Radio 3
, BBC Radio 4
, Mojo Radio, WBAI
, and KUSF
.
Katz has contributed to several radio and television documentaries, including Blood & Fire: Roots, Reggae, Rastafari (BBC Radio 2, 2007), Tighten Up: The Trojan Story (BBC Radio 2, 2006), Can’t Take It With You: Bob Marley (BBC Bristol, 2003), Pioneers: Lee Perry (Channel 4
, 2002), and Choice World Clubbing (BBC Choice
, 2000). He co-scripted the narration for Don Letts
and Rick Elgood's documentary Return of the Super Ape (Channel 4, 1997) and contributed to the feature documentaries Dub Stories (UWE, France, 2006) and Dub Echoes (Brazil, 2007). Katz also worked as an Associate Producer on the feature documentary The Upsetter: The Music And Genius of Lee Scratch Perry (Upsetter Films, 2008) and was a music consultant on the feature film Dreaming Lhasa (White Crane Films
, India/UK, 2005).
Katz holds a regular residency as a disc jockey, presenting his "Dub Me Always" nights at the Ritzy in Brixton
. He has also deejayed at the Jazz Cafe
with Aswad
and Horace Andy
, at the Hootenany with The Heptones
at the Royal Festival Hall
and Great Eastern Dining Room as part of the Lee Scratch Perry Meltdown, and at Momo
with Mad Professor
. He has also spun records at New York's NuBlu with Ras Kush and the Black Redemption Sound System, played in the Skaville Circus tent at Reggae Geel
in Belgium, and was a guest DJ on the Bingi night held at Bar Clandestino in Rio, and with DJ War at Il Porticcolo in Salento
, Italy, as well as at select functions in France for the I-Land Festival in 2004, for which he was also partly responsible for securing performances by King Jammy
, Admiral Bailey
, King Stitt
, Jim Brown
, the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari and others. He has also been involved in the "Reggae University" at the annual Rototom Sunsplash
Festival in Osoppo
, Italy, conducting workshops with Bunny Wailer
, Chris Blackwell
, The Skatalites
, Steel Pulse
Horace Andy
, Fully Fullwood, Junior Marvin
, Dean Fraser
, Etana
, Alborosie
, Jah Shaka
, Beenie Man
, David Rodigan
and Zion Train
, among others.
Katz has also given presentations about Jamaican music at the University of the West Indies
in Mona, Jamaica, and presented the final plenary, together with Sly Dunbar
, at the second International Reggae Conference held at UWI in February 2010. He also gave the closing plenary at the 6th symposium of the Centre for Caribbean Studies in Brazil (CECAB), held at the Federal University of Maranhao, Sao Luis, in November 2010, and addressed students at the University of Lecce in Italy in May 2011. He also lectured to students at Northern Kentucky University
's Cooperative Center For Study Abroad (CCSA
) programme, and at Community Music
in Whitechapel, London.
Originally from San Francisco, he has been a London resident for many years. Although some of his photographic work has been published, the music journalist David Katz should not be confused with the Obama campaign photographer of the same name, who resides in the USA. They are two different people.
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
historian, raised in the US but long resident in Britain.
Katz is author of People Funny Boy: The Genius of Lee "Scratch" Perry (first published by Canongate
Canongate Books
Canongate Books is a Scottish independent publishing firm based in Edinburgh; it is named for The Canongate, an area of the city. It is most recognised for publishing the Booker Prizewinner Life of Pi...
in 2000, revised edition published by Omnibus in 2006, Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae (Bloomsbury, 2003), and Caribbean Lives: Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
(MacMillan, 2011). He also contributed to the Rough Guide to Reggae of Steve Barrow
Steve Barrow
Steve Barrow is a British reggae historian, writer and producer.In 1993 he co-founded Blood and Fire, a UK based record label specialized in reissuing older Jamaican music...
and Peter Dalton (Penguin
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, 1997), A Tapestry of Jamaica (MacMillan Caribbean, 2003), I-Land Reggae: From Heartbeat to Revolution (Opo, France, 2004), Caribbean Popular Music: An Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady and Dancehall (Greenwood
Greenwood Publishing Group
Greenwood Publishing Group is an educational publisher and is part of ABC-CLIO. It publishes reference works under its Greenwood Press imprint, and scholarly, professional, and general interest books under Praeger Publishers...
