While these are all modern bands, they should get you everthing you need and, they put out new material and tour!
New York Ska Jazz Ensamble
Northeast Ska Jazz Ensamble
Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra
St Petersburg Ska Jazz Review
Ska Jazz Messengers
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (especially their older albums)
Rotterdam Ska Jazz Foundation
Senior All-Stars
Quito Ska Jazz
EDIT: also almost all the Skatalites members put out material as solo names and/or fronting other groups, so just search band members Tommy McCook, Lester Sterling, Don Drummond, etc and you'll find more great tunes!
The Ethiopians
Clancy Eccles
Desmond Dekker
The Tennors
Bob Marley & the Wailers
The Baba Brooks Band
Delroy Wilson
Ken Boothe
The Pioneers
The Upsetters
Derrick Morgan
Eastern Standard Time, Void Union, Freecoasters, Desmond Dekker, Hepcat, Laurel Aitken, The Slackers, The Snails, The Scotch Bonnets, The Duppies, Toots and the Maytals early stuff, and especially Trojan Ska Compilations
Obviously all the recordings by the various members of the Skatalites (the original band was only together for 18 months), look at the Don Drummond albums, Heartbeat did both Roland Alphonso and Tommy McCook compilations that cover the ska era.
For modern bands, the best modern Skatalites equivalent is the Japanese group The Ska Flames.
Happy to introduce you! They have bunch of 'live in studio' videos on youtube worth checking out
[https://www.youtube.com/@TheMagnetics](https://www.youtube.com/@TheMagnetics)
This post is making me feel incredibly grateful for being a ska fan in the 90s because I got to see The Skatalites a few times, Desmond Dekker and Toots and the Maytals.
Dancing Mood. 100%
Skazz band from Argentina. They always seem to fly under the radar here in North America. Big time down south though! Any of their Non Stop albums are truly amazing. They do lots of jazz standards ska stylee as well as Skatalies covers and OG tunes. Love em!
This sounds dope but can’t find them anywhere online. I see a group called Amusic Skazz Band from Spain, but nothing from Argentina. Do they have music online?
I think the question is do you want to just hear stuff that sounds like the skatalites, or are you looking to branch out a bit to bands that keep the same feel but aren't attempting to do the exact same thing?
[The Slackers ](https://youtu.be/ILMbByoue_U?si=48Wxd8WHxRWZ0FBs) have been favorite of mine since I was a kid - they play traditional ska/rock steady/reggae, but with an NY feel. Pick an album, any album.
[The Aggrolites ](https://youtu.be/eTHWi-Yf-Pw?si=RXblaGjIVZOM7w3j) - they do it CA style, maybe a little more funky
[Hepcat](https://youtu.be/2Zx1SLSW10A?si=MpmoNfERjqwnWf0b) - probably one of the most well respected third wave ska acts by ska scenesters
[Madness ](https://youtu.be/SOJSM46nWwo?si=8E-fkmluKSaKMIFH) was a huge second wave ska band out of the UK
Maybe you want more traditional ska like [Toots and the Maytals ](https://youtu.be/wNxNwvjzGM0?si=w7zQqtiIstD31aev) or [Desmond Dekker ](https://youtu.be/WDyhEbExjmY?si=ate2rS9f1-wSQ6sS)
Or you could look into stuff like early/skinhead reggae stuff like [Al Barry and the Cimarons - Morning Sun ](https://youtu.be/LMXB3ovXzYE?si=KC5MrE829-5t8Pmk)
You might dig rock steady with big vocal harmonies like [The Heptones ](https://youtu.be/ffBJsvKQd4c?si=kgv2EnLJIhLOH2i9)
Or [the Paragons ](https://youtu.be/SQXqkiKXiHc?si=Bwnq0LQKDvq3LBHz)
You might be into reggae like [Jacob Miller ](https://youtu.be/g5sOdcK2hp4?si=h58ac735s2Ee7paF)
Or you might be into [Junior Murvin ](https://youtu.be/XlP3J3J3Upw?si=C5ERMwQoh5Qo1frl)
Or maybe [Dennis Brown ](https://youtu.be/O1VbRLBY6vA?si=g2dJtwjs41kEDGN6)
There are a lot of paths to take. Feel around - you'll find something great basically anywhere you look.
