js When their careers first began, it was hard not to notice the almost doppelganger like similarities between bassists Jah Wobble and Bill Laswell. Both came up through the late 70s post-punk scene, both featured a deep dub influenced sound, and both were pioneers in the growing art of self produced home recording. I’m sure they noticed the similarities because it wasn’t long before they began to work together on some projects, including “Radio Axiom a Dub Transmission”, one of their best. This album features the sort of dub influenced groove music you would expect from these two, but this time around they took the time to build something very special, not the easy ‘dub by numbers’ productions that these two can sometimes be guilty of. The difference is in the rhythms, fortunately Bill and Jah assembled a top crew of percussionists led by dub drum master Sly Dunbar, instead of relying on simple looped beats, something that has marred some of Laswell’s past albums in particular. This polyrhythmic foundation is topped with an all-star cast that includes space jazz trumpeters Graham Haynes and Nils Petter Molvaer, Nicky Skopelitis’ always perfect guitar textures, North African vocalists on a few numbers and subtle keyboards throughout.

The rhythms on here vary from straight up dub to a that sort of Jamaican/breakbeat rhythm that was made popular by The English Beat and The Police. Although there are outside influences, this album maintains the stoic integrity of a true dub record with no cuts standing out as incongruous sore thumbs. The flow from song to song is excellent as the rhythms vary enough to be interesting, but never enough to mar the album’s overall continuity. Both Laswell and Wobble have been guilty of ‘phoning it in’ before, but not this time around, “Radioaxiom” features a careful and precise production that ranks it near the top in the cluttered and over crowded field of modern jazzy dub music.

Matt Misrepresentation I find the cover to be on this great new release form Jah Wobble aka John Joseph Wardle. "Why"?, do you say. There is someone playing a saxophone on the cover but not a sax is used throughout but one thing that does make up is lashings of trumpet and flugelhorn fron Sean Corby who lives in the U.K and has been around for a while, who actually was on one of Jah's previous albums "Japanese Dub". Blows a real nice trumpet tone as well with a little rough edge but does hit those notes with a great sound. Clive Bell who has been on a few to say the least with Jah is providing flute with his usual great play. Marc Layton-Bennett is pounding skins and that is how he hits the drum kit with great authority and drive throughout the entire album and also he is from the U.K. George King is on keyboards and like Sean played on "Japanese Dub". Chris Cookson is the bands guitarist which has not really changed as he was also in Jah's previous band Deep Space and knows exactly how to mix it with Jah's bass grumble. Shri Sriram provides tablas and bowed bass on only two of the albums numbers. Hence we have seven members in the band which is the title for the album. Only six compositions though. Jah's last album was "Welcome To My World" which only came out the year before and was a take on Jah's musical view of some of the places that Jah has memories off with 21 tracks including his take on Australia and "7" is a complete departure in style from it. No world music here just driving Jazz with a slight Dub effect used with two numbers and a surprisingly fresh sounding little rocker of a Jazz album being the result.

Jah leads us in on bass for "West End" with Marc really starting to hit the drum kit but the star is Sean Corby blowing that trumpet right over this groover with lashings of funk being the undercurrent and Clive Bell keeps up on flute when his turn comes.One great rocker to get your interest and along comes the track "9" with was that my heart pounding or Jah's bass but Sean Corby uses mute here and Clive Bell has a lot more time to stretch but that is only the intro with the tempo changing and Clive just playing a beautiful low key solo on flute with Sean back on low trumpet. The next two tracks "Country Cousin" and "City Meets Country" are co- joined and reggae is the rythmn with Jah's bass just thumping it out and Sean's trumpet just riding over the lot with a Dub sound just echoing from the mix. Where the track " City Meets Country" resumes the rythmn, your speakers are jumping with that bass grumble but the track is not exactly the same as the previous "Country Cousin" as there is a change halfway in when Clive plays flute but the bowed bass by Shri Sriram mixed with Jah's electric grumble gives the composition its own sound and great drive. "No Man's Land" is the second last number and has some great low atmosphere with its drift, keyboards and trumpet mix over riding that slow groove for a rythmn, with this being no better place for a flute solo from Clive. The album title is the album closer "7" with its organ sounding intro and is another hard rockin' driver with Chris Cookson playing broken repeat funk chords on guitar throughout and does Sean give us one on flugelhorn for his solo, Clive has his flute flat out and that guitar funk and bass just keep pushing it all along over Marc's pounding drums giving us a lovely rockin' finsher for the album.

Still Jah Wobble but with his take on Jazz. I hope we get some more in the near future.

