Before Bob Marley brought reggae to the world, before Jimmy Cliff and Peter Tosh, before thousands of musicians played a Jamaican rhythm, there were the men and women who created ska music, a blend of jazz, American rhythm and blues, and the indigenous music of the Caribbean. This book tells the story of ska music and its development from Jamaica to England, where the music took on a distinctively different tone, and finally to the rest of the world. Through the words of over 30 of legendary artists, gleaned from over a decade of interviews, the story of ska music is finally told by those who were there.
Bob Marley's recordings, some twenty years after his death, still enjoy enormous international popularity. For popular music fans in most of the world, reggae looms so large as to be Jamaica's only music and Marley its consummate musician. In this book, Jamaicans Kevin Chang and Wayne Chen, offer a history of reggae, accounting for its rise and devolution.Jamaican music can be roughly divided into four eras, each with a distinctive beat-ska, rocksteady, reggae, and dancehall. Ska dates from about 1960 to mid-1966 and rocksteady from 1966 to 1968, while from 1969 to 1983 reggae was the popular beat. The reggae era had two phases, early reggae up to 1974 and roots reggae up to 1983. Since 1983 dancehall has been the prevalent sound.The authors describe each stage in the development of the music, identifying the most popular songs and artists, highlighting the significant social, political, and economic issues as they affected the musical scene. While they write from a Jamaican perspective, the intended audience is any person, local or foreign, interested in an intelligent discussion of reggae music and Jamaica . Featuring some four hundred illustrations that range from album covers and posters to rare photos, Reggae Routes profiles the innumerable artists, producers, and recordings that secured an international audience for Jamaican music.
The complete guide to reggae and Jamaican bass styles, covering early ska, rock steady, roots reggae, dub, modern ska, dance hall, and more. The book includes performance tips and lessons, authentic grooves and riddims, standard notation and tab, and more. The CD features 47 full-demo tracks.
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