Matt Jenson, assistant professor of piano at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA has created a class entitled “The Music and Life of Bob Marley” that takes an in-depth study of Marley’s life, maintaining the utmost respect for the soulfulness of his music, for his message of LOVE and his insistence that human consciousness be raised.

The story of Bob Marley’s life, despite the many contradictions and hard to understand realities that surrounded him, can be seen as one of a true modern day sage who remained committed to his vision of raising consciousness through music. His music is so powerful and expansive that it transcends the very idiom from which it came because it has the ability to communicate regardless of language, race, gender, religion or nationalistic boundaries. The recordings and performances of Bob Marley and his band represent near perfection in terms of groove music and spirit-ful production. Rhythmic layering, one of the legacies of the African musical Diaspora, is presented in such gritty precision that its study is imperative and a great joy to experience.

See Bob Marley Ensemble on MySpace!

This one semester class at Berklee consists of 15 auditioned singers and instrumentalists who come from around the world with a range in age from 18-35 years old! In a lecture-demonstration format, Matt takes the students on a biographical tour of Marley’s fascinating life, and then rigorously coaches the ensemble as they prepare for performances.

Aided by the viewing of and listening to rare video footage and audio examples, students learn about the evolution of Marley’s career, and the socio-political circumstances from which his music and ideas arose. Students also learn the discipline of playing reggae music in a large ensemble where the emphasis is on working together as they layer specific rhythmic and melodic parts. Matt has written meticulous arrangements taken directly from Marley recordings and include many additional horn parts, some subtle reharmonizations and some new introductions and endings.

Ultimately, students take from this class a deeper understanding of Marley’s life, of past AND present socio-political circumstances, of how music can ignite consciousness and significantly change humanity for the better, and of how to play reggae music. Students gain a greater understanding of the inner workings of great pop song writing, and a notion to think seriously, through Marley’s example, about what it is they are saying with their own musical talents.

The repertoire includes some of Marley’s bigger hits but also moves into some of his lesser-known works: Trench Town Rock, Could You Be Loved, Waiting In Vain, Get Up Stand Up, Work, So Much Trouble in the World, Kinky Reggae, Positive Vibration, Rebel Music, Wake Up and Live, Rastaman Chant, Dem Belly Full, Craven Choke Puppy, Heathen, Lively Up Yourself, Rat Race, Chant Down Babylon, Exodus, Slave Driver, Roots Rock Reggae, Crazy Baldhead, Turn Your Lights Down Low.