Exploring Mento, the Jamaican Folk Music That Helped Give Birth to Reggae
Nearly everyone who travels to Jamaica has heard of Bob Marley and reggae music, but far fewer know about mento.
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Nearly everyone who travels to Jamaica has heard of Bob Marley and reggae music, but far fewer know about mento.
[Many thanks to Peter Jordens.] Jamaica is traditionally described as the “land of wood and water,” but that description would be more accurate, as the “the land of wood, water and music.” Music, and dance, have been a part of Jamaica’s history dating back to slavery—serving as expressions of faith, hope, resistance, love, romance, and national pride. Over the years, Jamaican music has evolved from its traditional roots that included gospel, pocomania, quadrill, dinki mini, and Zion revival music. Influenced by the African culture from which enslaved people in Jamaica originated, ...