Cedric “Im” Brooks
Tenor Saxophonist · Flautist · Bandleader · Composer · Arranger
(27 April 1943- 3 May 2013)
|
Cedric Roy Brooks was born on 27 April 1943 in Denham Town, West Kingston. He grew up in the same household as trumpeter Baba Brooks, in a dwelling owned by a Salvation Army Major. Both church music and secular popular music were part of daily life in that home from early on. He performed and recorded under the name Cedric “Im” Brooks, the name ”Im” drawn from the Rastafari abbreviation of His Imperial Majesty, a title of Emperor Haile Selassie I. He was a tenor saxophonist, flautist, arranger, bandleader, and composer whose work reached across Jamaican folk forms, Nyahbinghi drumming, jazz, afrobeat, and free improvisation over four decades of recording and performance. He was a founding member and musical director of The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, founder and leader of The Light of Saba, and organiser of the United Africa ensemble. He is among the most significant Jamaican composers and instrumentalists of the twentieth century.
Educational Background and Musical Training After leaving Alpha Boys School, Brooks joined the Jamaica Military Band, where he further refined his musical discipline and technical proficiency. He subsequently performed with some of Jamaica’s most prominent ensembles, including Sonny Bradshaw’s Big Band, the Vagabonds, the Granville Williams Orchestra, and Carlos Malcolm’s Afro-Jamaican Rhythms. Exposure to these diverse musical settings allowed him to master a wide range of styles, from jazz and big band music to Caribbean and Afro-Jamaican forms, steadily expanding his reputation as a versatile saxophonist, flautist, composer, and arranger. In the mid-1960s he relocated to Nassau in The Bahamas, playing and recording with Jamaican bandleader Teddy Greaves at the Turtle Walk Supper Club inside the Grand Bahama Hotel. He then moved to Philadelphia in the late 1960s and enrolled at the Combs College of Music. In Philadelphia he performed at local clubs and made contact with the Sun Ra Arkestra, an experience that brought him face to face with the free jazz approaches of Sun Ra, Pharaoh Sanders, and Albert Ayler. He was close to joining the Arkestra commune when the birth of his second daughter brought him back to Jamaica in 1970. He returned carrying everything Philadelphia had given him. Each stage of his early career contributed to the development of the distinctive musical voice that would later earn him international acclaim. Music Career and Compositions Brooks came back to Kingston in 1970 and went directly to Studio One, Clement"Coxsone" Dodd’s facility on Brentford Road. Pairing with trumpeter David Madden and recording as Im and David, the two composed Money Maker together, which reached number one on the Jamaican charts, and Candid Eye, which reached number ten. During this period, Brooks also composed Mun Dun Go, which was released on Studio One’s Bamboo imprint in the United Kingdom. This piece carried the open saxophone approach he had developed while in Philadelphia. He also composed the horn section on Burning Spear’s Door Peep during the same period at Brentford Road, one of the most recognised horn moments in the Studio One catalogue. From those early sessions Brooks moved steadily towards building something of his own. He formed The Mystics, an ensemble conceived around free jazz, poetry, and African-centred performance. This was around the same time he was deepening a relationship with Rastafarian master drummer Oswald Williams, known as Count Ossie, whose Nyahbinghi camp at Wareika Hill in east Kingston drew musicians from across the city. In the autumn of 1970, the horns and rhythm section of Brooks’Mystics and the drummers of Count Ossie’s African Drums came together at the African Cultural Centre. The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari was born from that meeting, with Brooks as musical director and leader of the horn section. The group recorded Grounation in 1973, a triple LP produced by Arnold Wedderburn. Brooks composed and arranged the horn sections throughout and played tenor saxophone, flute, and clarinet on the recordings. The album Grounation is regarded as the first long-player of the Rastafari movement as its centrepiece is a thirty-minute title track that holds the entire suite together. The group returned to Dynamic Sounds in Kingston in 1975 to record Tales of Mozambique, a single-disc concept album exploring the legacy of Portuguese colonialism in south-east Africa, with Brooks again composing and directing the horn arrangements from start to finish. |
Brooks left The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari in 1974 and formed a new group he called the Divine Light, later renamed The Light of Saba. Their first album was commissioned by the Institute of Jamaica and released on the Doctor Bird label in 1975, a structured journey through Jamaican musical history covering mento, junkanoo, ska, rocksteady, and reggae, with Brooks composing and arranging throughout. The band later released two additional albums on the Total Sounds label, blending jazz improvisation with the spiritual and rhythmic elements of Rastafarian reggae. Drawing compositional direction from Hugh Masekela and Fela Kuti alongside his Jamaican and Rastafari foundations, Brooks built an ensemble sound that wove calypso, funk, rumba, bebop, Nyahbinghi, and Afrobeat into a single coherent musical world.
