Creolization in The Caribbean Music-English

 

In light of creolization, there are many evidences from the Caribbean region that portray how cultures have intermingled creating one super cultural form. Jamaica is among the countries in the Caribbean region and like many others, they have some aspects in music that have evolved as a result of creolization. Gangelhoff and LeGrand (2019) proclaim that Jamaican music has undergone evolution resulting to genres like Reggae to pop up. Reggae s a music genre originated from Jamaica following the fusion of ska and rocksteady focusing on the second and forth beats, -offbeats (Gangelhoff & LeGrand,2019).  Romer (2019) on an article on Live About adds that reggae is a derivative of traditional mento music in addition to ska and rocksteady. Artists like Burning Spear have made a lot of contributions to Jamaican Reggae music during its wave in 1960s and beyond. The song “Identity” by Burning Spear demonstrates the musicality of reggae as it focuses on the offbeats. This piece is created using music band instruments like bass guitar, drums, horn sections and a guitar. In the video link below, Burning spear is performing his song “Identity” and these instruments are used during the performance.




Another example of the reggae music genre is through the work of Peter Ashbourne who is also from Jamaica -a pianist and violin player. Ashbourne is among the versatile composers (Gangelhoff & LeGrand,2019) in the island and in his work Mikey- he succeeds to fuse the reggae rhythm in classical music in his reggae opera. This masterpiece is an excellent example of creolization in music as its contents feature styles and concepts from classical music which originates in Europe.



In the video, classical music instruments like violins, woodwinds, brass and untuned percussions in the form of drums. The reason I chose the video is because of its versatility and adherence to the tenets of reggae music- that emphasize on social consciousness. The lyrics of Mikey were written by Alvin Campbell and perfectly adhere to the concept of reggae despite its fusion with classical music disciplines.                                                                                     

Below are images of the various instruments used.


Drums

Source: https://th.bing.com/th/id/R9a05d3994a29181630c9b27ea41ddc6d?rik=HvxR6Ux335HPJA&riu=http%3a%2f%2fwww.songofthespheres.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2010%2f08%2fdoundoun1.jpg&ehk=1Izwucuce5A9mYVinulOT%2biwy7jawo%2b%2bbbRtSHY%2b1vA%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw




Local artist performing reggae.

Source: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/94/cb/b8/94cbb8d84aaf6ee497784e46e6cf6d99--reggae.jpg



Artists playing classical instruments

Source: https://th.bing.com/th/id/R817def2bbb8d65c632b3248e5a701188?rik=YWa1m8CG0p56Iw&riu=http%3a%2f%2fjamaica-gleaner.com%2fsites%2fdefault%2ffiles%2fstyles%2fjg_article_image%2fpublic%2fmedia%2farticle_images%2f2018%2f04%2f17%2fUncagedMelodiesB20180417C.jpg%3fitok%3djk0FOnkq&ehk=p1pGKQcAXPxKM4UhvwD8MCmhoGoV1TniHdEv7MFeaww%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw


Soca is another music genre that is found in the Caribbean and specifically in Trinidad and Tobago islands. This is basically party music that resembles dancehall and calypso- with faster electronic beats and lacking social conscious lyrics. NRI Achievers Bureau describe Soca as a vibrant style that combines the melody from Calypso with cadence percussion that is insistent and often electronic. Instruments like Tabla can be used when playing this genre of music and below is an image of how it looks like.



Tabla drums

Source: https://i1.wp.com/drummagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/tabla-demystified-main-drum-shot.jpg?fit=1250%2C750&ssl=1

Garfield Blackman is a renowned Soca artists who rose to fame with the hit “Clock and Dagger” in 1963. Moreover, Blackman was widely known as Lord Shorty and his song “Soca Fever” demonstrates the application of Soca music styles, - showing how it resembles calypso but with faster beats.







In foods, Saint Lucia holds a several cuisines that are most delicious in the Caribbean. St. Lucia Lambi is a traditional cuisine that is most popular in the region and its main ingredient is Lambi which is a large selfish known as Conch. The image below shows an image of the food



St. Lucia Lambi

Source: https://www.islanderkeys.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/lambi_conch-soup-690x518.jpg




Video of making Lambi.

Source: https://youtu.be/gvgmCksvTGM






References

Gangelhoff C. and LeGrand C. (2019) Tour de force: A musical jouney of the Carribean.

NRI Archivers Bureau. (2013). Calypso, Soca, Steelpan..and of course Chutney & Limbo.. Retrieved from: http://nriachievers.in/calypso-soca-steelpan-and-of-course-chutney-limbo/

Matty, D. (2018). 10 of the Most Popular St. Lucia Dishes You Should Try. Retrieved from: https://www.islanderkeys.com/most-popular-st-lucia-dishes/

Music Unites Jamaica Foundation. (2013). Reggae Opera: Mikey Feature. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/3Mh6oHRILfM

Letb. (2016) How to cook Lambi (stew conch)| episode 60. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/gvgmCksvTGM

Romer, M. (2019). What Kinds of Music Come From the Caribbean? Retrieved from: https://www.liveabout.com/music-from-the-caribbean-3552832#:~:text=%20What%20Kinds%20of%20Music%20Come%20From%20the,and%20compas%20is%20the%20island%27s%20most...%20More%20 

Spencer, E. (2012). Lord Shorty- Soca Fever. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/AY9asSCfuWI

 

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