BARBADIAN saxophonist Arturo Tappin has developed a distinct liking for the music of controversial Jamaican deejay Alkaline.

According to the artiste who made his fifth appearance at the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival in Trelawny recently, he likes good songs irrespective of genre and once it is a tune that will work with his saxophone, then he is drawn to that piece of music.

“The melody has to have some movement, even if it is a small range, it has to be catchy, and rhythmically it has to marry with the drum and bass,” he explained to the Jamaica Observer.

It is that sense of melody he finds appealing in the work of Alkaline.

“Alkaline writes melodies that I really find attractive for the saxophone and I really wanted to play a few of his songs. But we are in Jamaica and we know the words, which some people may find offensive, so I have to play them elsewhere,” Tappin stated.

Alkaline burst onto the scene two years ago, grabbing headlines with his tatooed eyes and more recently the bleaching of his skin. He has also made a name for himself with his music.

Like Tappin stated, his love for music is not limited to genre. However, as it relates to Jamaican singers Tappin is fond of the music of three singers who are no longer living.

“Most of the great Jamaican singers that I grew up listening to are no longer here. John Holt, Dennis Brown and Rugs from Third World. These are three tenors that when I play the tenor saxophone, I want to feel like them. I listen to the dancehall guys a lot but their lyrics are not clean enough, but they write great melodies.”

In his downtime when listening to music for pure pleasure, Tapping ears are pleased by the sounds of the ‘Chairman of the Board’ Frank Sinatra. He explained that the arrangements by veterans Nelson Riddle and Count Basie are his favourites.

— Richard Johnson