Let’s meet Jamaica’s treasured mento icons, The Jolly Boys.
“Mento” is Jamaican “country” played initially in rural areas with a simple guitar/drum/sax and/or banjo accompaniment in which vocalists sang mainly humorous lyrics about rural life. In the 1950s, Mento’s “Golden Age,” the style embraced Trinidadian calypso (though it remained distinct) and become popular in urban dance halls. The Jolly Boys have been at the heart of Jamaican mento since their formation in 1945. Though they continue to tour and record, they remain loyal to their main local gig as the house band at GeeJam, a Port Antonio, Jamaica, hotel. As of their appearance in this video, they’re sure at the top of their game.
Tag Archives | Mento
Jammin’ in Jamaica
This week in our online class we’re fortunate enough to travel to Jamaica, a small island nation that has had a disproportionate influence on global music and culture. Jamaican musicians have either originated or advanced so very many musical styles such as, in roughly chronological order, Kumina, Nyabinghi, Mento, Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae, Dub and Dancehall/Ragga. Though we’re going to meet a few of these genres over the course of the week, there won’t be enough time. We’ll leave wanting more, and more, and more….
If you want to be a Mento Star, show me your motion
“Mento Star” is our tribute to “Gal a Gully,” a song in the genre of Jamaican mento made famous by mento icon “Lord Composer.” Mento is a pre-ska, pre-reggae form of Jamaican folk music that blends traditions brought to Jamaica by West Indian African with more European folk. Want to sing along? “If you want to be a mento star, if you want to be a mento star,
then show me your motion.” We love the phrase “show me your motion” — what a great way to say “get up and dance!”
Goombay Fete #1
Bahamian Goombay gets us all to party.
Goombay is a Bahamian folk music similar to Calypso in Trinidad or Mento in Jamaica, in which musicians sing about daily life using clever, melodic songs. A traditional goombay drum has a goatskin head. Drummers hold the drum between the legs and hit it with their hands. Using just one drum, the most adept goombay drummers can make an impressive array of sounds, creating tones that defy transcription using standard musical notation. This video is a beautiful blast from a Bahamian goombay-inspired band rather than a performance by one goombay virtuoso — hence the video’s title, “Goombay Fete #1.”
