BANKS... Jamaica for me is the music capital of the Caribbean.

FOR three weeks last month Anguilla's foremost recording artiste, Clement Ashley Banks otherwise known as 'Bankie' Banks, was in Kingston making the rounds of the Tuff Gong, Anchor and Steven Stanley's Recording Studios.

During the period of his latest musical rendezvous in Jamaica, he was driven by his current recording project, Chariot of Steel, the tenth album for the 49-year-old singer, songwriter, musician and show promoter.

Collaborating with Banks on the project were some of Jamaica's leading musicians including Stephen "Cat" Coore and BenjyMyaz, as he describes them, "two Jamaican stalwarts".

Banks is no stranger to local musicians, as Myaz is featured on his previous album, Still In Paradise which was also recorded here, and recently he performed with Coore on his (Bank's) own music festival, Moonsplash in his native Anguilla.

"We did an acoustic set with 'Cat', and I felt really inspired. So I came here to Jamaica and got together with Cat, Benjy, and a couple of the available musicians in Kingston," Banks mused.

And it was no surprise that the Anguillian chose Jamaica to record Chariot of Steel.

"Jamaica for me is the music capital of the Caribbean. Jamaica is the only place in the Caribbean I know where there is a real huge organised recording business with several studios in existence for years now. Reggae is a well organised music business, even moreso, I would say, than calypso or any other music in the Caribbean", Banks told Splash.

"Jamaicans", he continued,"have developed a music industry which sustains a lot of people who benefit from it. The rest of the Caribbean can learn a lot from Jamaicans with respect to the music business."

Banks is of the view that other artistes from the Caribbean Islands should use the recording facilities in Jamaica more, as according to him they are at a much higher level of technology than those of the other Caribbean islands. This he says is because down the islands making records simply does not enjoy the same kind of intensity and consistency as it does here.

"It's more of a part-time thing in lots of the islands. We need carnival time to go out and make a record. And it's like when carnival is over, it's not a business anymore," he chuckled.

"In Jamaica", Banks added, "it's a 12 months a year music business. You have producers, musicians, studios...music is a part of the culture in which we have the chance to express what we've to say."

Speaking about his time spent recording Chariot of Steel (which was inspired by current armed conflicts) at Steven Stanley Recording Studio Banks said: "It's been great, y'know, at Tuff Gong, at Anchor and at Steve Stanley where we're doing the mixing. I'm having a wonderful time and I'm looking forward to releasing this album soon."

Commenting on the offerings on the album, the Rastafarian musician says it's a mixture of all things.

"I've been influenced by Reggae, and I love Reggae and I express my music by the content of it. Some of it is done in a soft way, focusing a lot on acoustic music, I'm not very much for technical-gimmicks, so you'll hardly hear an electric guitar on this album. You'll hear acoustic piano, Cat Coore playing the cello, the fretless bass with Benjy Myaz... I myself play the acoustic guitar and on vocals as well...basically I arranged, composed and perform the stuff," Banks said.

Banks who is the father of West Indies all-rounder, Omari Banks, plays a fusion of rock, Reggae, blues and jazz. Jamaican Reggae fans were first introduced to his captivating baritone at Reggae Sunsplash where he gave notable performances in 1983 and 1992. After spending some 20 years touring the world with international entertainers like Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Gloria Estefan, and Jimmy Cliff, Banks turned his focus to the establishment of his cultural centre/headquarters in Anguilla called, Dune Preserve.

"Dune Preserve is an eco-friendly beach establishment...not really a resort as yet, but it's going to get to that phase. It's a restaurant, nightclub, a bar, a lounge and the venue for my own music festival, Moonsplash."

Moonsplash which started as a fun party affair has in time grown to a well-received festival where the likes of Benjy Myaz, Black Uhuru, Freddie McGregor, Marcia Griffiths, Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt, Derrick Morgan and others have performed, and come April 2004 the celebrated Third World will be featured at Dune Preserve.

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