The ManicaPost
THE Inna De Yard project started as a loose gathering of veteran and younger Jamaican musicians playing predominantly acoustic reggae music.
Between 2004 and 2010 the collective, that revolved around Cedric Myton, Kiddus I and guitarist Earl Chinna Smith — whose St. Andrew Park yard gave the venture its name released a series of ensemble and individual artist albums via French label Makasound.
The project was put on hold when Makasound went out of business in 2011. But on 9th March 2017 Inna De Yard returned with a new album, The Soul of Jamaica, issued by Makasound’s offspring imprint, Chapter Two, and Wagram. Earl Chinna Smith declined to be involved so the core of Kiddus and Cedric is augmented by long-time Makasound/Chapter Two associate Winston McAnuff (whose son Matthew graced the original series before his tragic murder in 2012).
Swelling the ranks are Ken Boothe, Lloyd Parks, Steve Newland, seasoned guitarist Bo Pee, and Var from Pentateuch. Previous members Derajah and Viceroys return, while Winston’s son Kush, of Uprising Roots band, takes a bigger role (his song Black To I Roots sound-tracked February’s video teaser for the release).
The new long-player was recorded live at the idyllic hilltop former home of Kiddus’ friend, a relative of Jamaican producer Chris “Music Mountain” Stanley. It features acoustic binghi-drummed recuts of its singers’ greatest songs, and its higher production values and ‘Buena Vista social club’ backstory have attracted international mainstream media attention.
Angus Taylor passed through the house in Stony Hill and spoke to Kiddus, Winston, Var and Kush as they prepared for their upcoming European tour (Cedric and Ken were performing in Brazil and Toronto). There he heard that it was Winston who sowed the original seeds of Inna De Yard; that a follow up to The Soul of Jamaica is in gestation; and that the house was one of the last places trombonist Nambo Robinson visited before he died.
WHY AND HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO DO ANOTHER INNA DE YARD ALBUM?
KIDDUS: I saw the guys who originally started the programme, after their moment of difficulty, in the last five years had got themselves associated with a new recording company in France called Wagram – which is a major company. Winston landed a deal with the same company, so somewhere along the line was the idea to start the Chapter 2 to give birth again to this concept of musicians going natural from the yard, to express themselves. More natural and simplified.
They contacted me some time ago and said that they were going to be doing it and was I interested? Then last year they called and said they were coming down at the end of June to start the programme. So we recorded the first LP last year in June and July which is supposed to be released in the coming months. And it’s a rebirth, reawakening as I would say, blowing some smoke, blowing some wind on the fire sticks which were never cold but were down there. So the fire is raging and we’ll see where that takes us from here.
KUSH AND VAR, HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED?
VAR: I got involved through a friend of mine, namely Kush. Kush said “We are having some recording for Inna De Yard and you should come through”. So I just came through and when I hear music I start to sing. I sang and they were like “Yo, I like that”. (Laughs) It just kind of moved from there into me recording and everybody just loved the vibe and it was a great experience for me to do, so I give thanks.
KUSH: I was there from the Genesis when it just started. My father Winston did an acoustic album before and he brought it to Nicolas from Makasound. Then Nicolas came to Jamaica, saw Chinna with the vibes and thought that they would love to do the same thing. The whole Inna De Yard Vibration. But how I really got the connection was when I went to Chinna’s yard. Chinna’s is yard is like a yard where musicians come and hang out. I was there just chilling out in holding a vibration and then Nicolas and Romain came with the idea. I am a master drummer. I can play the trap set and the Funde drum so it was easy for me to be in the space at the time.
YOU SAID THAT THE NEW LP IS JUST THE FIRST LP. SO ARE YOU RECORDING MORE ALBUMS IN THIS SERIES?
KIDDUS: They came back out here three weeks to a month ago and we did one additional.
WINSTON: We did some more.
KIDDUS: 22 tracks were recorded with Ken Boothe, mainly for an LP. But all of us who worked on the previous one that is being released, also did tracks for the new LP to be released, I would imagine early next year. While they were here they were sussing out how to do a documentary movie on the whole idea. So they had a number of journalists and about five different movie directors to see if they would have been interested to work with the idea. I must say the vibes were good so they’ve just gone out now to see if they could get some money.
WAS THIS WHEN THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER CAME TO THE HOUSE AND RECORDED SOME VIDEO FOOTAGE?
WINSTON: Yeah, yeah.
IT’S RARE THAT A REGGAE ALBUM RECEIVES THAT KIND OF MAINSTREAM MEDIA COVERAGE.
KIDDUS: Apparently there is a vibe with what Inna De Yard movement is. If it could stimulate the idea to draw these various media people out to see what was happening. I don’t know what was done, I don’t know what they saw but it’s all good. It all goes well for the coming project. So we’re just sitting back and getting ready to go on out there. And get it done.
WHY IS CHINNA NOT INVOLVED THIS TIME?
VAR: I’m not sure about what happened and why he is not a part of it now. Uncle Chinna played on my first album and he is a mentor to I when it comes to music. I would love to have him there but that’s how it goes.
KUSH: Chinna is a great musician. He does a lot of studio sessions, he plays with a lot of artists too. I don’t know within my personal vibration why he is not on the tour. But I know for sure that Nicolas and Romain asked him with all respect and he said he is doing other stuff and he can’t do that right now. But it’s not only him who are Inna De Yard. All of I and I isInna De Yard. Because everyone has a yard and the whole vibration is a good vibration the same way. We have uncle Bo Pee. He and Chinna were school mates, they are in the same category. Uncle Bo Pee plays 80% the same way, on a lot of hits same way. We will miss uncle Chinna but it’s going to be electrifying the same way because uncle Bo Pee is there with the vibration.
KIDDUS: Well, when I said earlier that they called me and asked me and I said yes, Romain and Nicolas asked me forChinna’s number. I gave them his number and they got in touch with him and somehow or another he rejected the idea, maybe he wasn’t interested at that moment to go out there and whatever. Hence he was not into this last year. But we don’t know. He has been a part of it, we can’t leave that out so he was a part of it of the initial stage of the roots. It’s just his decision to not continue it.
SO HE MIGHT COME BACK TO DO ANOTHER ONE?
KIDDUS: Any number can play. We don’t know what the future brings in this and I imagine that the door would be open if he is willing – who knows? We’ll take it from there. But at the moment we’ve done two very good projects. Better produced, better engineered, you will hear the sound quality is much better than our original ones. Which you would expect – if anything is going, then as time passes it should get better. — reggaeville
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