WOMAD

Bim Sherman

From Jamaica

Bim Sherman has been out on reggae's left field for 20 years. This year, WOMAD festival-goers will have a chance to compare and contrast his mystical, ethereal voice with the deep, passionate tones of Burning Spear. Between them, they have any contest for the most distinctive voice in Jamaican music sewn up. Bim has worked outside the normal structure of Jamaican music since he first began to make records. Most of his releases have been on a variety of self-financed labels and Bim sold his first two singles at Kingston car-boot sales. His first UK release was 'Tribesman', a compilation of his early work. In 1980 Bim came to Britain, where he hooked up with Adrian Sherwood. Since then, Bim has remained in the On-U Sound circle, dipping in and out of the label but continuing to work with some of its stalwarts such as Doug Wimbish and Skip McDonald, and to tour with On-U artists such as Akabu and Gary Clail. Of his eighties' releases here, try to pick up a copy of the 1986 album, 'The Haunting Ground', which is the perfect showcase for his enigmatic, melancholic songs. In the early nineties, Bim began working with McDonald and Sherwood on a selection of new tunes and radical reworkings of old ones such as 'Missing You' and 'Lover's Leap'. This time, each number was given a light, acoustic backing, giving the whole affair a natural, organic vibe. Tabla player Talvin Singh played at these sessions as well and he went with Bim to Bombay, adding Indian strings to the sound, courtesy of the Studio Beats Orchestra of Bombay. Out of these recordings came last year's album, 'Miracle' (Mantra/Beggar's Banquet). This album is neither classic roots nor modern dancehall reggae - it shies away from obvious beats and horn sections. It's even a stranger, for the most part, to heavy bass. But it is a creation in a league of its own - in every way.