Following his work with The Light of Saba ensemble, Brooks composed much of the material for the album One Essence, which was recorded for the High Note label in Kingston around 1977. Engineered by Errol Brown at Treasure Isle Studios, the album showcased Brooks’ growing maturity as a composer and bandleader, blending jazz sophistication with distinctly Jamaican musical influences. Among its standout tracks was Africa Calling, a jazz-reggae instrumental that Brooks registered with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) under his own name. The composition would become one of the most celebrated and frequently cited works in his catalogue, earning multiple reissues over the years. The album also featured a rendition of Bob Marley’s Small Axe, placing one of Jamaica’s most influential songs alongside Brooks’ original compositions. This pairing reflected the breadth of his musical vision and his ability to move seamlessly between jazz, reggae, and African diasporic traditions.
That same year Brooks composed the material for the Album Im Flash Forward, released on Studio One and engineered by Sylvan Morris. The album laid his tenor saxophone over Studio One rhythms from the early part of the decade. He composed Glory to Sound, Give Rasta Glory, and Smiley solely, and co-composed Father Forgive, Walking Through, Free Man, and Right Time with Clement Dodd. Im Flash Forward is consistently regarded as one of the greatest Jamaican instrumental recordings ever made. A record that placed Brooks’ voice at the centre of the deepest rhythms the Studio One catalogue had to offer.
In 1978 Brooks assembled the largest ensemble of his career to record United Africa, produced by Lloyd Chin-Loy and released on the ARCO label. Ernest Ranglin played guitar, Harold Butler, piano, Boris Gardiner and Tony Allen, bass, Dean Fraser, soprano saxophone, and David Madden, trumpet, among a wide cast of Jamaican session musicians and percussionists. Brooks composed every original track on the album, including Silent Force, United Africa, River Jordan, Praises, and Elehreh, and arranged the instrumental version of Satta Masa Ganna. The album brought together elements of roots reggae, Afrobeat, spiritual jazz, and African polyrhythmic traditions, creating a unique musical fusion that was unprecedented in Jamaican music at the time. Pressure Sounds later reissued it on vinyl with extended mixes and remastered audio.
Brooks continued recording and performing through the 1980s and 1990s. In 1998 he worked with Carlos Malcolm in San Diego as part of a twenty-piece ska and mento orchestra. In 1999, following the death of Rolando Alphonso, he joined the Skatalites as tenor saxophonist and toured internationally with the group through the 2000s. In his later years, he devoted himself to teaching and mentoring musicians in New York, a role he maintained until shortly before his death on 3 May 2013.
Legacy
Cedric “Im” Brooks occupies a unique place in Jamaican musical history as a visionary composer, arranger, saxophonist, flautist, bandleader, and educator whose work expanded the possibilities of Jamaican music. Throughout a career spanning more than four decades, he forged connections between jazz, reggae, Rastafarian spirituality, and African musical traditions, creating a body of work that remains distinctive in both Jamaican and international music circles.
His pioneering contributions with the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, the Light of Saba, and United Africa helped to establish new directions for Jamaican music by integrating African consciousness, spiritual expression, and sophisticated jazz composition into reggae-based forms. Albums such as Grounation, Im Flash Forward, One Essence, and United Africa are now regarded as landmark recordings that challenged conventional musical boundaries and demonstrated the global possibilities of Jamaican creativity.
Brooks' influence extended beyond performance and composition. As a graduate of Alpha Boys School, he embodied the institution’s enduring tradition of musical excellence and mentorship. Through decades of teaching and guiding younger musicians in Jamaica, the United States, and elsewhere, he helped shape future generations of performers and composers, passing on both technical knowledge and a deep appreciation for the cultural and spiritual dimensions of music.