, 2006), "Les Origins Du Reggae: Retour Aux Sources" (Harmattan
Harmattan
The Harmattan is a dry and dusty West African trade wind. It blows south from the Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March...
) and "Keep On Running: The Story of Island Records" (Island Trading Company, 2009). His writing and photographs have appeared in many international publications, including The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Telegraph, The Independent, Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
, Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
, The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
, XLR8R
XLR8R
XLR8R is a magazine and website thatcovers music, culture, style, and technology. It was founded as anewsprint ‘zine in 1993 by publisher Andrew Smith in Seattle; themagazine currently has offices in San Francisco and New York...
, Rhythm, Wax Poetics
Wax Poetics
Wax Poetics is a bimonthly American music magazine dedicated to vintage and contemporary jazz, funk, soul, Latin, hip-hop, reggae, blues, and R&B in the crate-digger tradition; the name of the magazine is itself an allusion to vinyl records....
, Riddim, Sky Writings, Caribbean Beat
Caribbean Beat
' is a bimonthly magazine, published in Port of Spain, Trinidad, covering the arts, culture and society of the Caribbean, with a focus on the region's English-speaking territories...
and Murder Dog. Katz has co-ordinated and annotated over 100 retrospective collections of Jamaican music for labels such as Island
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
, Universal
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
, Trojan
Trojan Records
Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica...
, Motion, Ariwa, Heartbeat
Heartbeat Records
Heartbeat Records is an independent record label based in Burlington , Massachusetts. The label specializes in Jamaican music. Founded by reggae music enthusiasts Bill Nowlin and Duncan Brown, the label's first release was a vinyl LP reissue of Linton Kwesi Johnson's Dread Beat an' Blood...
, Wall of Sound
Wall of Sound (record label)
Wall of Sound is an independent record label based in London, England. It is part of the [PIAS] Entertainment Group, a European independent music company....
, Nuphonic
Nuphonic
Nuphonic are a defunct independent record label that were based in London, England. The label was founded in 1994 by Sav Remzi and David Hill with the aim of releasing and promoting dance music that reflected their passion for Jazz, Funk, Soul and ethnic music...
, Strut
Strut
A strut is a structural component designed to resist longitudinal compression. Struts provide outwards-facing support in their lengthwise direction, which can be used to keep two other components separate, performing the opposite function of a tie...
and Auralux, has released an original record in France, and has co-hosted reggae radio programmes on three continents for stations such as Kiss
Kiss 100 London
Kiss is a UK radio station broadcasting on FM and Digital Radio, specialising in hip hop, R&B, urban and electronic dance music. It also broadcasts on DAB Digital Radio around the UK & nationally on Freeview, Sky and TalkTalk TV...
, Xfm
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
, BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....
, BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
, BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
, BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, Mojo Radio, WBAI
WBAI
WBAI, a part of the Pacifica Radio Network, is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station, broadcasting at 99.5 FM in New York City.Its programming is leftist/progressive, and a mixture of political news and opinion from a leftist perspective, tinged with aspects of its complex and varied...
, and KUSF
KUSF
KUSF was a non-commercial radio station licensed to San Francisco, California and owned by the University of San Francisco. From 1963 until 2011, the station broadcast at 90.3 FM MHz....
.
Katz has contributed to several radio and television documentaries, including Blood & Fire: Roots, Reggae, Rastafari (BBC Radio 2, 2007), Tighten Up: The Trojan Story (BBC Radio 2, 2006), Can’t Take It With You: Bob Marley (BBC Bristol, 2003), Pioneers: Lee Perry (Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, 2002), and Choice World Clubbing (BBC Choice
BBC Choice
BBC Choice was a BBC TV station which launched on 23 September 1998 and closed on 9 February 2003. It was the first British TV channel to broadcast exclusively in digital format, and was the first new channel from the BBC since BBC Two launched in 1964...
, 2000). He co-scripted the narration for Don Letts
Don Letts
Don Letts is a British film director and musician. He is credited as the man who through his DJing at clubs like The Roxy brought together punk and reggae music.-Biography:...
and Rick Elgood's documentary Return of the Super Ape (Channel 4, 1997) and contributed to the feature documentaries Dub Stories (UWE, France, 2006) and Dub Echoes (Brazil, 2007). Katz also worked as an Associate Producer on the feature documentary The Upsetter: The Music And Genius of Lee Scratch Perry (Upsetter Films, 2008) and was a music consultant on the feature film Dreaming Lhasa (White Crane Films
White Crane Films
White Crane Films is an independent film production company founded in 1990 in London by filmmakers, Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam. Focusing primarily on Tibet-related subjects, its productions include, The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche , The Trials of Telo Rinpoche , A Stranger in My Native...
