Jackie Mittoo – Ghetto Organ

• “Ghetto Organ” set to a picture of the housing album cover. Thanks to OldDubDomain.

“Great Ska / Rocksteady from Jamaica”

From his album “Macka Fat” released in 1971.

Although I’ve got my work cut out with my mega music project, I can’t help but check-in regularly with the Netherlands-based Global Groove blog which has been serving up a mind-blowing number of “world-music” obscuros for free download for a great many years.

The most recent distraction to find its way into my grubby little swag-bag houses today’s track, in fact. It’s a decent enough set, and the great “Ghetto Organ” (descriptively titled or what?) is an especially fine cut on there. As you will no doubt recognise, it’s a version of the rocksteady tune that was made popular as “You Don’t Love Me” by Dawn Penn back in ’67.

As the 60s turned into the 70s there was almost a sub-genre happening in JA, where organ-mashing instrumentalists were roaming free in their own little world. Harry J’s “Liquidator” spearheaded the peculiar scene, but there were others like Jackie Mittoo and Winston Wright who similarly found delight in the old Hammond organ.

If you dig it, you can download a copy courtesy of moos, the hardest working blogger in showbiz.