The continued reissue of his recordings by labels such as Soul Jazz Records, Honest Jon’s Records, and Pressure Sounds has introduced his music to new audiences around the world. Critics, scholars, and musicians increasingly recognize his work as among the most innovative and intellectually ambitious to emerge from Jamaica. His recordings remain essential listening for those seeking to understand the intersections of jazz, reggae, Rastafari, and African diasporic music.
Today, Cedric “Im” Brooks is remembered not only as an exceptional musician but also as a cultural architect whose artistic vision broadened the horizons of Jamaican music. His legacy lives on in the countless musicians he inspired, the recordings that continue to resonate across generations, and the enduring idea that Jamaican music can be simultaneously local in its roots and universal in its reach.
Written by Apryl Jaye Raymond
Edited by Janine Coombs and Charmaine Limonius
Compositions
Money Maker — Instrumental. Co-composed by Cedric Brooks and David Madden. Recorded Studio One, Kingston, circa 1970. Released as a single on Studio One, Jamaica.
Candid Eye — Instrumental. Co-composed by Cedric Brooks and David Madden. Recorded Studio One, Kingston, circa 1970. Released as a single on Studio One, Jamaica.
Mun Dun Go — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Recorded Studio One, Kingston, circa 1970. Released on Studio One/Bamboo, United Kingdom, 1970.
Bongo Man — Vocal and instrumental. Composed by Cedric Brooks as part of the Grounation suite. Recorded 1973. Released on Grounation, MRR/Vulcan/Ashanti, Jamaica, 1973.
Mabrat (Passin Thru) — Instrumental. Composed by Cedric Brooks as part of the Grounation suite. Recorded 1973. Released on Grounation, MRR/Vulcan/Ashanti, Jamaica, 1973.
Lumba — Instrumental. Composed by Cedric Brooks as part of the Grounation suite. Recorded 1973. Released on Grounation, MRR/Vulcan/Ashanti, Jamaica, 1973.
Grounation — Instrumental and vocal suite. Composed by Cedric Brooks as part of the Grounation suite. Recorded 1973. Released on Grounation, MRR/Vulcan/Ashanti, Jamaica, 1973. Running time 30 minutes.
Africa Calling — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Registered with ASCAP. Recorded Treasure Isle Studios, Kingston, circa 1977. Released on One Essence, High Note Records, Jamaica, 1977. Running time 5 minutes 33 seconds.
Blackness of Darkness — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Recorded Treasure Isle Studios, Kingston, circa 1977. Released on One Essence, High Note Records, Jamaica, 1977.
One Essence — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Recorded Treasure Isle Studios, Kingston, circa 1977. Released on One Essence, High Note Records, Jamaica, 1977.
Glory to Sound — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on Im Flash Forward, Studio One SOL 00330, Jamaica, 1977. Running time 3 minutes 11 seconds.
Give Rasta Glory — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on Im Flash Forward, Studio One SOL 00330, Jamaica, 1977. Running time 4 minutes 21 seconds.
Father Forgive — Instrumental. Co-composed by Cedric Brooks and Clement Dodd. Released on Im Flash Forward, Studio One SOL 00330, Jamaica, 1977. Running time 3 minutes 16 seconds.
Walking Through — Instrumental. Co-composed by Cedric Brooks and Clement Dodd. Released on Im Flash Forward, Studio One SOL 00330, Jamaica, 1977. Running time 2 minutes 51 seconds.
Free Man — Instrumental. Co-composed by Cedric Brooks and Clement Dodd. Released on Im Flash Forward, Studio One SOL 00330, Jamaica, 1977. Running time 3 minutes 1 second.
Right Time — Instrumental. Co-composed by Cedric Brooks and Clement Dodd. Released on Im Flash Forward, Studio One SOL 00330, Jamaica, 1977. Running time 3 minutes 6 seconds.
Smiley — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on Im Flash Forward, Studio One SOL 00330, Jamaica, 1977. Running time 2 minutes 11 seconds.
Silent Force — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on United Africa, ARCO LP 009, Jamaica, 1978. Running time 6 minutes 23 seconds.
United Africa — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on United Africa, ARCO LP 009, Jamaica, 1978. Running time 5 minutes 6 seconds.
Satta Masa Ganna — Instrumental arrangement. Arranged by Cedric Brooks. Released on United Africa, ARCO LP 009, Jamaica, 1978. Running time 7 minutes 11 seconds.
