Innovationwithin the Music Industry - Dissertation Example

Order 216829 Topic:' CRITICAL & CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES (within the music industry) "Innovation is synthesis" - Trace the development of any one musical genre from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day demonstrating how each new innovation is created by synthesis of previous styles. "Reggae" Reggae originated from Jamaica in the 1960's and was developed from traditional African Caribbean music such as mento, calypso and ska. The genre was made world famous by Bob Marley who popularized the style on a world-wide basis. The word "reggae" was coined around 1960 in Jamaica to identify a "ragged" style of dance music, that still had its roots in New Orleans rhythm'n'blues. However, reggae soon acquired the lament-like style of chanting and emphasized the syncopated beat. It also made explicit the relationship with the underworld of the "Rastafarians" (adepts of a millenary African faith, revived Marcus Garvey who advocated a mass emigration back to Africa), both in the lyrics and in the appropriation of the African nyah-bingi drumming style (a style that mimicks the heartbeat with its pattern of "thump-thump, pause, thump-thump"). Compared with rock music, reggae music basically inverted the role of bass and guitar: the former was the lead, the latter beat the typical hiccupping pattern. The paradox of reggae, of course, is that this music "unique to Jamaica" is actually not Jamaican at all, having its foundations in the USA and Africa. (.www.history-of-rock-music.com/age/Reggae.php - 6k -) For decades, beginning in the 1920's, the dominant music in the Caribbean was Trinidad-based calypso. The lilting, topical and frequently risqu' songs were initially sung in an African-French patois but began to switch to English as the music began to attract the interest of American record labels such as Decca and Bluebird. Post World War II saw the emergence of various Caribbean music forms, notably steel-pan music of Trinidad and Tobago. In the late 40's and early 50's, Jamaican musicians began combining the steel-pan and calypso strains with an indigenous mento beat (e.g. Harry Belafonte - Jamaica Farewell). During the 1950's Jamaican youth was turning away from the American pop foisted on them by Radio Jamaica Rediffusion (RJR) and the Jamaican Broadcasting Corporation (JBC). Weather conditions permitting they listened instead to the sinewy music being played on New Orleans stations or Miami's powerful WINZ, whose playlists included records by Amos Milburn, Rosco Gordon and Louis Jordan. Significant New Orleans artists of the time included Fats Domino, Jelly Roll Morton, Champion Jack Dupree and Professor Longhair. It is surmised that the delay effects which are an important part of the reggae/dub sound may have initially been inspired by the oscillations in the signal from these far away radio stations. During this period, Jamaican bands began covering U.S. R&B hits, but the more adventurous took the nuts and bolts of the sound and melded them with energetic jazz conceits - particularly in the ever-present horn section - and emerged around 1956 with a hybrid concoction christened ska. Ernest Ranglin, the stellar jazz-rooted Jamaican guitarist who backed up the Wailers on such ska classics as "Love and Affection" and "Cry to Me," says that the word was coined by musicians "to talk about the skat! skat! skat! scratchin' guitar strum that goes behind." Practically overnight, ska spawned a major Jamaican industry, the Sound System, whereby enterprising record shop D.J.'s with reliable U.S. connections for 45's would load a pair of hefty P.A. speakers into a pickup truck and tour the island from hilltop to savanna, spinning the latest hits. D.J.'s also gave themselves comic book nom de plumes like Prince Buster and Sir Coxsone Downbeat. Competition grew so heated that D.J.'s covered up labels or scratched them off so that rivals couldn't keep up with the latest sounds. The ska craze spread to London in the late 1950's and early 1960's and in the United Kingdom ska soon came to be labelled bluebeat. This music would probably have remained a mere curiosity were it not for the efforts of a white Anglo-Jamaican of aristocratic lineage named Chris Blackwell. As a hobby-like business venture he had set up a small scale distribution network for ethnic records but he had a vision about the potential appeal of Jamaica's oscillating answer to the blues. In 1962 Blackwell took his tiny Blue Mountain/Island label to England, purchased master tapes produced in Kingston and released them in Britain on Black Swan, Jump Up, Sue and the parent label Island. Initial artists included Jimmy Cliff, the Skatalites and Bob Marley. Back in Jamaica "stay and ketch it again" became the rallying cry of Sound System ska. Soon every "Rude Boy" (ghetto tough) and country orphan wanted to hear his own voice barrelling out of a bass speaker. The Wailer's first single "Simmer Down" was a ska smash in Jamaica in late 1963/early 1964 and called on the island's young hooligans to control their tempers. The ska-bluebeat advance into what became rock steady occurred around 1966. James Brown and funky U.S. stuff was