Reggae artist Solomon Jabby (born Peyton Ritter), has been studying and perfecting his craft of classic dub and roots reggae for almost a decade. After recording numerous demos, Solomon released "Rootical Revelations" (2002), his critically acclaimed solo debut.
This vintage sounding dub project literally changed the face of the gospel reggae scene. He later had songs featured on Lion of Zion's bestselling "Reggae Redemption Songs" and "To The King" compilations.
In 2004 Solomon gained the attention of roots aficionados worldwide with the release of his revolutionary "Zion Gates" CD. With two full-length dub albums already to his credit, Solomon has earned a reputation in the worldwide reggae community as a crafty producer and artist with two feet firmly planted in the roots tradition.
On Solomon Jabby's third release, "Firmly Planted", he proves that traditional roots reggae production still has a place in the modern reggae soundscape. "Firmly Planted", showcases the Florida native's excellent songwriting abilities in new and exciting ways.
This, his first vocal album, pays homage to the golden days of Jamaican harmony groups with clear influences from such artists as The Wailing Souls, The Congos, and The Gladiators. Deep spiritual messages permeate the dense vocal harmonies, perfectly complementing Solomon's organic production techniques.
Exceptional musicianship and superb arrangements make this album a full, well-rounded work. Over the last few years Jabby has produced artists such as Christafari (Reggae Sunday School), Theo and the Burning Root Band (Soundsystem), Avion Blackman's multiple award-winning "Onyinye", as well as The Israelites soon to be released worship album.
With the release of "Firmly Planted", Solomon proves what a modern producer can achieve when he finds the balance between past and present. Solomon has successfully found a way to stay true to the 1970's reggae sound while simultaneously pushing the art of roots and dub to higher heights in this digital age.
In 2005 Solomon became a member of the legendary gospel reggae group Christafari. Solomon now plays guitar and percussion for the band and also plays bass for Avion Blackman. This has given Solomon an opportunity to see the world and perform in places throughout the US, Brazil and Argentina.
With the launch of Christafari's latest album (featuring significant contributions by Solomon Jabby), the group has booked a rigorous 30-concert tour schedule featuring supporting performances by Solomon Jabby and Avion Blackman.
In 2007 they completed a summer tour which saw them perform in the United States, the UK, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Denmark. They played in virtually every major festival including Notting Hill Carnival, Foundation Fest, Creation Fest, Greenbelt, Frizon, Gavle City Fest, Wildfire, Flevo Festival, Gouda Fest, Glow Fest and the Tara Festival.
The end of 2007 saw them return from their first major tour of Brazil, where they hit 8 major cities including Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, the islands of Sao Luis (Brazil's Reggae Capital) and Florianopolis.
Following on from this tour, Christafari were invited back to Brazil in February 2008. They headlined the first ever Gospel Festival in Brasilia, Brazil, and performed in front of 80,000 fans! Soon after this, Christafari and Solomon Jabby went to Hawaii for a 5-island tour.
Tours in Florida and Texas followed. Christafari then returned to Europe for their most daring tour yet. They performed 35 shows in 15 countries spanning an incredible 45 days. They reached new countries such as Iceland, Latvia, performed at the biggest arts festival, Slot Fest, in Poland, went to both Slovakia (where they performed in front of a crowd of 8,000) and Hungry before heading to Spain.
The adventure did not stop there. After taking a break in September, the band embarked on a 21-day tour of Brazil. This is officially the longest ever tour by an international artist in Brazil. They performed 18 shows in 16 of the major cities in the country.
They ended the year by performing at Camp Pendleton, USA for 300 marines who were going through bootcamp, what a perfect way to finish the year! 2009 promises to bring new adventures, challenges and countries.
Christafari with Solomon Jabby are currently planning to visit the USA, Caribbean, South America, Asia, Europe and Africa. Plans are afoot and you can be part of this story.
