This week's feature is Miss Louise Bennett who hails from the island of Jamaica. Ms. Bennett Or Miss Lou as she is sometimes called, was a folklorist and singer whose poetry was her claim to fame.
- Miss Louise Bennett . "Miss Lou (Part 9) ~ Oman a Breadwinner ~ Chi Chi Bud ~ Gay Paree ~ Walk Good"
- Culture or Origin
- flute, keyboard, drum, bass guitar, vocals
In the attached video, the first piece is very repetitive in its musical structure - I - ii - V - I throughout. The second piece "Gay Paree" is a poem that though it is spoken, has a musical sense in the way she conveys the story. You must utilize engaged listening to understand the Jamaican accent to understand the story. The third piece explains one of Jamaica's cultures set to music - following the verse chorus setting.
The piece was put together as a tribute to Ms Bennett when she died in 2006. In one of her other videos, she explains the difference between the calypso and mento -- "Calypso has a strong beat while the mento has a rounder sound" -- the two have similar rhythms, but the mento is not as widely known outside of Jamaica.
People in the Caribbean have grown up hearing calypso and reggae frequently. I was not aware that there were different styles within those two groups until this class. For instance, the calypso and soca are from the same family, but the bass rhythm is slightly different, as is the reggae and the ska. The structures of the different types of music, though similar, create a different feel for the listener.
For more information on Ms. Bennett you can visit:
Monet-
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. Miss Lou sure reminded me of the good old days of story tellers and comedians like Paul keens Douglas and Oliver at large. The music associated with the stories that are real life situations being portrayed allows the listener to relate to the circumstances explained. It also displays how a simple chord progression of I-ii-V-I can be very effective like the I-IV V-I progression of the popular Three Little Birds by Bob Marley. Parts of the melody of the last tune sure reminds of the famous tune St. Thomas which we can always relate to. Great post!
Hello Monet,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great time of year in my opinion for this music and example. On my summer playlist, I have many of Bob Marley's tunes which just make me feel happy and I can picture being in Jamaica and down on the islands when back by my pool. Listening to Miss Lou, it reminds me of how happy and kind Jamaicans are. There are many pieces of music that are repetitive, but repetitive can be good when a strong point is coming across. With someone like Miss Lou it seems as if without the music she could do just fine, but adding the music is definitely a cornerstone in her success! Thanks for sharing!
Monet -
ReplyDeleteGreat choice! I am thoroughly enjoying the music of the islands, and I was happy to hear this work. The simple chord progressions and repetitive nature of the work provide a musical context that adds to the narrative nature of the vocalist - the focus is the text. I must also confess that I hear a bit of reverse musical influence in the instruments. I hear a distinct Motown style bass and drum pattern, but the ancillary instruments clearly define an island feel to the backbeat groove. As we listen to each others works listed on the blog posts, I find it intriguing how interconnected the musics of the Caribbean and our popular music is in the United States. The first bass riff reminds me a bit of the beginning of "Little Shop of Horrors," and as the flute enters, there is a trace of Dave Matthews Band (Say Goodbye, Crash album, 1996), minus the violin. Great tune!
Good description of the piece but make sure you include a paragraph reacting to each week’s specific prompt. This can be found under Assignments each week.
ReplyDelete