OK. Mento, before there was ska & reggae. My Jamaica. Thank God for white people

[kjxxxx]

When I was a kid growing up I used hear this kind of music. Authentic Jamaican music. My early days growing up in the country most people didn't have electricity and when someone died they would have entertainment for about a week or so while they waited for family members that were away to come to town. The source of entertainment would be Mento bands or some other traditional games. <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4w6qvkOLRZ8?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4w6qvkOLRZ8?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>


Check out this website with a lot of historical background behind some of the songs and videos they feature http://www.mentomusic.com/video.htm and youtube for a lot more of this stuff. Some of my favorites have been some cheeky little songs that you couldn't sing in front of your parents. heheheh. like this one <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TKQwvf8xMeU?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TKQwvf8xMeU?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>.

The white people with youtube and magic of recording have helped the world to capture some wonderful historical events.

OK in America they call it wake I believe, we called it dead yard.
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For the young people whose family member didn't die it's actually fun. Sometimes that's the only time a guy get to see the young girls out the house at night. Girls were in the homes before dark and no conversation with boys allowed once they were in. LOL good ol days
Real deal stuff here
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[phatkitty]

Nine Nights!

 

[Heist]

Interesting ... knew nothing about this. Learn something new everyday.

 

[followup]

sounds just like a punchier version of ska...like folk music ska...cool

 

[kjxxxx]

Interesting ... knew nothing about this. Learn something new everyday.

That box that the guy is sitting on is what provided the bass. There was no bass guitar. We used to call it a rumba box. They used to also use a hollow bamboo that the blew in to get bass sound also. They would come up with all kinds of stuff to play music acustically.

 

[Heist]

That box that the guy is sitting on is what provided the bass. There was no bass guitar. We used to call it a rumba box. They used to also use a hollow bamboo that the blew in to get bass sound also. They would come up with all kinds of stuff to play music acustically.

I knew about the box. They still use it a lot in Flamenco music.

 

[kjxxxx]

sounds just like a punchier version of ska...like folk music ska...cool

Well that's where ska came from then rock steady then reggae. When the musicans moved to electic instruments the sound changed. Pretty much the same as it did with all traditional music.

So you like ska?
check this out





When it comes to preserving austhetic things and exposing it to the rest of the world so the keepers can still survive and to expose it then you have to big up the white people. They are helping to preserve a lot of black traditional music by getting them recorded by the few remaining keepers. I watched a few documentaries with the traditional blues masters where they did some of the same things. We all need each other in this world.