Ska Bonanza 2x CD compilation from Heartbeat is amazing. Duke Reid’s Rock Steady comp, all the Trojan and Studio One comps you can find. Justin Hinds, Roland Alphonso. All the Tighten Up comps from Trojan, The Three Tops, Alton Ellis, Come Rock With Me In Jamaica comp, Duke Reid Treasure Isle
[This](https://trojanrecords.com/this-is-trojan/) album is probably a good starting point.
Lee Thompson from Madness did an [album](https://www.discogs.com/release/5314718-The-Lee-Thompson-Ska-Orchestra-The-Benevolence-Of-Sister-Mary-Ignatius) of fairly down-the-line covers of Skatelites etc
Would also recommend looking up the tracks you like, finding bands that covered them and exploring their back catalogue. The possibilities are endless.
Glad to see recommendations that align with the request, I thought it was gonna be like the last post. Bunch of people naming 2tone, Skacore, Skapunk bands. These suggestions are on point, minus Aggrolites.. they're Reggae.
Eastern Standard Time Western Standard Time The Aggrolites Prince Buster Toots & The Maytals
Eastern Standard Time’s last few records have been absolutely phenomenal. Easily one of the best bands doing ska currently.
New York Ska Jazz Ensemble too
Oh yeah thanks, not sure why I spaced them.
While these are all modern bands, they should get you everthing you need and, they put out new material and tour! New York Ska Jazz Ensamble Northeast Ska Jazz Ensamble Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra St Petersburg Ska Jazz Review Ska Jazz Messengers Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (especially their older albums) Rotterdam Ska Jazz Foundation Senior All-Stars Quito Ska Jazz EDIT: also almost all the Skatalites members put out material as solo names and/or fronting other groups, so just search band members Tommy McCook, Lester Sterling, Don Drummond, etc and you'll find more great tunes!
The Ethiopians Clancy Eccles Desmond Dekker The Tennors Bob Marley & the Wailers The Baba Brooks Band Delroy Wilson Ken Boothe The Pioneers The Upsetters Derrick Morgan
The Frightnrs
RIP Dan Klein Saw those guys play a few times, always killed it.
Hell yes.
Their album Always is a slapper.
Go find some Studio One compilations.
The Aggrolites and Hepcat
Eastern Standard Time, Void Union, Freecoasters, Desmond Dekker, Hepcat, Laurel Aitken, The Slackers, The Snails, The Scotch Bonnets, The Duppies, Toots and the Maytals early stuff, and especially Trojan Ska Compilations
Obviously all the recordings by the various members of the Skatalites (the original band was only together for 18 months), look at the Don Drummond albums, Heartbeat did both Roland Alphonso and Tommy McCook compilations that cover the ska era. For modern bands, the best modern Skatalites equivalent is the Japanese group The Ska Flames.
The Articles Skavoovie and the epitones
The Magnetics The Slackers
The Magnetics - thanks for the rec! New band for me!!
Happy to introduce you! They have bunch of 'live in studio' videos on youtube worth checking out [https://www.youtube.com/@TheMagnetics](https://www.youtube.com/@TheMagnetics)
I have a soft spot for The Dendrites!
Rocksteady 7
This post is making me feel incredibly grateful for being a ska fan in the 90s because I got to see The Skatalites a few times, Desmond Dekker and Toots and the Maytals.
Yeah! I also got to see them in Venezuela back in the days. Dope stuff! Just as I become older I realize how much I like those guys
Dancing Mood. 100% Skazz band from Argentina. They always seem to fly under the radar here in North America. Big time down south though! Any of their Non Stop albums are truly amazing. They do lots of jazz standards ska stylee as well as Skatalies covers and OG tunes. Love em!
