California-based Jewish reggae artiste Matisyahu (left) took a break from his studio time for a photo-op with (from left) Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare and his producer, David Kahne.

It has dawned, albeit late for some persons, that reggae music is a mature, multifaceted, global cultural expression. For others, this clear reality is only dimly obvious. There is yet another category of persons, the cognocenti, who were among the first to recognise the worldwide influence of the indigenous Jamaican rhythm.

It is to the first two categories of persons that we recommend the knowledge that a growing stream of foreigners have long been trekking to Jamaica to revel in, or to make their own brand of reggae.

One of the most recent of such arrivals, is Matisyahu, the latest offshore rising reggae sensation who, along with his producer David Kahne, made his first visit to the fountain of the internationally acclaimed reggae music. In addition to working with a number of reggae kingpins - Sly and Robbie as well as Stephen McGregor - Matisyahu also drew on the services of Kingston College choir, to include on his latest set to which he is adding the finishing touches at Anchor Recording Studio in Kingston.

"We're trying to get the kids to sing on a track we've called Bread of Destitution. And we're trying to get some drums also, some of the songs I was writing, I was visioning in certain parts of it, a Nyahbinghi-like kind of vibes," Matisyahu told Splash in an exclusive interview at the Hilton Hotel.
"And just to be here," he added, " is like, it's about time.
People always asked me, when you coming to Jamaica, have you been to Jamaica yet. This my first time coming. But next we come, we definitely going to do shows. Trying to find the right festival to come for, and then do some club shows as well."

A relatively unknown reggae singer/rapper, Matisyahu was born Mattew Paul Miller, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, but his parents later settled in White Plains, New York. He was brought up a Reconstructionist Jew, and one stage in his journey from Mattew to the reggae musician Matisyahu, he would perform under the alias MC Truth for MC Mystic's Soulfari Band.

He counts Bob Marley, Sizzla, Phish, God Street Wine and Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach among his musical inspirations. In 2004, Matisyahu, after having signed with JDub Records, a not-for-profit record label that promotes Jewish musicians, released his first album, Shake Off the Dust...Arise. He did not rise to prominence until Bonnaroo 2005, when Trey Anastasio of the band Phish invited him a guest spot on his set. This would prove to be the event that launched his career.

His live album, Live at Stubb's, released in 2005, was recorded at a concert in Austin, Texas. This concert album and Youth, both received critical and popular acclaim. Throughout 2006, Matisyahu toured extensively in the United States, Canada and Europe, making a number of stops in Israel, including a performance as a supporting act for Sting.

In late 2006, he released No Place to Be, as well as a cover of the Police's Message in a Bottle. In that same year, the live version of his song King Without a Crown, broke into the Modern Rock Top 10.

"The natural link is the music, reggae music in a lot of ways is the bridge that promotes Jamaica out to the world," Matisyahu, who became connected to reggae 12 years ago, attested. "I started out rappin in a hip hop kind of style," he explained, "but I started listening to artistes like Sizzla, that kind of conscious stream of music, it's like rappin, but with melody to it. So that style started really to become attractive to me, not to mention that the vocals, the lyrics on a lot of those songs stem from the Old Testament, comes from the Bible, the Torah, Psalms....so that also made me feel like I've some connection.

"Then I started kinda singing more and getting into that reggae style because I was listening more and more to it.....I just didn't stand in the way, I just let it happen. The song that did the best for me was King Without A Crown. That was like the number one song on the Alternative Kroc radio station in California."

Matisyahu said the new album that is going to be coming out this fall, is almost done, but it was missing a couple of things, and lacking a certain touch, hence his trip to Jamaica a week ago. "What it needed was that touch, certain touch, y'know, and a few songs that have reggae style rhythm section like a one-drop, steppers kinda rhythm to it. So I know from before, having recorded with Sly and Robbie, a song called, Jeruselam when they came to New York and recorded it with me.

"I knew from that, that was the sound that I was looking for. Some people you can try to explain to them a certain feel, you know what I mean, and they might get it, but my experience, particularly with Robbie, when he starts playing the bass, is that he hears it, he hears something, you know what I mean, that a lot of musicians don't hear. So, I wanted to get him doing that, and figured that this was a good chance to come," Matisyahu said as he added that Stephen McGregor, was also recommended highly to him by Maxine Stowe.

He told Splash that he is thinking about launching the album here in Jamaica. "We're trying to put it (the album) out here first, before we put it out in America, put out a track here, have a launch, come play a bunch of shows and have a bunch of parties, invite the international press to Jamaica. For sure for the bass, you have to come to Jamaica," said Matisyahu who is slated to do a punk rock tour in the summer.

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