Folk Music in Jamaica

The music of the Jamaican people has been influenced by slavery, independence, political, social and economic circumstances. Folk music is one such music that has existed since the days of slavery and still continues to grow as Cari Folk Singers and the Jamaican Folk Singers keep the music alive. One such form of Folk Music lies within Mento Music

        Folk music incorporates the many styles of other ethnic sounds found in Jamaica. In different parishes of Jamaica there are distinctive sounds and music indigenous to the area. The ethnic sounds are grouped; they are Bruckins, Jonkunnu, Etu, Kumina, Maroon, Mento, Nagos, Rasta, Revival, Gerreh, Tambu, and Worksongs. Mento is considered to be the only genre that maintains the classical beats and sounds of folk music.

   Mento music is a genre of classical Jamaican music. It has a style and flair that utilizes acoustic instruments. It is through Mento music that ska, roots, rock steady, reggae and dancehall music has evolved. The instruments of Mento are the acoustic guitar, banjo, hand drum, shaker, rhumba box, homemade saxophone, clarinet or flute made from bamboo.

     Mento has a fascinating history, according to a study done by Olive Lewin; Mento had its beginnings in Jamaica during the 19^th century and is an infusion of African and European music. The classical sound of Mento is unique; its acoustic nature is complemented by a folksy rural style. In Jamaica Mento is generally referred to as country music. The songs sang were reminiscent of everyday life woes and misfortunes but were generally sung in a lighthearted and humorous way. Even though the songs commented on poverty, poor housing and social issues they were underlined with sexual innuendos. As the years progressed and Jamaican music evolved these sexual innuendos became more prominent and slacker.

Many individuals sought to promote and sustain folk music. The most notable individuals are Olive Lewin and Ms. Louise Bennett Coverley. Olive Lewin is the top researcher in the field of Jamaican Folk music and Louise Bennett Coverley has written several songs which are considered to be a part of Jamaican Folk music, one such popular song is Evening Time.

      Edric Connor is also significant to the development and retention of Jamaican folk music and Mento. Conner was the first person who sought to research and record an LP that was dedicated solely to Folk music. Edric Connor is a Trinidadian native and throughout his early years he recorded several albums of Caribbean folk music. 1952 was the year he released the album Songs of Jamaica this was his last recording of Jamaican Folk music. The beauty of the album lay in Connor’s style. Conner’s voice dominates the tracks and was backed by very little piano and back- up vocals. The LP was the first recording of songs that would later emerge in mento, ska and reggae. It is also believed that the LP helped Harry Belafonte to remake the popular song ‘Day O’.

Olive Lewin is an individual who has materialized in all readings and research done on Jamaican Folk Music. Her research is has been recorded in seven books of the seven the most popular are Rock It Come over: the Folk Music of Jamaica and Forty Folk Songs of Jamaica.  She has also sought to preserve original reel tapes of Jamaican folk songs. Olive Lewin worked closely with figures unknown and unrecognized to this day. However these persons are vital to her recordings of Jamaican Folk music, they are Everald Brown aka Brother Brown and Ms. Ada Lewis. They were able to give Ms. Lewin an oral history of Jamaican folk music.

In conjunction with the School of Music, Marjorie Whylie, Edward Seaga, Markus Coester, Dr. Christian Hausmann and Dr. Wolfgang Bender, Olive Lewin was able to produce a two CD booklet of the recordings from The Jamaican Folk Music Collection. The booklet gives a brief history of the traditional folk music genres found in Jamaica and those who assisted in the research; it also goes into detail of the struggles faced and overcome to produce such a novelty of Jamaican musical history.

Marjorie Whylie worked closely and picked up where Olive Lewin had left off in her research. Marjorie Whylie with her knowledge of music she explored the ancestry of Caribbean folk music and it is from these research she has been able to arrange and compose music deeply rooted in traditional folk music. Whylie also worked closely with the Jamaica School of Music during the 1970’s and1980’s in the Folk Music Research.

 Louise Bennett Coverley is synonymous with Jamaica, poetry, Mento and folk music. Just as Edric Connor had done Louise Bennett recorded the folk music of the Jamaican people on an album entitled Jamaican Folk Songs, however, instrumentals were used and in a released version a mento band was incorporated to add a more vibrant feel. Ms Coverley worked with Ivy Baxter to collect songs and stories of rural folks however inadequate recordings were done of this feat. Easton Lee was able to secure a tape recorder and tried to pick up where these two ladies had left off. These recordings can be heard on Redifussion tapes owned by the National Library of Jamaica and The Institute of Jamaica.

Harry Belafonte is also notable personality of Jamaican Folk Music as he internationalized the music. Harry Belafonte was born to Jamaican parents and grew up in America. In his renditions he kept thee beats and tones of Folk music without the additives of the 1950’s popular instrumentals and rhythms. In most research they classify the music of Belafonte and other Caribbean acts at this time as Calypso; however most of the recordings and albums done by Belafonte were Jamaican Folk songs and classed as either Mento or Calypso.

Mento is a genre of music that is undoubtedly distinctive. It is through Folk music that Mento has emerged and could facilitate the development of other classical Jamaican genre of music. The people that help to facilitate the growth and preserve its history is just as extraordinary as the style of music.