River Jordan — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on United Africa, ARCO LP 009, Jamaica, 1978. Running time 2 minutes 9 seconds.
Praises — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on United Africa, ARCO LP 009, Jamaica, 1978. Running time 4 minutes 28 seconds.
Elehreh — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on United Africa, ARCO LP 009, Jamaica, 1978. Running time 3 minutes 23 seconds.
African Medley — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on United Africa, ARCO LP 009, Jamaica, 1978. Running time 4 minutes 40 seconds.
Discography
1970 | Money Maker
Format: Compilation LP
With: Im and David (Cedric Brooks and David Madden), Jackie Mittoo, and others
Role: Tenor Saxophone, Composer
Label: Studio One/Coxsone CSL 8022, Jamaica
1973 | Grounation
Format: Studio Album (Triple LP)
With: Count Ossie and The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari
Role: Musical Director, Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet, Arranger, Composer
Label: MRR/Vulcan/Ashanti, Jamaica. Reissued Dub Store Records, Japan, 2016. Reissued Soul Jazz Records, UK, 2023.
1974 | The Light of Saba
Format: Studio Album
Role: Leader, Tenor Saxophone, Composer, Arranger
Label: Total Sounds, Jamaica
1975 | From Mento to Reggae to Third World Music
Format: Studio Album
With: Cedric ‘Im’ Brooks and the Divine Light
Role: Leader, Tenor Saxophone, Composer, Arranger
Label: Doctor Bird, Jamaica. Reissued VP Records (CD), 2008.
1975 | Tales of Mozambique
Format: Studio Album
With: Count Ossie and The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari
Role: Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Composer, Arranger
Label: Dynamic Sounds, Jamaica. Reissued Soul Jazz Records, UK.
1977 | Im Flash Forward
Format: Studio Album
Role: Leader, Tenor Saxophone, Composer
Label: Studio One SOL 00330, Jamaica
1977 | One Essence
Format: Studio Album
Role: Leader, Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Composer
Label: High Note Records, Jamaica. Reissued Soul Jazz Records, UK.
1978 | United Africa
Format: Studio Album
Role: Leader, Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Repeater Drum, Composer, Arranger
Notable Contributors: Ernest Ranglin (Guitar), Harold Butler (Piano), Boris Gardiner (Bass), Tony Allen (Bass, Vocal), Dean Fraser (Soprano Saxophone), David Madden (Trumpet), Beres Hammond (Percussion)
Label: ARCO LP 009, Jamaica. Reissued Water Lily (CD), Jamaica, 2001. Reissued Pressure Sounds, UK (vinyl, extended mixes).
2003 | Cedric Im Brooks and the Light of Saba
Format: Compilation
Role: Leader, Tenor Saxophone, Composer
Label: Honest Jon’s HJRCD4, UK
References
Katz, D. (8 May 2013). Cedric Brooks obituary. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/may/08/cedric-brooks
Jamaica Gleaner. (19 May 2013). Cedric ‘Im’ Brooks: eclectic and eccentric. https://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20130519/ent/ent5.html
Fact Magazine. (19 April 2016). A beginner’s guide to reggae mystic Cedric Brooks. https://www.factmag.com/2016/04/19/cedric-brooks-primer/
Reggae Vibes. Various: Money Maker.
https://www.reggae-vibes.com/reviews/2016/08/various-money-maker/
Pressure Sounds. United Africa. Bandcamp.
https://pressuresounds.bandcamp.com/album/united-africa-2
Soul Jazz Records. Cedric Im Brooks: One Essence.
https://soundsoftheuniverse.com/sjr/product/cedric-im-brooks-one-essence
Soul Jazz Records. Cedric Im Brooks and the Light of Saba. https://soundsoftheuniverse.com/sjr/product/cedric-im-brooks-cedric-im-brooks-the-light-of-saba
Discogs. Im Flash Forward. https://www.discogs.com/master/311945-Cedric-Im-Brooks-Im-Flash-Forward
Discogs. United Africa.
https://www.discogs.com/master/256480-Cedric-Im-Brooks-United-Africa
Wikipedia. Cedric Brooks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedric_Brooks
ASCAP Repertory. Africa Calling.
https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/902871758
Alpha Boys School Radio. 5 on 5 with Cedric Brooks.
https://www.alphaboysschoolradio.com/post/5-with-cedric-brooks
Larkin, C. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae. Virgin Books.
