|
International
Calypso
Caribbean & Latin America:  The Eastern Caribbean Jamaica The Bahamas The Virgin Islands Bermuda Latin America |
Jamaica
Into the 1950s, the most popular local style of music and dance in Jamaica
was mento. Rural mento bands typically featured a banjo and "rumba
box," a bass instrument similar to the Cuban marímbula. Urban
dance bands, with horns and piano, also included mentos in their repertoires.
Mento songs were often humorous and allusive—some commented on specific
events, while others were lyrical expressions of general aspects of Jamaican
life. By the 1940s, mento performers were increasingly influenced by Trinidadian
calypso. During the 1950s, mento artists often sang calypsos or called
their mento songs "calypsos," in order to enhance their appeal
to foreign audiences.
