Champion in the Arena 1976-1977

Had he only been a founding member of the Skatalites (and foundational to the music being shaped at Sir Coxsone Dodd’s studio), Jackie Mittoo’s legacy would be assured. But he also helmed groups like Sound Dimension and the Soul Vendors and worked with before moving up to Canada in the early 1970s where he would remain until his untimely death in 1990. The solo music that Jackie Mittoo rendered north of the border gets reconsidered on Champion in the Arena. Utilizing electric organ and early synthesizers, Mittoo recasts some of his earliest hits in a “hotel lounge friendly” style. Perhaps not a crucial “best of” of the man, Champion does offer a fascinating glimpse of Mittoo amid the shifting sands of musical tastes, showing how reggae could cross-pollinate with funk, soul, pop, and easy listening.