Essential Artist Collection

This is an outstanding introduction to Jamaica’s foundational ska ensemble; it offers essential tracks from the band’s early years, including “Alley Cat Ska,” “El Pussycat,” and “Latin Goes Ska” (though, oddly, not the band’s biggest early hit, “Guns of Navarone”). The fifty tunes also include selections from the Baba Brooks Band, led by a trumpeter who worked extensively with the Skatalites during their early years. Altogether, an excellent overview of early ska.