Reggae Instrumentalists: Lester Sterling, Roland Alphonso and Tommy McCook

Despite its title, this is really a collection of instrumental tunes from the ska and rock steady eras, featuring three mainstays of the legendary Skatalites band: saxophonists Roland Alphonso, Lester Sterling, and Tommy McCook. The trio’s jazz roots are evident, but for the most part this is sinewy, skanking ska — tracks like “Peanut Vendor” and the spare “Lonesome Feeling” exemplify the early sound that had all of Kingston winding its collective waist throughout the 1960s.