Annotated Bibliography

Little information is available on Rastafarian music and musicians despite the large amount of data on Rastafarianism, in general.  There are many uncertainties in the area of Rasta music and James Alston’s goal in writing The Role of Music in Rastafarian Society in Jamaica, 1930-1995 was to make more information available to those researching the topic.  This dissertation reviews scholarly literature, musical transcriptions, personal interviews, fieldwork, and Rastafarian literature, in an attempt to discover the importance of music in the Rastafarian movement.  Alston starts at the beginning and gives a general history of Jamaica and works his way into the more complex theories surrounding the issue of Rastafarianism and music.  He includes musical transcriptions and articles that were used in his research of Rasta music.  In this way he allows the readers to come to their own conclusions about the impact of music on Rastafarianism.  Being a dissertation, this is a very scholarly work.  It would be a wonderful source for anyone researching Rastafarian music because in addition to Alston’s writings, there are many other sources one can derive from this dissertation.

This is the second edition to a book of the same name that followed the ever-changing series of musical styles in Jamaica.  Additions to this edition include a chapter on Jamaican jazz, which had previously been overlooked, the mention of many new hip-hop artists, as well as revisions to several other chapters.  It has only been recently that the Rastafarian movement has sparked musical attention and this is evident in the chapter “Rasta Renaissance.”  For those interested in Jamaican music but uneducated in the subject, this book is perfect.  It contains many recommended albums to search for and also contains information that will entertain the music expert as well.

This website is actually an online copy of the book by the same name written by Steve Barrow.  The fact that the entire book is available online is definitely an indication that the information within the published work was significant enough to be made available for immediate access to anyone.  The site contains details about the different types of music in Jamaica, as well as illustrating the effects that the music has had upon the society and culture.  The text is very well written and explains the musical styles in detail, as well as highlighting many of the major players who have achieved success in music.  This source is very edifying and would be excellent for any sort of research on Jamaican music.  The accessibility of the online version allows for the acquisition of the information and knowledge to be much simpler, due to the different pages categorized according to the musical style.

Rastafari-Kunst aus Jamaica, although written in German, provides an extensive and wonderful collection of images that are very helpful when attempting to familiarize oneself with the Rastafarian art from Jamaica.  This book illuminates also many other key ideas and concepts behind the arts influenced by the Rastafarian movement.  It is mainly written categorically, according to the media and theme of the art, and illustrates much of the development of Rastafarian art, though not in chronological order.  This source would be helpful as a guide through the art of Jamaica.  The style of the writing is rather an easy read, and is somewhat informal when addressing a concept or style.  The book is a terrific source of images and would be excellent for the use of anyone skilled in Deutsch.

Caribbean Festival Arts examines festivals such as Jonkonnu in Jamaica, Trinidad Carnival, Rara in Haiti, as well as other festivals, inspired by the Caribbean, around the world.  The cultural roots of these festivals are emphasized, while the authors demonstrate how an African heritage has been transformed in the multi-cultural Caribbean.  Judith Bettelheim and John Nunley accompanied the exhibit by the same name as curators.  The history behind each festival, and descriptions of the various costumes, music, and food, are the main topics of discussion.  The book contains 100 color photos of the large costumes, worn by the festival’s attendants, as well as illustrations of traditional costumes worn in the past that have inspired modern costume design.  It is a wonderful book for anyone interested in the Caribbean or festivals and provides great information for those seeking a more scholarly perspective on the events.

David Boxer addresses Jamaican art by looking at the types that are most commonly associated with the term “art” itself, specifically painting and sculpture.  The article tells about the progression of the art through history, from the time of British rule, on.  Boxer explains how uniquely Jamaican art did not, in fact, come into being until into the twentieth century.  An interesting statement was made that this did not happen until the artist Edna Manley stepped onto the scene, which can be taken as fact or opinion.  Several important and influential artists were mentioned in this article, as well as some of their most well known accomplishments.  This article is very informative, although it reads much like an encyclopedia.  The points made are well thought out and well taken, but there seems to be an excess of unnecessary information throughout.  However, the article is a wonderful reference source and would be great for scholars researching Jamaican art, for it presents many useful facts.  David Boxer also collaborated with Veerle Poupeye on another work called Modern Jamaican Art, which is very informative as well.  Therefore, Boxer is a strong enough authority on the subject that the information presented in his article can be taken as accurate, or, at least, as presented with knowledge.

