Dean Fraser prepares to thrill the world of music with his renowned talents, in a stunning instrumental album titled “Flat Bridge.”
As an ode to the well-known Jamaican bridge, and Jamaican culture itself, the 13-track masterpiece is slated for release on Friday.
“As his first solo effort, Dean has ensured musical delight on this project with tracks like the self-titled ‘Flat Bridge,’” said Jamaican Ronnie Tomlinson, of the Brooklyn-based entertainment company, Destine Media.
“This instrumental album is the first of its kind in a long time, promises to be a journey into the past and present Jamaican soundscape, with the smooth elegant stylings of Jamaica’s greatest saxophonist,” she added.
As a master saxophone player, Tomlinson said Dean provides “the sonic protagonist in these musical stories, which are backed by local ensembles.
“The quality of these songs is superseded only by the time and effort put into the live jams, recording and the editing process that polishes the core concept present in each,” she said.
“With the way music making has been democratized by technology, collaboration amongst different talents has become more unlikely,” Tomlinson added. “Yet, here comes one of our most treasured musical elders with a reminder that the essential nature of music is communal.”
Featuring artists, such as Andre “Singy” March and Okiel McIntyre, Tomlinson said Frazer “doesn’t hold back in his commitment to producing the best version of each song.”
“Dean was a major player in the cultivation of our sound during the 70s through to present day,” she said. “His musical credits are exhaustive, from Dennis Brown, Sly and Robbie, Bob Marley, and even more recently the likes of Tarrus Riley and Beres Hammond.”
Tomlinson describes Dean as “a living legend” adding that his latest album is “a product of that legendary heritage and musical wealth that only a stalwart can possess.
“’Flat Bridge’ is an outstanding body of work that is sure to bring back much of the instrumental nature of Jamaican music, and inspire another generation of musicians to come,” the entertainment promoter said.
“This new instrumental project by Dean is likely to reignite the trend in music where musicians compile and sell their signature sounds,” she added.
In many ways, Tomlinson said this body of work will “greatly add value to the archive of Jamaican music and, therefore, make evolving the sound much more accessible to outside parties who often sample our sound.”
The entire album was recorded in the Tad’s International Recording Studio in Kingston, Jamaica.
It was produced by Fraser and Tad “Junior Tads” Dawkins.
