Bob Marley & the Chineke! Orchestra - Bob Marley & the Chineke! Orchestra (Deluxe Edition) (2022)

The Chineke! Orchestra was the brainchild of Chi-Chi Nwanoku, a renowned English double bass player of Nigerian and Irish descent. Whilst chatting to Ed Vaizey, then Minister for Culture, he pointed out that she was often one of the only people of colour on stage at symphony concerts. And so, in 2015, the concept of the Chineke! Orchestra was born. This ensemble brings together a majority of Black, Asian and other ethnic minority musicians who are usually erased from the classical stage. A revolutionary orchestra, it’s only logical that, after performing Dvořák, Sibelius and Rachmaninov on Signum Classics, they’re joining forces with… Tuff Gong, the label founded by Bob Marley, to produce a record containing covers of the Jamaican icon’s songs.

The roots of this particular project can be traced back to 2018, when the cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason (a member of the Chineke! Orchestra who became a bit of a star on social media following his performance at Prince Harry’s wedding) included an incredible cover of No Woman No Cry on his album Inspiration. It caught the attention of Tuff Gong, who then decided to get on board with this experimental music and produce an album on which the ensemble would cover and rearrange ten of Bob’s classic hits. To take things to the next level, the album even includes vocals by Bob Marley himself (which were provided by Island Records). As you might expect, the raw edge of the original tracks is gone—even Bob’s voice sounds softer at times—but this work highlights the undeniable pop dimension of the Wailer’s music. Plus, it gives the band a personality that’s as artistic as it is political. “I ardently believe that all genres of music should be open to absolutely everyone, so it was wonderful for Chineke! to be able to bring new orchestrations to these iconic tracks,” Chi-Chi Nwanoku concludes.