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Originally posted by X
First of all, now I understand the problem after reading your incredible incorrect statement that “jazz structure of 4/4, some might argue, is limited in range”!
X, this statement is an insult to the entire jazz fraternity, as jazz extends way, way beyond the (simple) 4/4 rhythmic structure you mentioned, and to which ska is limited!! Have you ever listened to the old and modern jazz greats (they are too much to even start listing here)? Clearly we have a difference of opinion partly because you have not exposed yourself to a wide variety of jazz. But let me tell you right here and now: Jazz is played in virtually every rhythm that exists!
Now to my subject line:
First of all, nobody forced ska musicians to slow down into rocksteady!! Ska’s life in Jamaica as a popular cultural expression was very short, almost as short as rocksteady. The transition from ska to a completely different beat was not made by outside forces; this change was made by Jamaican musicians and record producers!
The only time you will see serious Jamaican musicians flirting with ska is during nostalgic formal occasions like independence anniversary celebrations, the governor general’s various balls, and so on. Musicians have very little interest in ska because, unless you are a horn player, then there is very little creative incentive to play this genre. So horn players like Dean Fraser, David Madden, etc. play jazz while doing the more commercially popular reggae, etc. in order to earn a living.
Secondly, ska is destined to remainwhere it has REALLY been for the past four decades and more! This statement of mine is not an attempt to discredit this genre, but when you grasp at straws by posting videos of groups that choose to include one or two tunes in the ska genre, then you clearly fail to realize the obvious: these are not ska groups, but rather musicians who attempt to display creativity in a variety of genres, including “world music” (of which ska is a part).
Finally, X, what you have failed to realize is that you are arguing along two distinct and separate lines.
On the one hand we have the immensely talented Alpha Boys School graduates like Don Drummond, Tommy McCook and Roland Alphonso, among others. I am by no means disputing the talent and creativity of these outstanding horn men!! In fact, I agree with everything you have so far said about these giants of Jamaican music!
On the other hand, of course, there is the matter of ska’s “greatness,” and this is where we totally disagree. In my previous posts, I tried to show you that musicians who have developed themselves beyond a certain point in terms of technique, knowledge and complexity will inevitably turn to jazz! We see this in even reggae-crazy Jamaica! You have failed to respond to this statement.
Reggae music (another Jamaican music genre), I will state bluntly here, has been far more productive and far more successful and a far more renowned genre than ska ever has been, and probably will ever be! Think I’m joking? Well, if you do, just chat with ANYONE you meet on the streets or in the building in which you work, and I can assure you that you will see what I mean.
Take out the talented improvisations of the saxophone, trombone and trumpet players from ska recordings and performances, and what you are left with is a fast-paced, rather boring rhythm which leaves very little room for creativity from the rhythm players. Reggae is just the opposite, and so those who make up the rhythm section -- drummers, bass players, keyboardists and guitarists – have flexibility that ska musicians can only dare to dream of!
But back to last week’s thesis: Since jazz is played worldwide even more than reggae, where does that leave ska?
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