Creolization: The English -Speaking Caribbean Music
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In the prior blog, I explored the theme Creolization in the book Tour de Force and articulated that this particular theme will be further discussed in many other blogs. Chapter 1 of Tour de Force talks about Barbados, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, United States Virgin Islands, and The Bahamas. There are several examples of creolization discussed; however, I will only focus on two from this chapter.
One example in chapter 1 is Ska from Jamaica. Gangelhoff and LeGrand (2019) describes Ska as "a fusion of mento with rhythm and blues" (p. 48). This genre is known for its horn section. An example of a Ska band is The Skatalites (as seen in Figure #1 and Video #1).
Figure #1 - shows an image of the Skatalites band
Source: (Rootsound, 2022)
Video #1 - Guns of Navarone: The Skatalites
Source: YouTube
This particular video was chosen because it is considered a masterpiece of the Ska genre and was used as a part of the soundtrack for the film Guns of Navarone.
Another example of creolization discussed in chapter 1 of the text is "Combina" Music from Turks and Caicos. "Combina" music was named by Lovey Forbes and described as the fusion of ripsaw with foreign popular music such as calypso and reggae (Gangelhoff and LeGrand, 2019). Lovey Forbes is well known for his brand "Combina Music." Below is a photo and video of him (refer to Figure #2 and Video #2).
Figure #2 - shows a photo of Lovey Forbes
Source: (Turks And Caicos Tourist Board, 2021)
Video #2 - Welcome to North Caicos: Lovey Forbes
Source: YouTube
This video was chosen because it shows true Turks and Caicos music heritage. In this video, Lovey Forbes also gives a preview before he begins singing.
Lastly, another example of creolization is Rake and Scrape. This genre is considered the main musical genre of The Bahamas. "Rake-n-scrape today is usually played on accordion (most commonly on a
two-row button accordion), saw (literally a carpenter's saw), and goatskin
drum (commonly called a goombay drum). Traditional rake-n-scrape bands active in the contemporary moment -
bands such as Bo Hog and the Rooters and Ophie and the Websites, for
instance - perform music that is most thoroughly associated with places
like Cat Island and Long Island, the two Family Islands where rake-n-scrape
has maintained the strongest presence" (Rommen, 2009, p.164). Some of the main instruments used in rake and scrape are the accordion, carpenter's saw, goombay drum, and guitar as previously quoted (Refer to Figure #3). One of the best rake and scrape entertainers in The Bahamas is Ronnie Butler; he is a legend (Refer to Figure #4 and Video #3).
Figure #3 - shows some of the instruments used in Rake and Scrape
Source: (Driftwood, 2017)
Figure #4 - shows Ronnie Butler
Source: (Dorsett, 2017)
Video #3 - Who Put the Pepper in the Vaseline: Ronnie Butler
Source: YouTube
This song was chosen because it is one of Ronnie Butler's most popular songs.
References
Dorsett, S. (2017, November 20). The road ends for Ronnie Butler. The Road ends for Ronnie Butler. http://www.tribune242.com/news/2017/nov/20/road-ends-ronnie-butler/
Driftwood. (2017, May 26). Ever been to a Rake 'n' Scrape? Driftwood Cafe Exuma. https://driftwoodcafeexumasite.wordpress.com/2017/06/01/ever-been-to-a-rake-n-scrape/
Gangelhoff, C. & LeGrand, C. (2019). Tour de Force: A Musical Journey of The Caribbean
Rommen, T. (2009). " Come back home": regional travels, global encounters, and local nostalgias in Bahamian popular musics. Latin American Music Review, 30(2), 159-183.
Rootsound. (2022, January 31). The Skatalites. Rootsound. https://rootsound.com/artistas/the-skatalites/?lang=en
Turks And Caicos Tourist Board. (2021, June 14). Lovey Forbes. Welcome to the Turks and Caicos Islands. https://turksandcaicostourism.com/directory-tourism_serv/listing/lovey-forbes/
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