Modern Jamaican Art provides a record of the Jamaican art movement and documents the talent of the many men and women of the Jamaican art world.  The introduction includes a small but dense history of the styles and artists that have made up Jamaican art, from 1494 until the present.  The motivations and styles of these artists are helpful in the understanding of each work.  David Boxer and Veerle Poupeye include a representative sample of Jamaican art and sculpture in the plates beginning with Edna Manley, a very influential artist, who is said to have headed the Jamaican art movement.  Both authors are experts in the field of Jamaican art, and have written extensively on the subject in the form of other articles and books.  The photos present in the book allow the reader to become familiar with Jamaican art.  The pictures progress in chronological order, therefore allowing the reader to see the transformations that art in Jamaica has undergone as well.  This book is a good starting point for anyone interested in art and, because of the amount of textual information, is a great tool for researchers as well.

Lloyd Bradley uses this scholarly work to trace the genealogy of Jamaican music, from the roots to the newer digital sounds.  He examines how Jamaican social life, poverty, and politics has influenced the music throughout the ages, and how the Jamaican people overcame these hindrances through their own spirituality and creativeness, which was reflected in their music.  Bradley also makes a point to praise the newfound longing to get music “back to the roots.”  This work is a very intellectual piece with many significant and valuable points made.  The examination of the advancement of Jamaican music is done chronologically, with importance placed upon how the music evolved alongside the culture and politics.  The excellent discussion of the connections between these elements is a key component that provides useful information to further the understanding of Jamaican music and life in general.  This book, as a reference, is very effective in identifying important concepts, without delving into unnecessary pretexts.  This is Reggae Music: the story of Jamaica’s music would be an excellent sourcebook for students, as well as a great textbook for professors lecturing on this topic.  It presents itself as a “reader-friendly” account of the history of Jamaican music, making it all the more effective.

Reggae Routes includes the many artists, producers, and recordings that brought Jamaican music into the international spotlight.  The authors describe each stage in the development of Jamaican music, identifying the most popular songs and artists, and highlighting the significant social, political, and economic issues as they affected the musical scene.  While they write from a Jamaican perspective, the intended audience is “any person, local or foreign, interested in an intelligent discussion of reggae music and Jamaica.”  It features some four hundred illustrations that range from album covers and posters to rare photos. The last half of the book is devoted to the artists of Jamaica starting in 1960 until 1997.  Reggae Routes is informal in its approach but it is well written and provides excellent information on the music of Jamaica.

Three moments in Jamaican art is a very short book, written both in Spanish and in English.  It contains very little information on Jamaican art, but rather guides the reader through three separate periods that Jamaican art progressed through, starting with major British influence, moving to the period of the first uniquely Jamaican art, and, finally, onto modern self-expressionism.  The book is helpful in highlighting a few key artists, as well as a few different styles of painting and sculpture, but has little in terms of referential detail.  This source gives some helpful examples of the different styles of Jamaican art, and does, in fact, give an accurate description of the evolution of the art through the century.  It identifies an important point that the evolution was not necessarily linear, as usually interpreted, but reflects more the discontinuity through the ages.  This book would be a helpful source to a scholar who wishes for a brief summary of the history of Jamaican art, and is particularly helpful, as it is written in a concise way and touches on some of the major concepts important in that history.

This is an article that deals with the future of reggae music.  Elena Oumano believes that if America turns its back on reggae the effects could be detrimental.  Some of the problems facing the reggae industry in Jamaica are disunity, transgression from the original sounds of reggae musicians, and the lack of major-label support for this long-standing music tradition.  “The Big Picture…” is broken into sections that deal with the various aspects of reggae music and flows well from one section to the next.  It is short, but to the point in its examination of the present state of reggae.  Anyone who reads this article will have a good understanding of the problems facing this genre and the direction it is headed in the near future.

Reggae Rasta Revolution is divided into parts that group the many articles into respective eras of music:  Roots, Marley, Reggae, Ska, Dub, Dancehall, and World.  Although these categories are in chronological order as to their appearance in Jamaican culture, they are not inclusive of all the eras of music that Jamaica experienced.  This book is not meant to be a history of the evolution of Jamaican music.  It is more a forum of the many different experiences, views, and ideas that accompany these eras.  Each article is influential in its respective area, but the topic of each is not stated for the reader.  The introduction is more of an introduction to Reggae and Rasta than to the articles.  For someone who knows little or nothing on the subjects this is a wonderful place to start.  It contains basic definitions and beliefs known by Jamaicans and Rastafarians, and fosters a better understanding of the articles that follow.  Overall, this book is an excellent source for information and ideas pertaining to Jamaican life.