, India/UK, 2005).
Katz holds a regular residency as a disc jockey, presenting his "Dub Me Always" nights at the Ritzy in Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
. He has also deejayed at the Jazz Cafe
Jazz Café
The Jazz Café is a music venue in Parkway in Camden Town, London, England. It opened in 1990, in the former premises of Barclays Bank, and has been run by Mean Fiddler Music Group since 1992, now a subsidiary of the MAMA Group.-History:...
with Aswad
Aswad
Aswad are a long-lasting British reggae group, noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound. They have been performing since the mid 1970s, having released a total of twenty-one albums.-History:...
and Horace Andy
Horace Andy
Horace Andy is a roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", "Angel", "Five Man Army" and a cover version of "Ain't No Sunshine"....
, at the Hootenany with The Heptones
The Heptones
The Heptones are a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae vocal trio most active in the 1960s and early 1970s. They were one of the more significant trios of that era, and played a major role in the gradual transition between ska and rocksteady with their three-part harmonies.-History:Leroy Sibbles, Earl...
at the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
and Great Eastern Dining Room as part of the Lee Scratch Perry Meltdown, and at Momo
Momo
Momo, also known as The Grey Gentlemen or The Men in Grey, is a fantasy novel by Michael Ende, published in 1973. It is about the concept of time and how it is used by humans in modern societies. The full title in German translates to Momo, or the strange story of the time-thieves and the child...
with Mad Professor
Mad Professor
Mad Professor is a dub music producer and engineer known for his original productions and remix work. He is considered one of the leading producers of dub music’s second generation and was instrumental in transitioning dub into the digital age. He is a prolific producer, contributing to or...
. He has also spun records at New York's NuBlu with Ras Kush and the Black Redemption Sound System, played in the Skaville Circus tent at Reggae Geel
Reggae Geel
Reggae Geel is a reggae music festival that takes place in Geel, Belgium, typically on the first Friday of August, with reggae deejays and sound systems, followed by the main festival on the following Saturday....
in Belgium, and was a guest DJ on the Bingi night held at Bar Clandestino in Rio, and with DJ War at Il Porticcolo in Salento
Salento
Salento is the south-eastern extremity of the Apulia region of Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the main Italian Peninsula, sometimes described as the "heel" of the Italian "boot"...
, Italy, as well as at select functions in France for the I-Land Festival in 2004, for which he was also partly responsible for securing performances by King Jammy
King Jammy
Lloyd James , better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a dub mixer and record producer. He began his musical career as a dub master at King Tubby's recording studio...
, Admiral Bailey
Admiral Bailey
Admiral Bailey is a Jamaican dancehall deejay who enjoyed his greatest success between the mid-1980s and the early 1990s. He has been described as "the hottest dancehall star of the late 1980s".-Career:...
, King Stitt
King Stitt
King Stitt, born Winston Spark , is a Jamaican DJ.- Biography :King Stitt is the oldest living Jamaican deejay. Sparkes was given the nickname Stitt as a boy and decided to use it as his stage name, becoming King Stitt when he was crowned 'king of the deejays'...
, Jim Brown
Jim Brown
James Nathaniel "Jim" Brown is an American former professional football player who has also made his mark as an actor. He is best known for his exceptional and record-setting nine-year career as a running back for the NFL Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. In 2002, he was named by Sporting News...
, the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari and others. He has also been involved in the "Reggae University" at the annual Rototom Sunsplash
Rototom Sunsplash
Rototom Sunsplash is a large European reggae festival, it takes place every summer at Benicassim, Spain. Until 2009 the festvial took place at Osoppo, in the province of Udine, Italy...
Festival in Osoppo
Osoppo
Osoppo is a comune in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 90 km northwest of Trieste and about 25 km northwest of Udine...
, Italy, conducting workshops with Bunny Wailer
Bunny Wailer
Bunny Wailer, , also known as Bunny Livingston and affectionately as Jah B, is a singer songwriter and percussionist and was an original member of reggae group The Wailers along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh...
, Chris Blackwell
Chris Blackwell
Christopher Percy Gordon "Chris" Blackwell is a British record producer and businessman, who was the founder of Island Records, acknowledged as the most successful and groundbreaking independent record company in history. Blackwell has been a music industry mogul for over fifty years...
