Tracing the Roots of Ska

Ska was developed in Jamaica in the early 1960s andlaid the corner stone for rocksteady and reggae. Thisbook provides an in-depth analysis of ska and itsemergence pursuing an interdisciplinary approach. Thefirst part of this book deals with the musicologicalanalysis of ska and its progenitors drawing fromcomprehensive transcriptions of representativerecordings. In order to sufficiently understand theprocess of ska's shaping, the second part focuses onhistoric, economic, political, cultural, andmusic-sociological aspects before and during thedevelopment of ska. Covered are questions like; Whydid ska emerge during this time in particular? Arethere connections between the specific socialsituation and the development of ska? What powersinfluenced the rise and dissemination of the newmusic style? What functions did ska have for theJamaican people? The present analysis reveals newinsights on ska's origins and stresses theinterrelations between ska and its socialenvironment. This book addresses researchers in thefield of Caribbean music as well as all thoseinterested in the emergence of the music style thatstrongly contributed to shape Jamaica's identity.

Autorentext

Georg Demcisin, Master of Musicology from the University of Vienna. Organization of the annual jazz festival "Salzburger Jazz-Herbst" and contributor to the Austrian Online Music Dictionary published by the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

Klappentext
Ska was developed in Jamaica in the early 1960s and laid the corner stone for rocksteady and reggae. This book provides an in-depth analysis of ska and its emergence pursuing an interdisciplinary approach. The first part of this book deals with the musicological analysis of ska and its progenitors drawing from comprehensive transcriptions of representative recordings. In order to sufficiently understand the process of ska's shaping, the second part focuses on historic, economic, political, cultural, and music-sociological aspects before and during the development of ska. Covered are questions like; Why did ska emerge during this time in particular? Are there connections between the specific social situation and the development of ska? What powers influenced the rise and dissemination of the new music style? What functions did ska have for the Jamaican people? The present analysis reveals new insights on ska's origins and stresses the interrelations between ska and its social environment. This book addresses researchers in the field of Caribbean music as well as all those interested in the emergence of the music style that strongly contributed to shape Jamaica's identity.