Customer Reviews

Mento Madness

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Mento is traditional Jamaican Folk Music, it came about before reggae, dancehall or ska. It's played on simple folk instruments, usually a guitar, a banjo or fiddle, hand drums or shakers and a rumba box (a very large mbira or thumb piano in the low bass register). The songs are traditionally chock-full of bawdy double entendres and poorly veiled sexual humor, which makes them rowdy and fun. Some people refer to this music as Jamaican Calypso, but its different in rhythm, instrumentation and lyrical content than Trinidadian Calypso.

This collection is a wonderful mix of some of the mento greats of yesteryear... and realistically, there aren't really any mento greats of today, The Jolly Boys and The Overtakers are about all that there is left. The songs included here are well-chosen and present a really nice picture of the mento sound, feel and, very importantly, the humor of this almost-lost genre of folk music. Of particular note are the Lord Fly cuts, Lord Fly was perhaps the only mento artist to become "famous" and his name might actually ring a bell to early reggae and ska fans.

I played this at a Jamaican picnic for teachers and they went wild when they heard these songs from childhood days. My father had these on 78 rpm over 50 years ago.

Considering this was recorded over 50 years ago on a 1 track recorder, then mixed in a very primitive "studio" the sound quality is great! even better is the music! perfect to play at a party, BBQ, or to just sit and listen to!
Also, if it weren't for Stanley Motta and other's like him, there wouldn't be ska, rock steady, reggae, etc, etc. for all of us to enjoy. this CD is just one 1 more reason to love JA music.

couple this with the Trojan Calypso box set, Sand and Steel and Sugar Belly's "Sugar merengue" and you can get a good idea of what the indigenous music of the Carribbean is like.

Good Stuff!

If you love Jamaican music, this is a great cd. Good to dance to over a BBQ!