, The Skatalites
The Skatalites
The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone". They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many other Jamaican artists who recorded during that period...
, Steel Pulse
Steel Pulse
Steel Pulse is a roots reggae musical band. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, in Birmingham, England, composed of David Hinds , Basil Gabbidon , and Ronald McQueen .-History:...
Horace Andy
Horace Andy
Horace Andy is a roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", "Angel", "Five Man Army" and a cover version of "Ain't No Sunshine"....
, Fully Fullwood, Junior Marvin
Junior Marvin
Junior Marvin also known as Junior Marvin-Hanson, Junior Hanson and Junior Kerr. He is a Jamaican born guitarist and singer and is best known for his association with Bob Marley and The Wailers. He started his career as Junior Marvin with the band Hanson in 1973...
, Dean Fraser
Dean Fraser
Dean Fraser is a Jamaican saxophonist who has contributed to hundreds of reggae recordings since the mid-1970s. He was awarded the Musgrave Medal by the Jamaican government in 1993 in recognition of his services to music.-Biography:Fraser started to play the clarinet at the age of 12...
, Etana
Etana
Etana was an ancient, legendary Sumerian king of the city of Kish, and was, according to the Sumerian king list, one of the kings who reigned after the deluge. He is listed as the successor of Arwium, the son of Mashda, as king of Kish...
, Alborosie
Alborosie
Alberto D'Ascola , better known by his stage name Alborosie, is an Italian reggae artist. Born and raised in Marsala, Sicily, Italy, but now residing in Kingston, Jamaica. He is a multi-instrumentalist, being proficient in guitar, bass, drums and keyboard...
, Jah Shaka
Jah Shaka
Jah Shaka has been operating a South East London-based, roots reggae Jamaican sound system since the early 1970s. His name is an amalgamation of the Rastafarian term for God and that of a Zulu warrior, Shaka Zulu.-Career:...
, Beenie Man
Beenie Man
Anthony Moses Davis , better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Grammy award winning Jamaican reggae artist. He is the self-proclaimed "King of the Dancehall".-Biography:...
, David Rodigan
David Rodigan
David Rodigan, born 24 June 1951 on a military base in Hanover, Germany, is a British radio DJ who also performs as a selector for his sound system...
and Zion Train
Zion Train
Zion Train are a British dub reggae ensemble . Initially formed in Oxford as a sound system in 1988 by Neil Perch and Ben Hamilton, Colin Cod and Dave Tench joined in 1990 upon relocation to London. The line-up was added to with vocalist Molara in 1992...
, among others.
Katz has also given presentations about Jamaican music at the University of the West Indies
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies , is an autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica,...
in Mona, Jamaica, and presented the final plenary, together with Sly Dunbar
Sly Dunbar
Lowell "Sly" Fillmore Dunbar is a drummer.-Biography:Dunbar, whose nickname was reportedly given for his passion for Sly & the Family Stone, launched his musical career while still in his adolescence, playing with a local group, The Yardbrooms, at the age of fifteen...
, at the second International Reggae Conference held at UWI in February 2010. He also gave the closing plenary at the 6th symposium of the Centre for Caribbean Studies in Brazil (CECAB), held at the Federal University of Maranhao, Sao Luis, in November 2010, and addressed students at the University of Lecce in Italy in May 2011. He also lectured to students at Northern Kentucky University
Northern Kentucky University
|type = Public|president= Dr. James C. Votruba|city = Highland Heights|state = KY|country = U.S.|endowment = $68 million|students = 15,405|undergrad = 13,206|postgrad = 2,199|faculty = 1,159...
's Cooperative Center For Study Abroad (CCSA
CCSA
CCSA may stand for:*Cab Calloway School of the Arts, an arts oriented magnet school for grades 6-12 in Delaware* Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, Canada's national addictions agency...
) programme, and at Community Music
Community Music
Community Music is an album by British band Asian Dub Foundation, released on 20 March 2000. The album reached #20 in the UK album charts.-Track listing:All songs by Das, Pandit, Tailor, Savale, Zaman unless otherwise stated....
in Whitechapel, London.
Originally from San Francisco, he has been a London resident for many years. Although some of his photographic work has been published, the music journalist David Katz should not be confused with the Obama campaign photographer of the same name, who resides in the USA. They are two different people.