Dean Ivanhoe Fraser (sometimes appearing as Dean Frazer; born 4 August 1957) Allmusic.com biography by Sandra Brennan/ref> is a

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

who has contributed to hundreds of

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

recordings since the mid-1970s. He was awarded the

Musgrave Medal The Musgrave Medal is an annual award by the Institute of Jamaica in recognition of achievement in art, science, and literature.Webster, Valerie J. (2000), ''Awards, Honors & Prizes, Volume 2'', Gale Group, , p. 447. Originally conceived in 1889 ...

by the Jamaican government in 1993 in recognition of his services to music.Larkin, Colin: ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, 1998. .

Biography

Born in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

, Fraser started to play the

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

at the age of 12. Around this time he met Ronald "Nambo" Robinson and Junior "Chico" Chin at a youth club in Jones Town and the three boys would eventually form a brass section. Fraser took up saxophone at the age of 15. The trio became the foremost horn section in Jamaica in the 1980s. In 1977 he joined Lloyd Parks' We The People Band, backing

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of l ...

on several of his recordings for

Joe Gibbs Joseph Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is an American auto racing team owner and former American football, football coach. He served as the head coach of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 Washingto ...

. Fraser's first album, 1978's ''Black Horn Man'', was produced by Gibbs. This was followed in 1979 by ''Pure Horns'' and ''Double Dynamite'', and in 1980 by ''Revolutionary Sounds'' for producer Donovan Germain. Fraser provided horns for

Sly & Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separat ...

in the 1980s, both on record and on tour. Fraser appeared at the 1981 Reggae Sunsplash, performing an instrumental version of the recently deceased

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

's " Redemption Song", which led to the 1984 album ''Pumping Air'' on

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

' ''Mango'' label. Fraser went on to record two albums of Marley covers, ''Dean Plays Bob'' and ''Dean Plays Bob volume II''. Dean Fraser married Sophia Wright on March 21, 1993 in Clarendon Jamaica. They share one daughter. The digital era of reggae, defined by the use of computers and drum machines to create the backing track, did not affect his output since acoustic instruments such as the saxophone were still in demand. Fraser has released several more albums since and he is recognized as one of Jamaica's top musicians. He toured extensively with Luciano from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, as well as performing on and adding production to several of the singer's albums, including '' A New Day'', '' Serious Times'' and ''Jah Is My Navigator''. More recently, Fraser has been recording, producing and touring with singers

Tarrus Riley Omar "Tarrus" Riley, Order of Distinction, CD (born April 26, 1979, Bronx, New York (state), New York, United States) is a Jamaican-American reggae singer and member of the Rastafari movement.Kenner, Rob (21 August 2009"Reggae Singer With a Leg ...

and Duane Stephenson. Also, Dean Fraser has redone 16 tracks on CD 2 of "We Remember Gregory Isaacs", which was recorded in 2011 on VP Records.

Discography

;Solo albums *''Sings and Blows'' (1988),

Greensleeves "Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song. A broadside ballad by the name "A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves" was registered by Richard Jones at the London Stationers' Company in September 1580,Frank Kidson, ''English F ...

;Collaborative albums *''Two Colors - Dean Fraser and Ernie Ranglin'' (2022), VP / Tad's ;Albums produced by Dean Fraser *''We Remember Bob Andy'' (2023), VP ;Participated albums *'' Never Ending by Beres Hammond'' (2018), VP - Horn

References

External links

Dean Fraser at Roots Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Dean Living people Jamaican reggae musicians Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican saxophonists Jamaican male saxophonists Recipients of the Musgrave Medal 1957 births 21st-century saxophonists 21st-century Jamaican male musicians VP Records artists Greensleeves Records artists