Barrow, S. and Dalton, P. (2004). The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edition. Rough Guides.
Following his work with The Light of Saba ensemble, Brooks composed much of the material for the album One Essence, which was recorded for the High Note label in Kingston around 1977. Engineered by Errol Brown at Treasure Isle Studios, the album showcased Brooks’ growing maturity as a composer and bandleader, blending jazz sophistication with distinctly Jamaican musical influences. Among its standout tracks was Africa Calling, a jazz-reggae instrumental that Brooks registered with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) under his own name. The composition would become one of the most celebrated and frequently cited works in his catalogue, earning multiple reissues over the years. The album also featured a rendition of Bob Marley’s Small Axe, placing one of Jamaica’s most influential songs alongside Brooks’ original compositions. This pairing reflected the breadth of his musical vision and his ability to move seamlessly between jazz, reggae, and African diasporic traditions.
That same year Brooks composed the material for the Album Im Flash Forward, released on Studio One and engineered by Sylvan Morris. The album laid his tenor saxophone over Studio One rhythms from the early part of the decade. He composed Glory to Sound, Give Rasta Glory, and Smiley solely, and co-composed Father Forgive, Walking Through, Free Man, and Right Time with Clement Dodd. Im Flash Forward is consistently regarded as one of the greatest Jamaican instrumental recordings ever made. A record that placed Brooks’ voice at the centre of the deepest rhythms the Studio One catalogue had to offer.
In 1978 Brooks assembled the largest ensemble of his career to record United Africa, produced by Lloyd Chin-Loy and released on the ARCO label. Ernest Ranglin played guitar, Harold Butler, piano, Boris Gardiner and Tony Allen, bass, Dean Fraser, soprano saxophone, and David Madden, trumpet, among a wide cast of Jamaican session musicians and percussionists. Brooks composed every original track on the album, including Silent Force, United Africa, River Jordan, Praises, and Elehreh, and arranged the instrumental version of Satta Masa Ganna. The album brought together elements of roots reggae, Afrobeat, spiritual jazz, and African polyrhythmic traditions, creating a unique musical fusion that was unprecedented in Jamaican music at the time. Pressure Sounds later reissued it on vinyl with extended mixes and remastered audio.
Brooks continued recording and performing through the 1980s and 1990s. In 1998 he worked with Carlos Malcolm in San Diego as part of a twenty-piece ska and mento orchestra. In 1999, following the death of Rolando Alphonso, he joined the Skatalites as tenor saxophonist and toured internationally with the group through the 2000s. In his later years, he devoted himself to teaching and mentoring musicians in New York, a role he maintained until shortly before his death on 3 May 2013.
Legacy
Cedric “Im” Brooks occupies a unique place in Jamaican musical history as a visionary composer, arranger, saxophonist, flautist, bandleader, and educator whose work expanded the possibilities of Jamaican music. Throughout a career spanning more than four decades, he forged connections between jazz, reggae, Rastafarian spirituality, and African musical traditions, creating a body of work that remains distinctive in both Jamaican and international music circles.
His pioneering contributions with the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, the Light of Saba, and United Africa helped to establish new directions for Jamaican music by integrating African consciousness, spiritual expression, and sophisticated jazz composition into reggae-based forms. Albums such as Grounation, Im Flash Forward, One Essence, and United Africa are now regarded as landmark recordings that challenged conventional musical boundaries and demonstrated the global possibilities of Jamaican creativity.
Brooks' influence extended beyond performance and composition. As a graduate of Alpha Boys School, he embodied the institution’s enduring tradition of musical excellence and mentorship. Through decades of teaching and guiding younger musicians in Jamaica, the United States, and elsewhere, he helped shape future generations of performers and composers, passing on both technical knowledge and a deep appreciation for the cultural and spiritual dimensions of music.
The continued reissue of his recordings by labels such as Soul Jazz Records, Honest Jon’s Records, and Pressure Sounds has introduced his music to new audiences around the world. Critics, scholars, and musicians increasingly recognize his work as among the most innovative and intellectually ambitious to emerge from Jamaica. His recordings remain essential listening for those seeking to understand the intersections of jazz, reggae, Rastafari, and African diasporic music.
