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Jazz is way more influential than ska, and I may look at this in a separate thread on another occasion. But the fact is that musicians of a certain calibre invariably veer towards jazz, a genre which provides the most scope for creativity and self-expression. In other words, and this is true of every country including Jamaica, after reaching a certain level of development, musicians inevitably turn to jazz.
Now to my view that it is disingenious to suggest that jazz and ska are on the same level.
Like poster X, I have always enjoyed ska, Jamaica’s first popular music genre (mento, which preceded ska, is folk music). Like poster X as well, I too think that Don Drummond was among the most gifted and creative musicians to emerge from Jamaica.
In terms of a timeline, ska emerged from the ghettoes of west Kingston around 1961 or 1962, and with its fast paced beat, quickly symbolized (in my opinion) the optimism of Jamaica as it approached independence and nationhood.
Nevertheless, although I love ska very much, I cannot share the misguided view that ska and jazz are on the same level. They are most definitely not, and any attempt to classify ska in the same mold as jazz will ultimately be an erroneous exercise.
The fact is that ska, with its confinement to a basic 4/4 rhythmic structure, its emphasis on the usual three-note chord construction (aside from maybe the occasional flattened seventh note), and its tendency to favor three or four-chord progressions makes it a very, very simple genre when compared to the jazz of that era (the late 1950s and early 1960s) and the jazz of today.
Make no mistake about it, ska’s strength when it appeared is that it was a new, infectious, groundbreaking rhythm. The lyrics, which were often childish, did not play the important role that reggae came to play. As far as the music is concerned, there was little that was technically challenging about ska, as it was simply a strong, danceable music. In fact, as far as scope for creativity is concerned, any drummer or bass player (who provide the foundation of any rhythm) will attest that reggae offers much more freedom for melodic and rhythmic excursions and invention when compared with ska.
On the other hand, the jazz of the time, be-bop, cool, and the other variations, tended to involve much, much more complex harmonies, which is a hallmark of jazz musicians. Also, in jazz, there was/is much greater rhythmic variations (including complex polyrhythm) and melodic excursions into previously unheralded areas, which in turn broke new grounds. In fact, ska musicians like Roland Alphonso, Johnny Moore and Tommy McCook listened carefully to and learnt from what was happening in the jazz from North America.
The harmony arrangements of jazz showed a tendency to move away from regular triads (three-note chords) as jazz players showed a distinct preference for additional notes like major sevenths, 9th, 11th and 13th chords along with, sometimes, rapidly shifting key centers and deceptive resolutions.
So, while ska musicians employed a more simple harmonic structure to their arrangements (for example, triads and simple, basic chord progressions), their jazz contemporaries were increasingly experimenting with four-note chords (major-seventh chords in place of major chords, chord extensions, chord alterations, and chord substitutions).
In the case of jazz also, the be-bop and other musicians often went to extremes in creating complex rhythms. Check the work of early 1950s and early sixties jazz musicians like Charlie “Bird” Parker, John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Philly Joe Jones, etc. etc.
Now to my view that it is disingenious to suggest that jazz and ska are on the same level.
Like poster X, I have always enjoyed ska, Jamaica’s first popular music genre (mento, which preceded ska, is folk music). Like poster X as well, I too think that Don Drummond was among the most gifted and creative musicians to emerge from Jamaica.
In terms of a timeline, ska emerged from the ghettoes of west Kingston around 1961 or 1962, and with its fast paced beat, quickly symbolized (in my opinion) the optimism of Jamaica as it approached independence and nationhood.
Nevertheless, although I love ska very much, I cannot share the misguided view that ska and jazz are on the same level. They are most definitely not, and any attempt to classify ska in the same mold as jazz will ultimately be an erroneous exercise.
The fact is that ska, with its confinement to a basic 4/4 rhythmic structure, its emphasis on the usual three-note chord construction (aside from maybe the occasional flattened seventh note), and its tendency to favor three or four-chord progressions makes it a very, very simple genre when compared to the jazz of that era (the late 1950s and early 1960s) and the jazz of today.
Make no mistake about it, ska’s strength when it appeared is that it was a new, infectious, groundbreaking rhythm. The lyrics, which were often childish, did not play the important role that reggae came to play. As far as the music is concerned, there was little that was technically challenging about ska, as it was simply a strong, danceable music. In fact, as far as scope for creativity is concerned, any drummer or bass player (who provide the foundation of any rhythm) will attest that reggae offers much more freedom for melodic and rhythmic excursions and invention when compared with ska.
On the other hand, the jazz of the time, be-bop, cool, and the other variations, tended to involve much, much more complex harmonies, which is a hallmark of jazz musicians. Also, in jazz, there was/is much greater rhythmic variations (including complex polyrhythm) and melodic excursions into previously unheralded areas, which in turn broke new grounds. In fact, ska musicians like Roland Alphonso, Johnny Moore and Tommy McCook listened carefully to and learnt from what was happening in the jazz from North America.
The harmony arrangements of jazz showed a tendency to move away from regular triads (three-note chords) as jazz players showed a distinct preference for additional notes like major sevenths, 9th, 11th and 13th chords along with, sometimes, rapidly shifting key centers and deceptive resolutions.
So, while ska musicians employed a more simple harmonic structure to their arrangements (for example, triads and simple, basic chord progressions), their jazz contemporaries were increasingly experimenting with four-note chords (major-seventh chords in place of major chords, chord extensions, chord alterations, and chord substitutions).
In the case of jazz also, the be-bop and other musicians often went to extremes in creating complex rhythms. Check the work of early 1950s and early sixties jazz musicians like Charlie “Bird” Parker, John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Philly Joe Jones, etc. etc.
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