What are the instruments in mento?

Today, Mento is played on instruments like the banjo, guitar, hand drums and triangle, with its distinctive bass rhythm coming from the double bass played as percussion, and the Marimba or rhumba box. Over time, vocals were added to the music, which was originally used for dancing the Quadrille.

What instrument in mento is used for the bass line?

The maracas (or shakers as they are commonly called) acts as extra percussion. An important part of this traditional combo is the marímbula, pictured above. Known in Jamaica as the rumba box, this instrument acts as the bassline for the mento song.

Who brought the mento beat to Jamaica?

Mento and the birth of reggae Jamaica was colonised by Spain, mainly in the 1500s, and then Britain in 1655.

Who was the first reggae artist in Jamaica?

The Wailers, a band started by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer in 1963, is perhaps the most recognized band that made the transition through all three stages of early Jamaican popular music: ska, rocksteady and reggae. Over a dozen Wailers songs are based on or use a line from Jamaican mento songs.

What is another name for mento music?

During the mid-20th century, mento was conflated with calypso, and mento was frequently referred to as calypso, kalypso and mento calypso. Mento singers frequently used calypso songs and techniques.

Who was the first reggae artist?

In the USA, Neil Diamond’s Red Red Wine (1967) was the first reggae hit by a pop musician. Shortly afterwards, Johnny Nash’s Hold Me Tight (1968) propelled reggae onto the charts. Do The Reggay (1968) by Toots (Hibbert) And The Maytals was the record that gave the music its name.

Who is the most famous reggae artist?

7 of the best reggae artists of all-time

• 7) Burning Spear. Burning Spear, also known as Winston Rodney, is no doubt one of the most enduring reggae artists of all time.
• 6) Steel Pulse. Steel Pulse formed in Birmingham in 1975.
• 5) Peter Tosh.
• 4) Sizzla.
• 3) Toots and the Maytals.
• 2) Desmond Dekker.
• 1) Bob Marley.

Why is it called reggae?

“Reggae” comes from the term “rege-rege” which means “rags” or “ragged clothes”, and this gives you your first clue into the story behind reggae music. But as the music and the musicians making it made their way into the 1970s, reggae started taking on a heavy Rastafarian influence.

Who is the hottest reggae artist?

Koffee was undoubtedly the hottest reggae artist of 2019.

What kind of instruments are used in mento music?

In dance band mento, home-made instruments were replaced by professional saxes and clarinets and basses. Often, banjo was left behind in favor of electric guitar. Along with clarinet]

Where can you find mento music in Jamaica?

Mento is still played in Jamaica, especially in areas frequented by tourists. Lloyd Bradley, reggae historian and author of the seminal reggae book, Bass Culture, said that Lee “Scratch” Perry ’s seminal 1976 dub album, Super Ape, contained some of the purest mento influences he knew.

What was the role of the mento in reggae?

It strummed the rhythm similarly to the role of guitar in reggae. It was a lead instrument, sometimes played very precisely and sometimes very loosely. It could riff wildly, or be played as orderly and pointillisticly as a music box. Sometimes it chimed like a steel drum, other times it sounded like a mandolin.

What was the Golden Age of mento music?

This was the golden age of mento, as records pressed by Stanley Motta, Ivan Chin, Ken Khouri and others brought the music to a new audience. In the 1960s it became overshadowed by ska and reggae. Mento is still played in Jamaica, especially in areas frequented by tourists.