The Rocksteady Seven

The music of the Rocksteady 7 bridges the divide once thought to exist between early instrumental Jamaican “roots” rhythms ala the Skatalites, Burning Spear, Rocksteady Freddie and early American Jazz ala David Murray, Charlie Haden, Sidney Bichet and Pharaoh Saunders. Reminiscent of sounds from the 1940s and 60s, the group fuses Latin American and jazz elements in their music, which is also influenced by Afro-Cuban mambo and Brazilian bossa nova. The colorful mix of work songs, calls, field and street cries, hollers, rhyme songs, and spirituals taken on by Hillyard and his group changed the format of reggae and jazz, respectively; By bringing the soloist to the forefront, during live shows and in his recording groups, they demonstrated that jazz improvisation could go far beyond ornamenting a simple melody, and his motto "improvise and overcome" showcases the talents of individual players, resulting in tenser rhythms and more complicated textures.

The 1999's release, Playtime is a lively, celebratory mix of early American Jazz and world music. The band's second album, United Front, released in 2003 contains stronger political undertones and uses the hypnotizing percussive base of the conga as a launching pad for an impressive mix of guitar and horn solos that weave in and out of the hypnotic groove laid down by the rhythm section. This album mixes free improvisation, reggae and revolutionary rhetoric to create "a true movement in the ska scene".

In 2007, the Rocksteady 7 released their 3rd album, Way Out East (Brixton), which was recorded at a club in Jena, Germany during a 2004 tour and captured the powerful energy of the band as a dynamic and inspiring live act noted as a perfect Jazz/Reggae fusion that will leave fans of both in a "state of bliss."[3] The nine tracks are filled with solos, dub-soaked passages, breaks and buildups that really let Hillyard and his killer crew stretch out.

The band's latest 2009 release Get Back Up! (Brixton) debuted in 2009 as a landmark in Dave's "Jamaican Jazz" concept, blending subtleties and intricacies of the reggae beat with extended improvisation of seasoned jazz soloists. The title track evokes power reminiscent of Coltrane's Love Supreme and is a screaming triumph over hardship and adversity.

The Rocksteady 7 has played numerous venues in New York City from SOBs, the Knitting Factory, Wetlands, Bbkings, and the Bottom Line. For most of 2005, they were regulars at Detour, a small jazz club on the lower east side of New York. They have also played at Los Angeles’ Whisky A Go Go, Knitting Factory, Echoplex (dub club), and House of Blues; the Toronto Jazz Festival; and numerous club dates in the eastern United States and Canada. Since early 2004, they have also completed 3 European tours, performing in Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany, as well as touring the U.S. in 2011.