Youthie & Macca Dread: Nomad Skank

When we speak of trumpet in reggae, two or three names spontaneously come to mind: Johnny "Dizzy" Moore, Bobby Ellis and David Madden. Since the first album "Silver Wind" by Juliette Bourdeix aka youthie from 2018, we can add an artist to the list. Youthie began playing the trumpet at the age of 6 and began studying classical trumpet at the Paris Conservatory at the age of 17, where she now works as a professor and teaches trumpet playing. She also completed jazz and improvisation training with Ibrahim Maalouf, a French-Lebanese jazz trumpeter and composer. In the summer of 2019, Youthie & Macca Dread was released.Nomad Skank"(Youtie Records), an instrumentalDub- Album with many sources of inspiration: Reggae, Rocksteady, Ska, Jazz, Balkan, Oriental, Jewish (Klezmer), Spanish-Andalusian and Classical music. Both Youthie with her trumpet and numerous melodic arrangements, as well Dubmaster Macca Dread and his mix know how to impress. On the 16 tracks of the album, the oriental influences on tracks like "Oriental Skank" or "Monkey Temple" with wonderful flute playing can be heard very nicely. But also the classic roots reggae like in “Double Rainbow”, “The Wild Horn” and “Irie Land” are by no means neglected. It sounds Andalusian-Spanish with “Al-Andalus”, swing-jazzy with “Swing City”, Cuban with “Jaruco” and Asian with “Pagoda”. In short, a colorful mixture of different musical styles, but all of them from reggae and Dub are inspired and grounded. An excellent musical tour of the world in reggae beat like a piece.
The album is extremely well arranged and not a single second is boring. I especially enjoy the oriental themes and put me in a good mood. Comparing Youthie with their famous oriental trumpeter and teacher Ibrahim Maalouf is not too difficult for me here. Nevertheless, "Nomad Skank" bears the very personal signature of Youthie & Macca Dread.

Incidentally, the album also features Youthie's two sisters, Jalaya (Alice Bourdeix) on flute and Clara (Bourdeix) on violin. Macca Dread made the riddims single-handedly in his studio. An almost overlooked highlight in reggae heaven, "Nomad Skank" reflects a cultural mix that constitutes the true wealth of humanity.