Today, Cedric “Im” Brooks is remembered not only as an exceptional musician but also as a cultural architect whose artistic vision broadened the horizons of Jamaican music. His legacy lives on in the countless musicians he inspired, the recordings that continue to resonate across generations, and the enduring idea that Jamaican music can be simultaneously local in its roots and universal in its reach.
Written by Apryl Jaye Raymond
Edited by Janine Coombs and Charmaine Limonius
Compositions
Money Maker — Instrumental. Co-composed by Cedric Brooks and David Madden. Recorded Studio One, Kingston, circa 1970. Released as a single on Studio One, Jamaica.
Candid Eye — Instrumental. Co-composed by Cedric Brooks and David Madden. Recorded Studio One, Kingston, circa 1970. Released as a single on Studio One, Jamaica.
Mun Dun Go — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Recorded Studio One, Kingston, circa 1970. Released on Studio One/Bamboo, United Kingdom, 1970.
Bongo Man — Vocal and instrumental. Composed by Cedric Brooks as part of the Grounation suite. Recorded 1973. Released on Grounation, MRR/Vulcan/Ashanti, Jamaica, 1973.
Mabrat (Passin Thru) — Instrumental. Composed by Cedric Brooks as part of the Grounation suite. Recorded 1973. Released on Grounation, MRR/Vulcan/Ashanti, Jamaica, 1973.
Lumba — Instrumental. Composed by Cedric Brooks as part of the Grounation suite. Recorded 1973. Released on Grounation, MRR/Vulcan/Ashanti, Jamaica, 1973.
Grounation — Instrumental and vocal suite. Composed by Cedric Brooks as part of the Grounation suite. Recorded 1973. Released on Grounation, MRR/Vulcan/Ashanti, Jamaica, 1973. Running time 30 minutes.
Africa Calling — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Registered with ASCAP. Recorded Treasure Isle Studios, Kingston, circa 1977. Released on One Essence, High Note Records, Jamaica, 1977. Running time 5 minutes 33 seconds.
Blackness of Darkness — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Recorded Treasure Isle Studios, Kingston, circa 1977. Released on One Essence, High Note Records, Jamaica, 1977.
One Essence — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Recorded Treasure Isle Studios, Kingston, circa 1977. Released on One Essence, High Note Records, Jamaica, 1977.
Glory to Sound — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on Im Flash Forward, Studio One SOL 00330, Jamaica, 1977. Running time 3 minutes 11 seconds.
Give Rasta Glory — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on Im Flash Forward, Studio One SOL 00330, Jamaica, 1977. Running time 4 minutes 21 seconds.
Father Forgive — Instrumental. Co-composed by Cedric Brooks and Clement Dodd. Released on Im Flash Forward, Studio One SOL 00330, Jamaica, 1977. Running time 3 minutes 16 seconds.
Walking Through — Instrumental. Co-composed by Cedric Brooks and Clement Dodd. Released on Im Flash Forward, Studio One SOL 00330, Jamaica, 1977. Running time 2 minutes 51 seconds.
Free Man — Instrumental. Co-composed by Cedric Brooks and Clement Dodd. Released on Im Flash Forward, Studio One SOL 00330, Jamaica, 1977. Running time 3 minutes 1 second.
Right Time — Instrumental. Co-composed by Cedric Brooks and Clement Dodd. Released on Im Flash Forward, Studio One SOL 00330, Jamaica, 1977. Running time 3 minutes 6 seconds.
Smiley — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on Im Flash Forward, Studio One SOL 00330, Jamaica, 1977. Running time 2 minutes 11 seconds.
Silent Force — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on United Africa, ARCO LP 009, Jamaica, 1978. Running time 6 minutes 23 seconds.
United Africa — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on United Africa, ARCO LP 009, Jamaica, 1978. Running time 5 minutes 6 seconds.
Satta Masa Ganna — Instrumental arrangement. Arranged by Cedric Brooks. Released on United Africa, ARCO LP 009, Jamaica, 1978. Running time 7 minutes 11 seconds.
River Jordan — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on United Africa, ARCO LP 009, Jamaica, 1978. Running time 2 minutes 9 seconds.
Praises — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on United Africa, ARCO LP 009, Jamaica, 1978. Running time 4 minutes 28 seconds.
