On Monday, Bob Marley would have celebrated his 78th earthstrong, or birthday in Rastafarian culture. Over four decades after his untimely passing, the reggae icon's acclaimed body of work is still adored and continues to inspire many worldwide.
On a tempestuous Tel Aviv night, winter storm Barbara mercilessly lashed those who dared to step outdoors, but meanwhile, in the city's Rasta Club, one ardent Marley fan was cooking up a storm of his own inside.
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Tony Ray and Amjah perform at Rasta Club, Tel Aviv, February 6, 2023
(Photo: Ilan Levinsohn)
Tony Ray is something of a cult figure in the Israeli music scene, widely credited as the father of reggae music in the Holy Land for his 1981 release I Feel Like Reggae, the country's first full-length reggae album. The prolific singer has gone on to release nine studio albums, and the tenth is already coming down the pike.
Ray kicked off the show with Marley's uplifting Positive Vibration, delivered with a gravelly croon that was more reminiscent of Louis Armstrong's than that of the birthday boy's.
The Jamaican Israeli songster followed up with Buffalo Soldier and Three Little Birds before switching to something off of his own repertoire.
He dedicated the anti-war hymn Goodbye to Wars to Ukraine and Yellow Green Black to his native Jamaica, with both tunes drawing from Marley’s blueprint of offbeat island rhythms blended with political commentary.
The crowd in the dimly lit, intimate venue was already on its feet by the time Ray and his backup band Amjah gave a high-energy performance of Marley's Jammin'.
The song Saba Yode'a Hakol (Grandpa Knows Everything), an adorable and catchy tune off of Ray's upcoming record about the joys of grandfatherhood, made me want to call my own saba, who was probably already asleep by that time. (Don't worry, I called him the very next morning.)
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Tony Ray and Amjah — (from left to right) drummer Liam, Tony, guitarist Elon and bassist Roy
(Photo: Ilan Levinsohn)
The 73-year-old then took a much-deserved break and left the stage to Getachew Melese who delivered his own brand of reggae, seasoned with flavors from his native Ethiopia, which the patrons really seemed to dig.
The restart kicked off in high gear with Marley's timeless classic One Love, followed by Ray's anti-racism anthem Mi Love Mi Black Skin.
The bawdy Couscous may sound at first like a fun little number about Tony's craving for a warm serving of the North African dish, but is actually one big innuendo for a woman's... "nether regions". In case you somehow missed out on the song's explicit themes from the suggestive lyrics, Tony and the band's choreographed hip thrusts in the end for the better part of two to three minutes will leave no doubt in your mind.
The show closed with Marley's upbeat Could You Be Loved, with Ray taking the time to diligently thank each and every member of the crowd personally, a perk that can only be afforded at such smaller shows, which I found quite charming.