The Boris Gardiner Happening

Official reissue of two “lost” albums from Boris Gardiner, Jamaican bass player, bandleader, songwriter, singer and producer. Reissued under Gardiner’s guidance.

1970s Jamaica suffered an unprecedented stretch of political turmoil and violence, and as the country’s economy and morale collapsed, reggae and its offshoots exploded worldwide. Boris Gardiner enjoyed great success leading bands, issuing albums that mixed reggae, ska, soul and funk, and collaborating with the likes of Lee (Scratch) Perry and Herman Chin-Loy in their legendary studios and playing on hundreds of records.

The original mid-1970s releases of Ultra Super Dub Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, credited to The Boris Gardiner Happening, are so obscure that for years Boris wasn’t aware that they existed. They were released at unknown dates, sometime around the time of his Is What’s Happening (1973) album, and his soundtrack to Every N——r Is A Star (1973), which was sampled by Kendrick Lamar and used as the introduction to the film Moonlight. Ultra Super Dub Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 were originally released in tiny runs in handmade, silk-screened, paste-on covers, they have become some of the most sought after Jamaican albums.

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