One of our greatest jazz singers has never denied his reggae origins, and this celebration of killer roots and lovers' rock anthems is as good as can be expected from someone to the manner born. Watkiss debuted in that world in the late 1970s and his gilded tone retains a pleasing shade of ‘yard’ as he glides convincingly over proper big people tunes, from Junior Byles’ ‘Curly Locks’ and Gregory Isaacs’ ‘Night Nurse’ to Burning Spear’s ‘Red, Gold & Green’ and Prince Lincoln’s ‘Humanity.’ In each case he displays the requisite attention to detail and contained, focused energy to really serve the material. A stellar band includes ex-Jazz Warriors, Orphy Robinson and Alan Weekes, as well as esteemed reggae and soul stalwarts such as Delroy Murray and Phil Ramocon. In other words this is a session with the right players for the right singer doing the right songs. Furthermore, there is an authentic analogue 1970s warmth in the mix due to the fact that the music was laid to tape at the highly-rated studio of Zak Starkey, (son of Ringo) who has been involved in Jamaican music for many years. This is only the first volume of The Great Jamaican Songbook. The canon is vast, so when it comes to the second Watkiss will simply be spoilt for choice.

This is a project that takes you back to your roots.

Was there a specific spark?

I did lovers’ rock on Carroll Thompson’s label (when I started out) using my jazz chops, introducing different chord structures to her music. I was talking to Orphy Robinson about doing something that represents me and he said The Great Jamaican Songbook! We know the Great American Songbook but what about the Great Jamaican Songbook? That line just gave so much meaning and substance to what I was trying to do. And I took it from there…

Reggae and lovers’ rock resonate with you as a Londoner of Jamaican heritage. But you are known first and foremost as a jazz singer…

Your cultural identity becomes important in terms of where you were brought up, the music that initially inspired you. They become ‘the jazz.’ You find yourself within these soundworlds, you find a way of expressing yourself. Sometimes these labels are a hindrance. I get why the labels exist. But… well, I sing some opera stuff, so am I an opera singer? I sing folk, I sing soul, am I a soul singer? Sometimes I wanna say ’look right now I’m doing Cleveland Watkiss music, that’s it. Of course it’s jazz, of course it’s reggae, of course it’s dub, all these influences, so it should be.

How much technique and knowledge does it take to play reggae?

There is a real misconception about the intricacy of this music, and where you’re putting the beat (and so forth). It may sound simple but … it’s anything but. There’s a particular thing in every genre of music, and in order to get inside that thing you really have to live, breathe, eat and sleep… you have to be everything in this music in order to understand it.

Was it a dream to record at Zak Starkey’s studio?

I met Zak when I was touring with The Who in 1989, and Zak, unbeknown to a lot of people, is deeply involved in Jamaican music. He’s got a studio in Jamaica. He produced Toots’ (Hibbert of The Maytals) last album and U-Roy’s last album, so he’s heavily connected to the reggae scene. I went down there [to his other studio in Tunbridge Wells] and it was like walking into Lee Perry’s Back Ark studio, seriously.