cited by Bob Marley as an influence for "de young musicians, deh had a different beat - dis was rock steady now! Eager to go! Du-du-du-du-du... Rock steady goin' t'rough." Marley was right on target when he linked James Brown with the transition, since R&B was to ska what soul was to rock steady. As far as Jamaican record buyers were concerned, the origin of the word reggae was the 1968 Pyramid single by Toots and the Maytals "Do the Reggay" (sic). Other possibilities as to the origin of the word include Regga, the name of a Bantu speaking tribe on Lake Tanganyika and a corruption of "streggae," which is Kingston street slang for prostitute. According to Bob Marley, the word is Spanish in origin, meaning "the king's music" but according to veteran session musicians the word is a description of the beat itself. Hux Brown of the Skatalites and lead guitarist on Paul Simon's 1972 hit "Mother and Child Reunion" says that it is "just a fun, joke kinda word that means ragged rhythm and the body feeling." During 1970 and 1971 a jumble of Wailers singles were fed to the Jamaican audience backed by dub and "version" mixes of the A side. Osbourne "King Tubby" Ruddock was one of the originators of dub. While working as a selector for Duke Reid's Sound system and for Treasure Isle studio, he began using a dub machine to eliminate vocals from test cuts of a two track single, getting a private charge out of the way the rhythms - in the space of a microsecond - seemed to snap, crackle and then pop like a champagne cork when they had no vocal track to soften them. Equally exciting to him was the abrupt reintroduction of the complete mix "Jus' like a volcano in yuh head!" Tubby would say. By late 1971, Kingstonians' appetites had been whetted for all-dub LPs and Lee Perry provided a remixed dub of Soul Revolution called Soul Revolution II. Perry eventually got so hooked on dub that he began layering sound effects (train whistles, running water, animal noises) on just about every old track he had in his possession. Bob Marley and the Wailers' mesmerising and often incendiary songs were customarily steeped in images of Third World strife and underscored by the turgid tenets of the Ratafarian faith as well as by symbols and maxims derived from Jamaican and African folklore. Rastas smoked "herb" to help with their meditations and the Rastafarian colours were richly symbolic: The Wailers showed themselves to be much more than a mere Jamaican rock phenomenon as their music began to concern itself with social issues on the island but no one in Jamaica was prepared for the impact the music of Marley and company would eventually have world wide. In 1974 Eric Clapton reached the Number 1 spot in The United States and much of Europe with his version of Bob Marley's anguished shantytown confessional "I Shot the Sheriff.' With the coming of punk and the subsequent new wave in the mid to late 1970s, Jamaican influences in music spread still further. In 1979 -1980 an eclectic new sound was introduced by interracial English groups like the Specials, Madness and the English Beat, which combined a ska revival with the antic energies of punk. Among the bands to emerge out of the new wave movement in Britain with reggae stylings were the Clash and the Police. The influence of ska, reggae and dub music is still strongly evident in contemporary music today as a new generation continues to evolve from the legacy handed down by the great luminaries such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and lesser known artists. Internationally, new artists like Ben Harper and Finlay Quaye display strong reggae influences in their work and New Zealand acts embracing these sounds today include the likes of Salmonella Dub and Pitch Black. (www.musicgenre.eadial.co.uk - 13k) When Ska erupted, it was only another offspring of the tropical music scene.In the ways of James Brown sounds it was a reflecting the enthusiasm, energy and hopes of the newly independent Jamaica (1962). The fabulous Ska stays a strange mix of R&B and Jazz, an out of space boogie-woogie that never really made it in England.Millie, Prince Buster and Skatalites have not really impacted the beatles eara. The Rocksteady took over in the mid sixties, but then again only Desmond Dekker could reach European audience with 007 (Shanty Town). The Rocksteady was the Soul for Caribbean music and was appreciated only by a few european aficionados.But using electric bass, burning vocalists such as Alton Ellis or the Paragons and taking influence from James Brown, new rhythms were preparing the path for Reggae. The unprecedented explosion of creativity in Jamaica after that time is yet unexplained. All the music that one can hear on the dancefloors and the sound systems stays the main form of culture. Like in Brasil and Africa (of which reggae takes most of its inspiration), the whole country is vibrating with music 24hour.Nevertheless, this passion for sound and beat don't explain it all.More is to come. The frantic side of the first reggae tunes disappears and in the beginning of the 70s, the One Drop style (that is commonly called Roots Reggae) starts to settle. This music becomes the one of revolt, of the angry who dare question the core of the organization