The Music of the English-Speaking Caribbean Islands

This course looks at the development of indigenous music from Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados—to name a few of the islands—and significant artists who have influenced the development of the music over the past sixty years. As with many Caribbean music traditions, these musics and their sub-genres maintain direct links to West African sacred and secular music. This course examines through analysis the various rhythmic and linear linkages to music from West Africa, as well as the contemporary history of the islands as is reflected in the lyrical content of the music. The influences and nuances will be analyzed and examined through selected recordings of the Lord Kitchener, Harry Belafonte, Mighty Sparrow, Arrow, Lord Shorty, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, and David Rudder. Steel band music, which is indigenous to Trinidad and Tobago and has spread over most Caribbean Islands, will also be examined.