Veerle Poupeye is a very influential authority on the subject of Caribbean art.  She has been widely published and lectures on the subject at the Edna Manley College in Kingston, Jamaica.  Caribbean Art gives insight to many of the different styles of art from the many countries in the Caribbean, including Jamaica.  Poupeye focuses on the woodcarvings by Edna Manley as a very important part of the Jamaican art, as well as mentioning other important artists in the scene, such as Neville Garrick, who was responsible for designing Bob Marley’s album covers.  This book is written in such a way that it reads much like a history book does.  It is written in chronological order, for the most part, going through the history and evolution of Caribbean art.  The book pinpoints several influences on Jamaican art, such as the religious influences of Rastafarianism and Revivalism, and the political influences, such as Garveyism.  As a reference source on Caribbean art, this book is very helpful and informative.  It would be appropriate for students, professors, and those who just enjoy Caribbean art, and is an excellent source of information.

This website provides a detailed biography of one of the most influential players in reggae music to date, Bob Marley.  There is an extensive collection of information on Marley, as well as several essays from other popular and influential musicians around the world about him.  This site gives great insight into the life and music of Bob Marley and is an excellent source of reference for reggae music in general.  The information is organized by category, pinpointing his life, music, and legacy specifically.  Although there is much information presented, the website allows for a one-sided look at the music of reggae, highlighting it mainly in the style of Bob Marley.  However, this source still gives very useful information on both the topics of reggae and Bob Marley.

Reggae Fusion provides an in-depth review of the whole history of reggae, covering many of Jamaica's most talented and influential players in the music industry.  And though the name suggests otherwise, the site does not concentrate on reggae alone, but rather touches on each of the major genres of music present in Jamaica throughout history.  The site describes how Jamaica music developed and evolved from mento to dancehall.  It also credits many key musicians, as well as giving biographical information on them, and providing links on and song samples by the artists.  Not only does this site offer valuable information on the history of Jamaican music, but it also gives wonderful insight into some of the influential ideas and movements behind the musical phenomena.  This is a very accurate and extensive reference source that allows one to see into the depths of Jamaican music and beyond.

Reggae History focuses on many different areas that are valuable in the extensive understanding of Jamaica, including information on music, art, politics, religion, culture, and history.  This site contains information on influential people, such as Marcus Garvey and Bob Marley, as well as on specific aspects of Jamaican life, like Rastafarianism.  There are many important concepts discussed and examined on this website, and the style of the text allows the reader to get a good understanding of the material very easily.  It is written in an informal way, but is nonetheless informative.  This site would be a wonderful reference source for students, professors, and non-scholars alike.  Particularly helpful was the page on Rastafarianism, which, in fact, came from an encyclopedia of Jamaican music.  This page provided the necessary information that one must understand in order to fully grasp the overall concept of Rastafarianism. 

Jamaican Folk Music is an attempt to analyze and compare seven different categories of folk songs in Jamaica.  It includes musical transcriptions of the songs, listed at the beginning of the book, to allow the reader, if desired, to hear the songs that the author discusses.  This book appeals to those searching for academic reasons and also to those simply interested music.  Anyone seeking the actual folk songs of Jamaica would benefit greatly from this book.  In addition, it is easy to read and understand.  Marilyn Rouse spends a great deal of time discussing the influences of Jamaican folk music and how the integration of different ethnicities has fostered the evolution of folk music.  Since the focus of this book is on early styles of music, this book covers the information that has been left out of many others. 

Norman Stolzoff attempts to look at dancehall from a number of perspectives – historical, economic, performative, and political – in order to get a broad sense of its role in Jamaican society.  He has spent most of his life in Jamaica and manages to write in a biased way despite his own opinions on the subject matter.  Wake the Town is an attempt to educate the world of dancehall, through actual involvement not just an outsider point of view.  Surprisingly, Stolzoff is a white, Jewish man, who grew up in Los Angeles and became, through a lifetime of study and interaction in Jamaican, particularly dancehall, culture, a knowledgeable expert on many aspects of Jamaican life.  His statements are a valid expression of the views held by many native Jamaicans.  The format of Wake the Town is an evolution of the culture with interviews, pictures, and published references to back up the author’s views.  It is an extensive critique of dancehall that would be helpful to anyone studying or simply interested in the culture.

Reggae Island consists of over 50 interviews with a variety of artists and producers of reggae music.  The book is divided into three sections or perspectives: dancehall, cultural roots, and the music industry.  Each section contains interviews with those involved in the respective area.  The goal of Tom Weber and Brian Jahn in compiling these interviews was to discover the common thread all of these people hold.  Reggae Routes is intended for those who want to understand its strong presence in the music world.  Through this book, one hears from the actual voices of Jamaica as they discuss the current state of reggae, its development since the death of Bob Marley, and the direction it is going.  Weber and Jahn are knowledgeable sources on Jamaican music, and have included only articles that would benefit those seeking to learn more about music.