“If you're going to play Jai Alai, you gotta be a bad motherfucker, but if you're the best at Jai Alai - if you're a savant at playing Jai Alai you gotta be a reeeeaaaallllllllly bad motherfucker.” sez Ralph Darden.
Ralph Darden is a really bad mother. Aside from his interests in jiu-jitsu sport-fighting & maintaining his alter ego DJ Major Taylor, Chicagoan Ralph Darden's main focus is fronting reggae dub-rock trio The Jai Alai Savant, which was formed in Philadelphia in 2003. The Savants include Darden as vocalist & guitarist along with bassist Dan Snyder & drummer Michael Bravine. The original line-up was Darden, bassist Mike Ali, & drummer Jeremy Gewertz.
Darden was the first DJ to do genre-less dj nights in Philly with his long time friends from those days including Diplo, Low Budget, Amanda Blank, & Spank Rock among other notables. According to Diplo: “Wow ... well ... Major Taylor (Ralph) was one of the djs/musicians in Philly that inspired Hollertronix ... he's like one of the true sources of that party.”
The first The Jai-Alai Savant EP Thunderstatement was put out on The Mars Volta’s Omar Rodriguez' label Gold Standard Lab in 2005. It is nearly impossible to define the sound of The Jai-Alai Savant, but their punk-rock meets dub-reggae blend is certainly very indicative of Darden's mile-a-minute personality & unique musical roots.
On Thunderstatement, The Jai-Alai Savant is: Ralph Darden – vocals & guitar; Mike Ali – bass; & Jeremy Gewertz, with additional help from Damon Locks – vocals on “Diary”; Brian Sokel & Bryan Lynch – guitars; & Damien Thompson – percussion.
The Jai-Alai Savant – Thunderstatement, Gold Standard Laboratories GSL 114, 2005.
decryption code in comments
decryption code in comments
Tracklist –
Scarlett Johansson Why Don’t You Love Me
Thunderstatement
Diary of the Mass Trappist (Rawar version) Murder ‘Pon the Dance Hall (part I)
Sugar Free
Enjoy,
NØ
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