The Rocksteady Seven

Rocksteady 7
David Hillyard & the Rocksteady 7 live at Two Boots Brooklyn
Background information
Origin	New York, New York
Genres	Reggae, rocksteady, Jamaican jazz
Years active	1992 (1992)-present
Labels	Brixton Records, Hellcat, Do Tell Records
Associated acts	The Slackers, The Bluegreens, The Skatalites
Website	www.rocksteady7.com
Members	Dave Hillyard Will Clark Jeremy Mushlin Mike Bitz Dave Hahn Eddie Ocampo Dave Wake Larry McDonald
Past members	Sheldon Gregg Jayson "Agent Jay" Nugent Victor Ruggiero David Hahn Chris "Squantch" Sears Rolf Langsjoen Kincaid Smith Christian Vela Jimmy Boom Clint Sobolik Charlie Francis

The Rocksteady 7 or "David Hillyard & the Rocksteady Seven", is an American Ska and Jazz band from New York, New York that formed in 1992. Since the early 90's the group has consisted of tenor saxophonist and band leader David Hillyard as well as percussionist Larry McDonald. In live performances, they are supported by a rotating cast of musicians, including drummer Eddie Ocampo and Dave Wake on keys among others.

Given reggae’s globally reaching influence, the Rocksteady 7 holds true to the genre's roots and the self-described "Jamaican Jazz" sound combines ska, rocksteady and reggae with extended jazz improvisation, intricate melodies, and complex harmonies. The group incorporates many diverse elements of world music with rocksteady rhythms, including ska, jazz, calypso, as well as early African and American jazz influences.

As of late 2012, the Rocksteady has released seven studio albums and has seen some success, particularly in Europe and on United States college radio stations. They are currently signed to Brixton Records with previous releases on Hellcat and Do Tell Records.

David Hillyard & the Rocksteady 7 are innovators in the Jamaican Jazz genre, which experiments in mixing jazz, reggae, latin, and ska. The group features a shifting collective of some of the best musicians in New York City with experience playing with a variety of musical acts from Sting to the Skatalites.

Senior among them is veteran percussionist, Larry McDonald on congo. Larry began his career at the inception of ska music with Carlos Malcolm’s Afro Jamaicans. McDonald went on to perform on several classic reggae tracks such as Cherry Oh Baby, Funky Kingston and Rivers of Babylon. He left Jamaica after playing on several crucial Bob Marley cuts and has since backed up American icons, from Taj Mahal, Gil-Scott Heron, Bad Brains and Dave Hahn, earning him the sometime nickname “Original Beatnik”.

Blending ska, reggae, jazz and blues, David Hillyard and The Rocksteady 7 has championed the style of mixing Jamaican Rhythms and American Jazz, celebrating commonalities between improvised foundation ska, roots reggae, and Latin jazz played by an accomplished and diverse line-up. "I picked the musicians for their personal style," says Hillyard. "I want them to be themselves and make a soup. This recording is all live, no overdubs."