Mento
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Music tagged “mento”
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Mento is a style of Jamaican folk music that predates and has greatly influenced ska and reggae music. Mento typically features acoustic instruments, such as acoustic guitar, banjo, hand drums, and the rhumba box — a large mbira in the shape of a box that can be sat on while played. The rhumba box carries the bass part of the music.
Mento is often confused with calypso, a musical form from Trinidad and Tobago. Although the two share many similarities, they are separate and distinct musical forms. In part, the differences stem from the differing colonial histories of the two West Indian Islands, as Jamaican music lacks the Spanish influences found in other Caribbean musical styles.
Mento draws on musical traditions brought over by African slaves. The influence of European music is also strong, as slaves who could play musical instruments were often required to play music for their masters. They subsequently incorporated some elements of these traditions into their own folk music. The lyrics of mento songs often deal with aspects of everyday life in a light-hearted and humorous way. Many comment on poverty, poor housing and other social issues. Thinly-veiled sexual references and innuendo are also common themes. Although the treatment of such subjects in mento is comparatively innocent, their appearance has sometimes been seen as a precursor of the slackness found in modern dancehall.
Mento is often confused with calypso, a musical form from Trinidad and Tobago. Although the two share many similarities, they are separate and distinct musical forms. In part, the differences stem from the differing colonial histories of the two West Indian Islands, as Jamaican music lacks the Spanish influences found in other Caribbean musical styles.
Mento draws on musical traditions brought over by African slaves. The influence of European music is also strong, as slaves who could play musical instruments were often required to play music for their masters. They subsequently incorporated some elements of these traditions into their own folk music. The lyrics of mento songs often deal with aspects of everyday life in a light-hearted and humorous way. Many comment on poverty, poor housing and other social issues. Thinly-veiled sexual references and innuendo are also common themes. Although the treatment of such subjects in mento is comparatively innocent, their appearance has sometimes been seen as a precursor of the slackness found in modern dancehall.
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ok- tagged The Jolly Boys and Stanley Beckford with mento. March 2013
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somacco tagged Charlie Binger & His Quartet – Jamaica Is The Place To Go and Tommy McCook – Get Me To The Church On Time with mento. February 2013
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richwhitelaw tagged Count Lasher and Count Lasha & His Calypsonians with mento. January 2013
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HaphazardJoy tagged Laurel Aitken with ‘mento’. January 2013
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belyj-bada wrote about mento in О взаимопроникновении жанров. January 2013
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myrk74 tagged Stanley Beckford with ‘mento’. December 2012
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ibrylka tagged The Jolly Boys with ‘mento’. November 2012
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captainraymond tagged The Jolly Boys – Jamaican Christmas with ‘mento’. October 2012
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narci91 tagged The Jolly Boys with ‘mento’. October 2012
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ulinvodnaar tagged The Caribs with ‘mento’. September 2012
