01	Memories of Senegal						06:25
	02	Outernational incident						05:49
	03	Kunene						05:11
	04	Many roots						07:50
	05	Profiles						05:41
	06	What a day						06:23
	07	Swaziland						04:52
	08	Sound invasion						07:40
	09	Inflight						05:50
	10	Alpinos						05:03

Modern Answers to Old Problems
Date of Release Sep 26, 2000

Jamaican ska and jazz guitarist Ernest Ranglin mixes Fela-style African worldbeat and retro R&B on this well-produced album. Ranglin's clean, unadorned guitar sound blends vividly with the dance feels of tracks like "Outernational Incident," "Kunene," and "Swaziland." The rock-solid rhythm section - bassist Orefo Orakwue and drummer Tony Allen - makes every track move and groove organically, with additional help from percussionists Olalekan Babalola and Olakunle Ayanlowo. Joe Bashorun's Wurlitzer and organ and Denys Baptiste's tenor sax are indispensable elements of this hip, accessible sound.
Vocalist Sylvia Tella co-composed five of the tracks and makes memorable appearances on each of them. British firebrand saxophonist Courtney Pine guests on the jazz samba "Inflight," but is a tad too low in the mix. - David R. Adler


1. Memories of Senegal performed by Ranglin / Tony Allen / Chris Franck / Bapitist - 6:27
2. Outernational Incident performed by Ranglin / Tony Allen / Chris Franck / Bapitist - 5:50
3. Kunene performed by Ranglin / Tony Allen / Chris Franck / Bapitist - 5:14
4. Many Roots performed by Ranglin / Tony Allen / Chris Franck / Bapitist - 7:52
5. Profiles performed by Ranglin / Tony Allen / Chris Franck / Bapitist - 5:43
6. What a Day performed by Ranglin / Tony Allen / Chris Franck / Bapitist - 6:25
7. Swaziland performed by Ranglin / Tony Allen / Chris Franck / Bapitist - 4:52
8. Sound Invasion performed by Ranglin / Tony Allen / Chris Franck / Bapitist - 7:41
9. Inflight performed by Ranglin / Tony Allen / Chris Franck / Co Pine - 5:52
10. Apinos performed by Ranglin / Tony Allen / Chris Franck / Bapitist - 5:03


Courtney Pine - Sax (Tenor)
Joe Bashorun - Organ, Wurlitzer
Jerry Boys - Engineer
Ernest Ranglin - Guitar, Producer
Trevor Wyatt - Producer
John Dent - Mastering
Chris Franck - Guitar, Percussion, Berimbau
Anilda Carrasquillo - Art Direction, Design
Adrian Boot - Photography
Mark Van Den Bergh - Producer
Sylvia Tella - Vocals

2000 CD Telarc 83526




Ernest Ranglin

A pioneering force behind the rise of Caribbean music, guitar virtuoso Ernest Ranglin was born in Manchester, Jamaica in 1932. He began playing ukelele as a boy, soon graduating to guitar; while in his teens he began performing live both locally and in the Bahamas, often in tandem with the young Monty Alexander. Ranglin's session work at the famed Studio One helped give birth to the ska phenomenon, which during the late 1950s began taking Jamaica by storm. He finally began attracting international notice in 1964 when he traveled to London to perform at Ronnie Scott's jazz club, so impressing its owner that he remained on as the venue's resident guitarist for the next nine months. There he made a number of solo records for the fledgling Island label, and also collaborated with Prince Buster; additionally, Ranglin teamed with Jamaican singer Millie Small to cut the international smash "My Boy Lollipop." He soon returned to session work, arranging classics including the Melodians' majestic "Rivers of Babylon; " with his guitar leads on the Wailers' "It Hurts to Be Alone," he also laid the foundation for the rise of rockers reggae. Though remaining perhaps best known for his jazz prowess, in the 1970s Ranglin toured with Jimmy Cliff; in 1973 he was awarded the Order of Distinction from the Jamaican Government for his contributions to music, and continued touring and recording regularly throughout the decades to follow, most notably signing to Chris Blackwell's newly-formed Palm Pictures label to issue 1998's In Search of the Lost Riddim. E.B. @ Noon and Modern Answers to Old Problems followed two years later; Grooving appeared in early 2001. - Jason Ankeny

1996 Below the Bassline Island Jamaica
1997 Soul D'Ern Jazz House
1998 Memories of Barber Mack Island Jamaica
1998 In Search of the Lost Riddim Import
2000 E.B. @ Noon Tropic
2000 Modern Answers to Old Problems Telarc
2001 Grooving Blue Moon
2001 Gotcha! Telarc
Ranglin Roots
Sounds and Power Studio One

197 Now Is the Time: The Legendary MPS Sessions MPS/Motor
2002 Ultimate Ranglin Roots Tropic/Converg