Elehreh — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on United Africa, ARCO LP 009, Jamaica, 1978. Running time 3 minutes 23 seconds.
African Medley — Instrumental. Composed solely by Cedric Brooks. Released on United Africa, ARCO LP 009, Jamaica, 1978. Running time 4 minutes 40 seconds.
Discography
1970 | Money Maker
Format: Compilation LP
With: Im and David (Cedric Brooks and David Madden), Jackie Mittoo, and others
Role: Tenor Saxophone, Composer
Label: Studio One/Coxsone CSL 8022, Jamaica
1973 | Grounation
Format: Studio Album (Triple LP)
With: Count Ossie and The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari
Role: Musical Director, Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet, Arranger, Composer
Label: MRR/Vulcan/Ashanti, Jamaica. Reissued Dub Store Records, Japan, 2016. Reissued Soul Jazz Records, UK, 2023.
1974 | The Light of Saba
Format: Studio Album
Role: Leader, Tenor Saxophone, Composer, Arranger
Label: Total Sounds, Jamaica
1975 | From Mento to Reggae to Third World Music
Format: Studio Album
With: Cedric ‘Im’ Brooks and the Divine Light
Role: Leader, Tenor Saxophone, Composer, Arranger
Label: Doctor Bird, Jamaica. Reissued VP Records (CD), 2008.
1975 | Tales of Mozambique
Format: Studio Album
With: Count Ossie and The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari
Role: Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Composer, Arranger
Label: Dynamic Sounds, Jamaica. Reissued Soul Jazz Records, UK.
1977 | Im Flash Forward
Format: Studio Album
Role: Leader, Tenor Saxophone, Composer
Label: Studio One SOL 00330, Jamaica
1977 | One Essence
Format: Studio Album
Role: Leader, Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Composer
Label: High Note Records, Jamaica. Reissued Soul Jazz Records, UK.
1978 | United Africa
Format: Studio Album
Role: Leader, Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Repeater Drum, Composer, Arranger
Notable Contributors: Ernest Ranglin (Guitar), Harold Butler (Piano), Boris Gardiner (Bass), Tony Allen (Bass, Vocal), Dean Fraser (Soprano Saxophone), David Madden (Trumpet), Beres Hammond (Percussion)
Label: ARCO LP 009, Jamaica. Reissued Water Lily (CD), Jamaica, 2001. Reissued Pressure Sounds, UK (vinyl, extended mixes).
2003 | Cedric Im Brooks and the Light of Saba
Format: Compilation
Role: Leader, Tenor Saxophone, Composer
Label: Honest Jon’s HJRCD4, UK
References
Katz, D. (8 May 2013). Cedric Brooks obituary. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/may/08/cedric-brooks
Jamaica Gleaner. (19 May 2013). Cedric ‘Im’ Brooks: eclectic and eccentric. https://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20130519/ent/ent5.html
Fact Magazine. (19 April 2016). A beginner’s guide to reggae mystic Cedric Brooks. https://www.factmag.com/2016/04/19/cedric-brooks-primer/
Reggae Vibes. Various: Money Maker.
https://www.reggae-vibes.com/reviews/2016/08/various-money-maker/
Pressure Sounds. United Africa. Bandcamp.
https://pressuresounds.bandcamp.com/album/united-africa-2
Soul Jazz Records. Cedric Im Brooks: One Essence.
https://soundsoftheuniverse.com/sjr/product/cedric-im-brooks-one-essence
Soul Jazz Records. Cedric Im Brooks and the Light of Saba. https://soundsoftheuniverse.com/sjr/product/cedric-im-brooks-cedric-im-brooks-the-light-of-saba
Discogs. Im Flash Forward. https://www.discogs.com/master/311945-Cedric-Im-Brooks-Im-Flash-Forward
Discogs. United Africa.
https://www.discogs.com/master/256480-Cedric-Im-Brooks-United-Africa
Wikipedia. Cedric Brooks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedric_Brooks
ASCAP Repertory. Africa Calling.
https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/902871758
Alpha Boys School Radio. 5 on 5 with Cedric Brooks.
https://www.alphaboysschoolradio.com/post/5-with-cedric-brooks
Larkin, C. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae. Virgin Books.
Barrow, S. and Dalton, P. (2004). The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edition. Rough Guides.
