The Skatalites

ASK JAMAICA'S PRIME MINISTER ABOUT THE SKATALITES and he'll come over all misty-eyed. Never mind that, at the moment, PJ Patterson is running a country that seems to be sliding into chaos, his party is hurtling towards a general election nobody thinks they'll win and he is enduring an Opposition campaign that has become increasingly personal. Tell him you want to talk about the orchestra that, to all intents and purposes, was ska's house band from 1964 to 1966 and he'll gladly clear his calendar for an hour or so.