Michael "Ibo" Cooper

1980-11-24 Third World (and Jimmy Cliff)

Triangle Theatre

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Bob Marley fell ill in 1980 but reggae music was about to reach its apex, with a lot of great music coming out. High on the list of the greatest reggae artists of all time stand both of these bands. Both were huge influences on me, and on so much of the other music around then.

Although only Third World is on the stub, Jimmy Cliff performed after Third World at this show. I believe this was the only time I saw Third World in their original form, and they blew me away that night. I drove a bunch of friends up from Ithaca and we sat close up in the balcony, comfortable seats with a perfect sight line to everything happening on stage.

I appreciate seeing great multi-instrument keyboard players, and taking in Michael "Ibo" Cooper's performance with Third World that night left me with my jaw wide open. According to wikipedia he currently teaches full-time as head of the Caribbean, Latin American and jazz department (Popular Music Studies) at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston, Jamaica.

The stage set was changed during the intermission to include a center riser on which Cliff moved about during the performance. Jimmy Cliff gave a classic performance highlighting his earlier material.