In The Flow with Ziggy Marley

Geoff Carter

Wednesday, June 9, 1999 | 3:03 a.m.

This article first appeared on Feb. 1, 1996.

Ziggy Marley has never been to Las Vegas until now. He had no need of it-with a spirituality as deep as his, why bother with something as nebulous as luck? Something far more powerful than luck has driven him and his band of siblings, The Melody Makers, to this particular plateau. With four well-received albums, nearly nonstop touring and a few unqualified hits ("Tomorrow People," "Tumbling Down," "Kozmik") the Marley family has become kings and queens of a genre where the original monarch was none other than their own father, the iconic Bob Marley.

The Melody Makers' latest album, "Free Like We Want 2 B," captures much of the spirit and faith that Bob embodied, while wrapping that tradition in modern touches that would no doubt have the patriarch grooving passionately if he had been around to hear it. Songs like "Water And Oil," "Beautiful Mother Nature," and "Power To Move Ya" are the work of an artist who wasn't born yesterday-in fact, this part of the Marley legacy dates back twenty years.

"We started recording music in the studio in 1979," Ziggy reminisced by phone. "I started playing in the early seventies, around the house." Back in those early days in Jamaica, the house was always alive with music, as was their father's Tuff Gong studio at 56 Hope Road in Kingston. It was those wistful memories that persuaded the Marley progeny to move back into the Tuff Gong studio, revitalizing it and rechristening it: Marley Music Studio, a tangible bridge between old guard and new.

"I wanted a studio that was technologically up-to-date, a place where you could record an album and the sound that you'd get could compete with any (studio) in the world. We decided to buy some equipment and instead of building a new place, we would fill this place that was empty; refurbish it." In the course of describing the new facility, it becomes apparent that Ziggy is more than a little homesick, a result of a tour that has kept the band away from Kingston for nearly five months now, and promises to take them to Europe and Japan.

"When I last saw Jamaica, everything was going cool," he sighed, putting a smooth cadence to the last word that can only be acquired on the island. "It's got problems like everywhere else, but musically, it's a cool place."

A breakthrough came in 1988, with the release of "Conscious Party." The upbeat and tuneful album was produced by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads, a partnership that Ziggy appreciated a great deal.

"It was a good experience, sharing ideas and learning...we learned a lot of things technology-wise."

That tutelage and positivity resulted in a hit single, "Tomorrow People," that lingered on pop radio and in the clubs for the better part of a year. In the midst of that rapid ascent, Ziggy and his kin managed to remain grounded.

"Didn't affect us," he said. "No matter what the single does, we're still who we are. And we continue to be who we are, no matter what happens in life." The band's songwriting process is similarly grounded and natural. "Situations happen in life; you just write a song about that situation. It's something you feel...you get the inspiration from Jah. Different songs get written for different reasons...opinions, feelings, inspirations."

And naturally, some of it comes from a more earthy, but equally significant source. "My father is with me all the time," said Ziggy proudly. True to his word, the band delivers amazing versions of "Could You Be Loved" and "Get Up Stand Up" nearly every night.

Another club hit came with "Kozmic" from the 1991 release "Jahmekya." The album found the group experimenting with hip-hop stylings, their interest having been piqued by a Hank Shocklee remix of "Tumbling Down."

"'Kozmic' is about the forces that keep us down," said Ziggy of the deeply percussive track, "the forces that we cannot see." It was a step in a new direction, coming on the cusp of a genre breakthrough known as Dancehall, a funk-reggae hybrid that propelled short-burn unknowns such as Shabba Ranks into the spotlight.

It was perhaps because of that saturation that Ziggy and band returned to a more traditional sound with 1993's "Joy And Blues"-a perfect segue to the passive/aggressive political and human statements that constitute "Free Like We Want 2B." On "G7," Ziggy rebuffs the overlords of this era in a manner that would do his dad proud, and in a fierce manner that opportunists like Shabba just can't touch. "Seven richest countries in the world/them have a little meeting/them a plan to keep and oppress the poor," Ziggy warns, almost bemused, then rages, "They think they're great, feeling no one can touch them/well, them got a next thing comin'."

Another song from the new disc, "In The Flow," nods to another Marley concern. "It's a song about the Herb...smoking the Herb and finding a common bond with the brothers and sisters. Herb is a peaceful thing; you don't think about war and fighting."

One unexpected trait of the new Marley clan is their attitude toward technology, a leaning so pronounced that Ziggy is experimenting with the internet. The interest isn't so strong, however, that he would condonethat technology or anything.

"Technology should not take over everything," he said "Man is made from nature...when man becomes dependent on technology, it becomes disrespectful to nature."

Ziggy's respect for humanity and nature is obviously devout, and he holds no ideals higher than peace, communication, and love.

"My father was a teacher, man. Music is a teacher, and I'm a teacher and a student at the same time. Jah is my strength."

Why bother with luck, when you have strength? The son is as good as his word, having been taught by his father how to get in the flow.