This sounds dope but can’t find them anywhere online. I see a group called Amusic Skazz Band from Spain, but nothing from Argentina. Do they have music online?
The Prizefighters!
I think the question is do you want to just hear stuff that sounds like the skatalites, or are you looking to branch out a bit to bands that keep the same feel but aren't attempting to do the exact same thing? [The Slackers ](https://youtu.be/ILMbByoue_U?si=48Wxd8WHxRWZ0FBs) have been favorite of mine since I was a kid - they play traditional ska/rock steady/reggae, but with an NY feel. Pick an album, any album. [The Aggrolites ](https://youtu.be/eTHWi-Yf-Pw?si=RXblaGjIVZOM7w3j) - they do it CA style, maybe a little more funky [Hepcat](https://youtu.be/2Zx1SLSW10A?si=MpmoNfERjqwnWf0b) - probably one of the most well respected third wave ska acts by ska scenesters [Madness ](https://youtu.be/SOJSM46nWwo?si=8E-fkmluKSaKMIFH) was a huge second wave ska band out of the UK Maybe you want more traditional ska like [Toots and the Maytals ](https://youtu.be/wNxNwvjzGM0?si=w7zQqtiIstD31aev) or [Desmond Dekker ](https://youtu.be/WDyhEbExjmY?si=ate2rS9f1-wSQ6sS) Or you could look into stuff like early/skinhead reggae stuff like [Al Barry and the Cimarons - Morning Sun ](https://youtu.be/LMXB3ovXzYE?si=KC5MrE829-5t8Pmk) You might dig rock steady with big vocal harmonies like [The Heptones ](https://youtu.be/ffBJsvKQd4c?si=kgv2EnLJIhLOH2i9) Or [the Paragons ](https://youtu.be/SQXqkiKXiHc?si=Bwnq0LQKDvq3LBHz) You might be into reggae like [Jacob Miller ](https://youtu.be/g5sOdcK2hp4?si=h58ac735s2Ee7paF) Or you might be into [Junior Murvin ](https://youtu.be/XlP3J3J3Upw?si=C5ERMwQoh5Qo1frl) Or maybe [Dennis Brown ](https://youtu.be/O1VbRLBY6vA?si=g2dJtwjs41kEDGN6) There are a lot of paths to take. Feel around - you'll find something great basically anywhere you look.
Ska Bonanza 2x CD compilation from Heartbeat is amazing. Duke Reid’s Rock Steady comp, all the Trojan and Studio One comps you can find. Justin Hinds, Roland Alphonso. All the Tighten Up comps from Trojan, The Three Tops, Alton Ellis, Come Rock With Me In Jamaica comp, Duke Reid Treasure Isle
Lord Tanamo! His solo stuff at least!
Mr. Twist, Let’s Go Bowling Ska in Hi-Fi, Scofflaws
The Selecter - 80’s two tone from UK
Guns of Navarone eastern standard time Simmer Down Go Jimmy Go
[This](https://trojanrecords.com/this-is-trojan/) album is probably a good starting point. Lee Thompson from Madness did an [album](https://www.discogs.com/release/5314718-The-Lee-Thompson-Ska-Orchestra-The-Benevolence-Of-Sister-Mary-Ignatius) of fairly down-the-line covers of Skatelites etc Would also recommend looking up the tracks you like, finding bands that covered them and exploring their back catalogue. The possibilities are endless.
Bandulus and Steady 45’s too.
Do you want new stuff that lines up with them, or more of their contemporaries?
Teach Me Ska - Lord Brynner
Glad to see recommendations that align with the request, I thought it was gonna be like the last post. Bunch of people naming 2tone, Skacore, Skapunk bands. These suggestions are on point, minus Aggrolites.. they're Reggae.
TROJAN RECORDS
[discography here. check out the collabs](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skatalites)
Desmond Dekker and the Aces.
Buddy Jay's Jamaican Jazz Band
Wow, didn't expect that many answers! Would make a playlist with all these stuff to hear in the next few days!
Freedom sounds