Matt In 1997 "Jah Wobble" released his first album on his own label "30 Hertz" and this is the one "The Celtic Poets". Since Jah has done what he has wanted with some great results. Unusual to say the least with the components for his first on "30 Hertz" with Recitations, Traditional music, Ambient, Song, Electronica, Jazz and Jahs deep grumbling Bass being the components. Traditionalists were horrified and that is what immediately drew me to this one because what you have here is intricate fusion of all these styles and something that is very different with Ireland being the source from which this album was created.The list of muscians is incredible who particapated in this recording."Ronnie Drew" from one of the best folk bands ever,"The Dubliners" and it is Ronnie's gravelly voice which gives us the recitations and the odd song that gives this album its colour (green). Jean Pierre Rasle does the pipes primarily which also gives a Celtic shot in the arm for the album. Jaki Liebezeit from "Can" is the drummer and Harry Beckett one of Englands most famous jazz trumpeters is here as well. Clive Bell is doing flute but to add a little more difference we have "Baluji Shrivastav" playing sitar, "Joji Hirota", shakahachi, percussion, of course Jahs wife "Zi Lan Liao" on harp and ku-cheng and are all renowned classical musicians in their field. "Mark Ferda does Keyboards and guitar with "Jah Wobble" doing bass,keyboards,orchestration and marimba. Jah does not appear on one track which is "London Rain" where Jean-Pierre Rasle and Ronnie Drew contribute only.

"The Dunes" is first which is a recitation by Ronnie. The lyrics were actually written by "Shane McGowan" for the tune and stark he made them. "I walked today along the cold grey shore, Where I watched when I was much younger, While they built the dunes upon the sand, for the dead from the great hunger", Loss, desolation and extremely bleak and cold, with the intro over an ambient drone with pipes slightly overriding.The words are recited over by Ronnie Drew with the gravel and Irish accent and things kick in with beat and Jah's booming bass at the end but only last briefly "A Man I Knew" another recitation with Ronnie which follows is again over the same drone but really starting to put the theme and desolate feel of the album down." Market Rasen " is were get muted trumpet, flute,pipes and sitar in the mix over quite a quick beat and all instumental. Ronnie is back also doing a little poem on the next one "London Rain" Danger signs are starting to appear with the albums construction and really things are getting a little boring with the repitition of more prose again. Things dramatically improve with the next piece " Star of The East" with a very similar style from his last album "Heaven and Earth". Great beat and things move wonderfully with the asian artists contributing some gorgeous stuff into it." Third Heaven" track six is almost an extension of the previous and is co-joined. "Bagpipe Music" is Ronnie singing here and the tune has that Celtic rouse contained within with the pipes and drums at a marching time.. The last three on the album begins with "Saturn" and has Harry back on trumpet with Joji on shakuhachi with a great beat. The last two has Ronnie back with the prose and the last "Thames" is an ambient instrumental which does not end in that fashion with bass shaking and slow beat pounding interspersed with bells.

A mixed bag of some great stuff and not so. All in all the album has more of the good stuff but although I enjoy "The Dunes" with the poetry and prose by Shane McGowan and it is the best recitation, they do get a bit much with four being on the album. Still this one is different with a caste of its own and quite interesting and enjoyable.

Matt Jah Wobble ( John Joseph Wardle) originally came out of the band "Public Image Ltd" and after 2 years called it a day and commenced with a Dub/World/Fusion style that he still records and performs today. Jah plays Bass and can he make it grumble and plummet to those grooves that a tasty Bass player can put down.He has done numerous collaborations, Bill Laswell being one.He is married to Zi Lan Liao who is very nifty on the Guzheng and Jah sure has put her to work with teriffic results and this one is her first recording with Jah. She has appeared numerous times since and would contribute to his last few albums in major contributions .Around 1997 Jah Wobble formed his own label "30 Hertz" and has recorded and released his own material ever since.This album was realeased through the Island label and was his last for a major company.Often I see this one in his top albums and rightfully so being a mix of World Music, Electronica and Jazz. Special mention must go to the contributions of Pharoah Saunders, Bernie Worrell, Nicky Skopelitis and Natacha Atlas.

"Heaven and Earth" is the starter and Liao ( Jahs wife) begins on the guzheng all instrumental with time changes comprising the texture of the tune and within this we have Jah doing Bass,Drums and gong,with also other musicians adding bamboo flute,keyboards,congas and bell. The guzheng sounds beautiful with that long sound that just hangs and the track is interspersed with Bamboo Flute and a modern style of music providing the substance..'A Love Song" follows and here we get Natacha Atlas doing vocals in Arabic and I just love her voice with how she hangs on to those notes in the Middle Eastern style.Jah is doing the Bass, Drums and Keyboards with Justin Adams on guitar. Track 3 and 4 are primarily Orchestrated with Jah doing Bass and drums on the 4th And now we come to " Gone To Croation" where Pharoah Saunders ( soprano sax and flute), Bernie Worrell ( keyboards), Nicky Skopoletis ( guitar,acoustic guitar) DJ Rob Smith ( turntable), Ayidb Dieng( shatan,gong), Jerome Bigfoot Bradley ( drums) make their first appearance on the album and one very nice slow bass groover with Pharoah playing soprano predominately over the top and one very relaxing song is the reasult.Of course Jah is doing bass. Track 6 'Hit Me is my fave maybe it is the tempo but it is the fastest on the album which it realy is one rapid beat interspesed to break it up with the use of 2 turntables ,and it works. Pharoah is all over this one on tenor and Bernie is doing synth. The last track is "Om Nava Shiva' and with a name like that you bet it is Indian influenced with some nice tabla.

Excellent album when one wants to hear something different. Since its release back in 1995 it has had many a play here at home.