What can I say about my friend Brother Larry McDonald? He is one of the roots of Jamaican percussion that was instrumental in creating the innovative sounds that have been flowing from the island for so many years. As an originator and sound innovator, he has played with and been involved in some of the most well recognized music of all time. Whether it is friend of the proGram, Toots Hibberts and the Maytals or the legend himself, Mr. Bob Marley, you can find the creations of Brother Larry keeping the rhythms pulsing and the feelings positive. For over 50 year now, Brother Larry’s credits are too numerous to list, but for me his involvement with other originals like Gil Scott Heron and Taj Mahal stand out to me as momentous works. In 2009, Larry put out his first solo effort, Drumquestra, (which was the # 1 album for this radio host for that year) which featured many former collaborators, including Sly Dunbar, Uziah Thompson of Bob Marley and the Wailers and the former Count Ossie drummers known as the “Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari in an orchestra of drummers. Drumquestra also featured former frontmen from bands Larry performed and recorded with, including Toots, Bob Andy, Mutabaruka, Stranger Cole and Dollarman. The album was recorded at a live session at Harry J Studios in Kingston Jamaica by Steel Pulse producer Sidney Mills for Malik Al Nasir’s MCPR label.
I had the pleasure of catching up with my friend Larry as he prepares to set back out to perform with Lee SCRATCH Perry and Subatomic Sound System on the Super Ape returns to Conquer tour. We talked about how working on this album and tour was as a man who has nothing more musically to prove to anyone. He was on many of the original tunes off off Scratch’s “Super Ape” release, so he was able to truthfully talk about similarities and differences in this new album. This work was a redo not a remix! We talked about how Brother Larry feels like he is just finally understanding all he has learned form the years of experience and how he uses his PhD is drum-ology to read a live crowd in order to help keep the groove fresh. We also shared a moment of toGetherness in remembrance of a mutual friend, Richard Segan, who was an influential man in the scene of the world’s music who Larry and I got to know from the heart outward. This is an insightful, fun lovin’ and real cool conversation with a true legend. There might even be talk of a possible itch to create a new album.
