From Memphis to Kingston: An Investigation into the Origin of Jamaican Ska
2006; University of the West Indies Press; Volume: 55; Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
0037-7651
Autores Tópico(s)Fluid Dynamics and Vibration Analysis
ResumoThe distinguishing characteristic of most Jamaican popular music recordings, including reggae its predecessor, ska, is an emphasis on the or afterbeat instead of on the downbeat as found in most American popular music. Many explanations have been proposed to explain this tendency. This study critically examines these theories through historical musicological analyses concludes that the prevalence of the downbeat is a mixture of Jamaican folk African-American popular music influences in its earliest incarnation, but was later deliberately emphasized in an attempt to create a unique new musical style. The musical origin of ska, the Jamaican popular music form that eventually led to reggae, has historically been a matter of considerable scholarly disagreement. Above all, the defining characteristic of ska reggae music is the offbeat or afterbeat. Although ska reggae music are both in standard 4/4 time, just like rhythm & blues (R&B), rock & roll, country, the Jamaican style of playing emphasizes the second fourth beats of the bar rather than the first third. This has been described as emphasizing the and in a one-AND-two-AND three-AND-four rhythm pattern. It is these heavily accented offbeats that give Jamaican popular music its unique bouncy, choppy feel. But what is the true origin of the Jamaican emphasis on the afterbeat?
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