of society: the Christianisme overpowering America. Serious deal, their rejection is even more violent. Since the disparition of Bob Marley on the 11th of May 1981, Reggae has spread worldwide. Symbol of freedom and equality, it spreads through the world like the arrow of the just. (then follow Africa with Alfa Blondi, Lucky Dube, Majek Fashek... more recently Ticken Jah Fakolyeorges,. After having reset the grounds of music Jamaica has gone forward and reggae moved on to become Dancehall, Ragga riddims, and whether you like it or not, it is still called Reggae in Jamaica Reggae is the heartbeat of Jamaica - a brand of reggae music as strongly identified with the island as R&B is with Detroit or jazz with new reggae Orleans. It's a major factor in the Jamaican economy. Reggae evolved in the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica, born of the tensions and social protest simmering violently in the late 1960's. Jamaicans will tell you that reggae means "coming from de people," a phrase coined (as was the name reggae itself) by Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals. Reggae is associated above all with one man: Robert Nesta Marley. Bob Marley had established himself as an early leading influence, with his creative style and unique stage presence. The type of reggae he performed is called Roots Reggae. He adopted Rastafarianism, injecting his reggae music with greater soul and more poignant lyrics that helped spark a worldwide "Third World consciousness." Bob Marley became an international superstar and is considered a prophet by the followers of the Rastafarian religion. Though Marley died in 1981, Reggae has gone from strength to strength. International stars such as Eric Clapton and Paul Simon even began to incorporate Reggae tunes into their smash hit reggae albums. Bob Marley has sold more reggae albums posthumously than any other reggae recording reggae artist. On his birthday, February 6, 2001 Marley was awarded a star on the famed Hollywood Walk of Fame. He receives numerous awards for his contributions to reggae music each year. Not all reggae stars are Jamaican. Reggae has a huge following in Scandinavia, Germany, England and Japan and indeed in most countries throughout the world where homegrown performers are bursting onto the scene. Nor do all reggae artists embrace social commentary in their reggae music. Other types of West Indian reggae music that actually preceded Reggae but can be found at most reggae festivals and are all grouped under the term "Reggae" to the masses are: Lovers Rock Melodic, romanticized reggae. Maxi Priest is one of the most popular to sing this type of reggae; Dub Purely instrumental reggae. Jamaican reggae DJ's invented their own lyrics to dub over the reggae music, initially in a verse form that has since evolved into; ska this frenetic forerunner of reggae accentuated by a strong horn section has made a comeback and is popular among young adults in USA and UK; Rock Steady ska slowed down to half speed and became more syncopated. The dance style was more languid with minimal movements; Soca from Trinidad, this fast-paced dance reggae music has a pedigree going back two decades and gained prominence in Jamaica only recently at Carnival time. It is now the reggae music of choice at upscale discos in 'uptown Kingston' (reggae dancehall is the reggae music of 'downtown'); and Calypso fast-paced reggae music from Trinidad featuring steel drums. Reggae may have put Jamaica on the reggae musical map, but the nation's reggae musical heritage runs much deeper. It is also constantly evolving, setting the tone and pace for the world to follow. Kingston has become the 'Nashville of the Third World' and reggae recording studios pump out dozens of new reggae titles each month. Reggae has influenced so many of today's marketing efforts with reggae jingles with its distinctive beat being heard on the radio and television around the world selling everything from laundry soap to soft drink. It is 'feel-good' reggae music and marketers capitalize on that. (www.rootsreggaeclub.com/culture_reggae_afro/reggae/reggae.htm - 40k Birthed in Jamaica in the late 50's this music was first an emulation of American rock and roll and rhythm and blues. The tempo of the music was fast and was created for dancing. Out of this emulation of American music mixed with African and Caribbean influences was birthed "ska". The Christafari song "Keep on Looking up" on our "Valley of Decision" album would be considered ska. In the sixties, as ska music progressed it evolved into a similar yet slower style called "rocksteady". The only significant difference between ska and rocksteady was the tempo, besides this, both styles had the famous Jamaican rhythm guitar and organ bubble complemented by drums, bass, horns, vocals and a groove that kept you moving. As the music in Jamaica continued to evolve, it slowed down in tempo once again, giving birth to "reggae music". This is where there is some confusion. Many believe that reggae came first, however it is quite the contrary, reggae came third, after ska and rocksteady. "Reggae" was a phrase first coined by Toots and the Maytals and means "to the King" in Latin. The only other significant