Jamaica / Special Interests / Music

Music is an essential part of Jamaican life. It is played everywhere, constantly, and almost always at high volume – on the buses, at every public gathering and, of course, in all the bars and clubs. On Friday and Saturday nights stacks of speakers 15 ft high appear by the side of the road, higher than the bar that has the sound system! Music is also one of Jamaica’s most successful exports. The island first made a mark with ska in the Sixties and then in the Seventies reggae exploded on to the international scene, finding willing listeners around the world. In its various forms, Jamaican music continues to reach around the world today. 

In Jamaica itself it doesn’t take long to discover just how vibrant the music scene is. The rhythm has moved on. There is a harder “dancehall” style running in parallel with the softer and more melodic “culture” reggae, which has more conscious (and certainly less “slack” (vulgar) lyrics). While Jamaican music is definitely about dancing (and the rhythms are definitely well geared for that), just as elsewhere in the Caribbean, reggae and other Jamaican sounds have a strong element of social comment. Sometimes this is rebellious, sometimes visionary, and other times it is just plain “slack”. It is difficult for a newcomer to understand the patios, but lyrics are a constant source of gossip and hilarity as singers address topical and universal issues in their songs. 

Mento was the most popular sound in the first half of the 20th Century. Played on a string band, it is slow and melodic and has the same aspect of social comment as the later Jamaican rhythms. You will still occasionally hear mento bands, mainly at local celebrations. They are made up of acoustic guitars, a fiddle, a ukulele and a boom box (a box with a series of metal teeth or a broom handle and string). The other key aspect of the rhythm is the off-beat, which is fed through into the later Jamaican rhythms, making them so distinctive. 

Ska came with the arrival of sound systems in the Fifties and Sixties. It was a riotous, very quick and compulsive dance beat. It had many influences, from music that was arriving from the United States at the time, the rhythm and blues to jazz and Jamaican folk music. The ska dance style also had folk roots. The flex-kneed shuffle in which dancers hold their body forward came directly out of Pukumina ceremonies. While the rhythm was fundamentally about dance, it also had an edge of protest in a time of great tension in Jamaica. It was frowned on initially by the Jamaican establishment, but at the time of Independence in 1962 it came to be seen as an elemental expression of Jamaican creativity and originality. The ska sounds were the first to travel abroad. The most famous band was the Skatalites. 

After a few years the ska rhythm slowed down and transformed into rocksteady, which has a heavier drumbeat, a more melodic bass and increased lyrical content, but eventually that too changed, crystallising in reggae, which was to become so famous around the world. Rocksteady singers included Alton Ellis and Jackie Edwards. Better known singers that moved on to reggae include Desmond Dekker, Jimmy Cliff and Ken Boothe. 

Reggae appeared in the very late 1960s, speeding up and adding an extra lilt, but still keeping the elemental off-beat. It also maintained the voice of protest. The songs may have a mellow or upbeat tune, but this belies the lyrics, which can be very angry. Reggae also became associated with rastafari, a faith born in Jamaica in the 1930s. While the connection marginalized the music in Jamaica itself, it added enormously to its international following and reggae stars became known for their dreadlocks, red gold and green colours and smoking ganja or marijuana. The most famous reggae star is, of course, Bob Marley, but other famous names include Peter Tosh, Gregory Isaacs and groups such as Burning Spear, Black Uhuru and Third World. 

While the reggae rhythm has continued to be popular on the island and abroad (where it has spawned groups in it turn), in the late 1980s the main interest in Jamaica itself turned towards a new rhythm, dancehall, a compulsive and monotonous rap grafted on to a hard and fast reggae beat. There is little melody – delivery is everything – and DJs sing and shout their lyrics over established rhythms. As always the songs address topical issues, but they are particularly known for their slack content, much of which is too filthy to publish. 

Currently the music scene in Jamaica is divided between DJs, who sing hard dancehall, and Singers, who adopt a more mellow “culture reggae” style (that sounds much easier on the ear). You can hear day-long culture reggae on the radio station Irie FM. 

But it’s not all reggae and dancehall, Jamaica has long had a thriving jazz scene led by a string of recognised performers such as Ernie Ranglin, the Maurice Gordon Trio, Cedric Brooks and Marjorie Whylie. Each year, the island hosts two jazz festivals that not only attract international performers, but showcases local talent too.

Some key places to visit and music festivals in Jamaica include:

Bob Marley Museum, Kingston, t 927 9152 
The former home of Bob Marley in uptown Kingston, where his original Tuff Gong recording studio was located. The museum features memorabilia, photographs and film of the celebrated reggae singer. 

Bob Marley Mausoleum, St Ann, t 995 1763 
Located in the village of Nine Mile where Bob Marley was born in 1945, and where his mother Cedella Marley Booker still lives. The house where Marley grew up and the mausoleum are open as a museum. Prepare to be hustled. 

Reggae Sumfest, Montego Bay, t 953 2933 
Reggae Sumfest is the highlight of Jamaica’s music festival scene, attracting international reggae stars, and is a fun and happening event held during late August. Concerts are held late evening and can attract up to 20 performers per show, ending in the wee hours of the morning. They feature not only reggae, but dancehall and some rhythm & blues acts. 

ReggaeXplosion, Ocho Rios 
An audio visual exhibit depicting the evolution of Jamaica’s popular music from mento through ska then reggae, including dancehall and DJ, with videos, soundtracks and images portraying the story from the 1950s to the present day. There are specific soundbooths screening DVDs for each musical genre and a large main screen for further footage.

Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival, Trelawny
Held every January, it attracts international performers such as Tavares, Maroon 5 and Laura Izizbor, plus local artistes. Main stage events at the Greenfield Stadium in Trelawny

Ocho Rios Jazz Festival
Held each June, there are various jazz concerts and events in Ocho Rios, Kingston, Negril, Port Antonio and along the South Coast.

Contributor: Sara Macefield (Update 2011)