Were it not for a nun named Sister Mary Ignatius Davies, the world might have never heard reggae music. Davies directed the music program at what was then called the Alpha Boys’ School in Kingston, Jamaica. She taught many students who went on to play influential roles in reggae and ska, including members of the Skatalites, Bob Marley and the Wailers, as well as dancehall star Yellowman.
While Sister Ignatius died in 2003, the music education program lives on as Alpha School of Music, the inspiration for “Higher Education,” a richly rewarding all-star recording by Boston’s Naya Rockers. The reggae collective invited 10 major figures in reggae, such as Stephen Marley and Fishbone lead singer Angelo Moore, to collaborate on songs that celebrate learning, whether it be formal schooling or everyday mentorship. A majority of the proceeds will benefit Alpha.
The record was born when Flóki Studios in Iceland sought ideas for concepts that would combine new music with philanthropy. “Looking at it now, I guess it was kind of a crazy idea,” said Naya founder and drummer Nathan Sabanayagam of the process, which involved recording the rhythm parts in Iceland before having each singer add their tune on top. “We told each artist that signed on to make their track about education and life lessons, something that is meaningful.”
Making a record with 12 different singers was a satisfying experience, but not a quick one. “Nathan has the patience of Job,” laughed Stephen Stewart, a veteran Jamaican engineer and producer who has lent his touch to recordings by Marley and mixed the album at Tuff Gong in Kingston.
Stewart virtually coached the Iceland sessions, which included versatile Rhode Island keyboardist Cameron Greenlee (a past touring member of the Skatalites) and guitarist Andy Bassford, a longtime presence on the reggae scene capable of both great taste and scorching energy.
The artists approached the theme in different ways. Dancehall pioneer Sister Nancy directs listeners to “Teach the Youth.” Moore was backed by famed Jamaican vocal harmony group The Tamlins on an ode to “Brotherhood.” Trinidadian roots star Queen Omega explored what everyday “Words of Wisdom” can mean.
“She brought a real gospel energy to that track,” said Sabanayagam.
Besides including a member of reggae’s first family, the Marleys, the title track of “Higher Education” features a member of New Orleans’ first musical family. Ivan Neville came into the project via co-producer and Naya Rockers bassist Nate Edgar, whose busy and verified musical life also includes being one-third of the popular funk outfit The Nth Power.
Noting the cultural and musical connections between Jamaica and the Crescent City, Edgar noted that “New Orleans is often considered part of the Caribbean. New Orleans music has influenced Jamaican music for many decades and vice versa, especially through the Neville family.”
Stewart added, “Everyone really brought in their own flavor. It’s like having a meal with many different spices sprinkled on top of it.”
While Stewart grew up in Jamaica surrounded by Caribbean music, Sabanayagam’s path wasn’t as clear-cut. He grew up in Pennsylvania as the son of immigrants from the Philippines and Sri Lanka. That island identity helped him relate to the reggae that his friends in school played. He initially got a degree in chemistry, but soon found himself playing with Winston Grennan, a foundation drummer whose many studio credits included Paul Simon’s “Mother and Child Reunion.” He quit a corporate consulting job to attend Berklee College of Music and started making frequent trips to Jamaica, where he learned from such instrumental reggae drummers as Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace and Sly Dunbar.
Although Sabanayagam was busy as a freelance musician, he’d never had his own outfit. Over the past decade, the Naya Rockers became an in-demand unit for artists from Jamaica who needed a band when they toured the Northeast.
One of its most enduring relationships has been with Clinton Fearon, a profound and prolific singer-songwriter who first came to attention as a member of Jamaican harmony group The Gladiators. He leads off “Higher Education” with the inviting “Come With Us,” and will be performing with the Naya Rockers in September in Hampton Beach in New Hampshire, Pembroke, Massachusetts, and Kingstown, Rhode Island.
Sabanayagam originally met Fearon at one of the famous jam sessions that take place in the Kingston yard of Earl “Chinna” Smith. “Something that I think is so special about Clinton is his voice,” Sabanayagam said. “And his songwriting and delivery is of a classic era, and I don’t really hear anyone in the next generation sounding like him.”
Recently, Alpha has been modernizing its facilities and now has a computer lab that allows for current production to be taught to the next generation of Jamaican music makers. For the contributors to “Higher Education,” which also include dub innovator Mad Professor and rising reggae artist Hector “Roots” Lewis, it’s a worthy cause.
“The name ‘Alpha’ plays a very important part in our music history,” said Stewart, who has assisted the institute with its recent endeavors. “It was where many of the members of the Jamaican industry were able to grow musically. It is the base of our music history and style.”
“Higher Education” is out Sept. 12.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2025 WBUR