differences between reggae and its predecessors besides its tempo were its strong emphasis on a treble-less bottom end bass line, a one drop on the drums and its new spiritual emphasis in Rastafari. This reggae in its early or traditional state is what many now call "roots". This is by far one of the most infectious styles of the genre, made famous worldwide by Bob Marley. Other styles that fit under the reggae genre include lover's rock. Lover's rock is an intimate roots music with a lyrical theme of love and relationships that was pioneered by such artists as Gregory Isaacs, Freddie McGregor and Dennis Brown. There is also another very popular style of reggae called "dub". In Jamaica whenever a song was released it was put out first as a single on a 7 inch record (what Americans call a 45). On the other side of this 7 inch was what is called the version, or the dub. In America today some would call it a sound track. It was the same song (often times with a different and psychedelic mix) that did not include the lead vocal. Dubs were then taken to the dance halls and played next to the original version of the song. Then one Jamaican MC made history by talking, chatting and singing over the dub version of a song for his particular sound system (today this is known as a "special"). His name was Daddy U-Roy. This creative combination eventually birthed countless other musical styles. When this music reached its Jamaican counterparts then residing in New York it gave birth to what is now known as rap, or hip hop. Yes, you got it, rap was originally birthed in Jamaica out of reggae music! However, in Jamaica this dub evolved into something different. People began reading poetry over these dub versions and it became "dub poetry". Made famous by such artists as Mutabaruka, Oko Onoura and Yasus Afari, dub poetry is still alive and strong today. By far the greatest child to be born out of this dub reggae is "dancehall". Often considered the sister of rap music, this music has been called many names such as "ragga", "dj style", "Jamaican rap" and the most popular "dancehall". This music began using traditional reggae rhythms and having artists rap (for lack of a better definition) in Jamaican Patois over the dub. This rapping is also known by other names such as "chatting", "chanting" or "toasting". With dancehall came the computerization of reggae. These digital beats created a large gap between Dancehall and its predecessors. Originally made world famous by such artists as Shabba Ranks and Buju Banton, early versions of dancehall were often categorized as "slackness" (containing explicit sexual lyrics) or "gun talk" (containing violent lyrics). Since then dancehall has reached world wide fame by other artists such as Shaggy, Snow, Bounty Killer and even the Fugees. In the mid Nineties, dancehall again evolved turning from slackness and gun talk to conscious lyrics. With the conversion of Capleton and Buju Banton to Rastafari, many other artists began singing about Selassie instead of sex or guns. Recently, dancehall has taken a turn to its foundation by going back to using standard roots rhythms. Accompanied by spiritual lyrics, artists such as Tony Rebel, Sizzla and Anthony B became famous singing Rastafarian lyrics over this new type of dancehall known as "culture". Other types of music birthed from This large tree whose roots are ska are; "two tone ska" (from the U.K. in the 70's), the "third wave of ska" (an American hybrid of two tone ska, punk and hard edge alternative), "niyabingi" (tribal Africa and Jamaican hand drums accompanied by songs and chants of Rastafari), "jungle" (The U.K.'s hybrid of techno and dancehall), "drum and bass" (The second phase of jungle) and "ragga-hip hop" (a combination of dancehall and American hip hop). Other Caribbean rhythms that are cousins of reggae/ska are "mento", "calypso" and "soca" just to name a few. (lionofzion.com/faq/.../History+and+Definition+of+Reggae.html - 19k -) Through sheer force of its personality, reggae music has conquered the world and rocked successive generations - all on its own terms. Jamaican music was, and remains truly an urban folk music. In its purest form it is entirely an oral experience: unlicensed, uncopyrighted, uncensored and even to this day untamed. It chronicles the highs and lows of the day-to-day existence of Jamaican sufferahs. Although reggae came from the streets of Kingston, it remained on the streets wherever it roamed, London, Birmingham or New York. '(www.reggaemovement.com/History/history.htm - 17k -) Bibliography (lionofzion.com/faq/.../History+and+Definition+of+Reggae.html - 19k - Cached)' (www.reggaemovement.com/History/history.htm - 17k - Cached) www.musicgenre.eadial.co.uk - 13k - Cached www.rootsreggaeclub.com/culture_reggae_afro/reggae/reggae.htm - 40k - Cached' ReggaeFestivalGuide.com: www.bbc.co.uk/music/bluessoulreggae/guides/reggae - 32k - Cached www.history-of-rock-music.com/age/Reggae.php - 6k - Cached Barrow, S and Dalton, P. (1997). Reggae - the rough guide. London: Rough Guides. White, T. (1991). Catch a fire: the life of Bob Marley. London: Omnibus Press. www.history-of-rock-music.com/age/Reggae-1970.php - 6k - Cached (www.reggaemovement.com/History/history.htm - 17k -) Read More