This is a very special tune. It has many names, instrumental trouble. You can name them as you like. Most of the time I know this tune, it was entitled “Stream In The Meadow”. As I knew it from the record The Skatalites – African Roots. I’ve found that album somewhere in the late 80s. Some releases call it Rock Bottom or Bottom Of The Rock or Roots Dub. To me and my band mates it is known as “Stream”.
First concert 1993
The first tune in this playlist is from my very first concert 4th of september 1993 with the band called Peacestreet. To me it was also my very first flute solo on stage into a microphone. Before that, I played the flute on stage only acoustically. It was the second tune of the concert. The first tune I played the trombone and it was Freedom Sounds, but there is no recording of it. But Stream 1993 live is with that flute solo where I lent the Cleopatra Rock melody. Thanks to Simon on drums to lift it up just in the right moment. The newspaper wrote after the concert, that we kicked it with our reggae-funky-ska-rock’n’roll-mix. Not too bad for a premiere.
More infos of this event over here.
First recording session 1994
The second version is also previously unreleased with Peacestreet from 1994. It was our first recording session at Schweine Sound Studio in Sedel. We recorded two tunes. The other tune “El Niño De Ringo” was released on the Skampler No 2 on which I played trombone and flute. The “Stream In The Meadow” studio version is unreleased until today and never finished. I have no idea, where the original tapes landed. All I have is a DAT (digital audio tape) with two rough mixes on it. There is René Frey (double bass), Simon Gut (drums), Alex Zimmermann (guitar), Marc German (keyboards), René Hort (tenor sax), Jonas Hodel (trumpet), Ras Claude (flute). Recorded and mixed by Rolf Schmidt.
Version with The Skatalites 2019
The third version is with the dub version taken from The Skatalites – Herb Dub Collie Dub. A great rarity my brother found somewhere (I can’t remember where, but I guess it was at Zero Zero in Zürich) in the early 90s. The confusion is big with all those names for this tune. I’m not even sure if it is a Tommy McCook composition (I guess he’s playing the flute) or is it played by Roland Alphonso (as written on the album and he is playing the flute), but in fact it could be someone else as well, never trust the album notes (haha). In 2019 I took the dub version from that album and played some flute tracks over it. I recorded it with straight microphone into MacBook Pro 2007 and remixed it with Amadeus Pro and Garage Band 5.1 on my other MacBook Pro 2010 (my equipment is getting old…).
Next version with The Skatalites 2022
The fourth version is another solo version I did. It’s recorded onto Tascam 24 mixing desk with 4 flute tracks and one bongo track. I finished it 6th of november 2022 in my secret laboratory.
Cell 105 in May 2023
The fifth version is from a rehearsal session from 5th of May 2023 with Simon Gut on drums, René Frey on bass, Philipp Greter on keyboards and Ras Claude on flute. It is just our first session on this tune after more than 25 years (the first time Fibu plays on it). It’s been recorded in one shot on the Tascam 24 with only no remix at all.
Story behind
But behind all this, there is another story. In 1991 I managed the first show of Mad Lighters at Sedel. After show I DJ through too great tunes, so I was invited to Neuchâtel (home base of Mad Lighters feat. Daniel Spahni of Dennis Bovells Dub Band, Antonello Lubello and Phil Santschi) for my first NoF-NoF session. Together with René (my bassman from ever since) it was a 100 mile bicycle ride to NoF-NoFs place. My brother and friends came with the records in a car.
I DJ the NoF-NoF session into fire. With my mix of a Lee Perry dub and a remixed interview of Friedrich Dürrenmatt I conquered the hearts (he died 20 months before in Neuchâtel). Originally I mixed and prepared it on the Brainwashing tape in 1990. In Neuchâtel I guess I took Kuchy Skank as backing track.
After I finished the session I was invited to sleep at Alain Salvis place in Neuchâtel while René, my brother & friends drove home to Luzern. I left early the next morning to ride my bicycle another 500 miles to Saint Nazaire where I met The Skatalites for the first time. I was there just on time. Only a few hours before The Skatalites arrived. More details about this event can be found here on my other blog. I have some memories published exactly 25 years after it happend. The next day was the very first show of The Skatalites in France also find some audio samples. And the second show was outdoor on a little stage find more details over here and again with some great and exclusive audio samples.
Life changing
But why I’m writing again about the same few days that changed a lot in my life? Lloyd Brevett asked me, if I want to come to his and Rolands room. We were talking about this and that and then Lloyd took a CD out of his pocket and gave it to me as a present. It was the Japanese release of The Skatalites – African Roots but with an actual picture just with the four original Skatalites from this tour: Tommy McCook, Roland Alphonso, Lloyd Knibb and Lloyd Brevett.
On the CD inside is the word “Sample”. I was very very happy to hold this thing in my hand. I told Lloyd Brevett how great this cover is, because all four of them can sign it. But then Lloyd Brevett asked me to keep it quiet, because Lloyd Knibb and Tommy McCook had no idea of its release… and yes, on that CD there is the “Stream” as well.
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