Sons of Negus is a group led by Ras Michael. Many of the big acts from Jamaica such as Bob Marley were devoutly Rastafari. But few were quite as intensely and single-mindedly spiritual in their music as Ras Michael was.
He was one of the musicians who brought traditional Rastafari Nyabinghi music to wider audiences.
The many layered drums play a key role in those songs. I’ve not heard a flute in one before though!
The flute adds a further esoteric touch – the electric piano is another innovation. A welcome innovation too, as the song is rich with melody, dripping with musical colour, and infused with fluid rhythm.
The track was released in 1968 – it’s got that classic raw 60s reggae sound…