alton ellis was the artist that exported reggae to the mainstream world.
alton ellis was the artist that exported reggae to the mainstream world.
who was the artist that exported reggae to the mainstream world?
alton ellis
stylistically, reggae incorporates some of the musical elements of rhythm and blues, jazz, mento (a celebratory, rural folk form that served its largely rural audience as dance music and an alternative to the hymns and adapted chanteys of local church singing), calypso, and also draws influence from traditional african folk rhythms. one of the most easily recognizable elements is offbeat rhythms; staccato chords played by a guitar or piano (or both) on the offbeats of the measure. the tempo of reggae is usually slower paced than ska but faster than rocksteady. the concept of call and response can be found throughout reggae music.the genre of reggae music is led by the drum and bass. some key players in this sound are jackie jackson from toots and the maytals, carlton barrett from bob marley and the wailers, lloyd brevett from the skatalites, paul douglas from toots and the maytals, lloyd knibb from the skatalites, winston grennan, sly dunbar, and anthony "benbow" creary from the upsetters. the bass guitar often plays the dominant role in reggae. the bass sound in reggae is thick and heavy, and equalized so the upper frequencies are removed and the lower frequencies emphasized. the guitar in reggae usually plays on the off beat of the rhythm. it is common for reggae to be sung in jamaican patois, jamaican english, and iyaric dialects. reggae is noted for its tradition of social criticism and religion in its lyrics, although many reggae songs discuss lighter, more personal subjects, such as love and socializing.
reggae
one of the messages contained in mann's overall body of work is an unresolved tension between, on one side, the biker artist's (painter, chopper builder, performance artist) craving for attention and recognition for biker art and the biker lifestyle in the mainstream world of middle-class straights and squares; and, on the other side, a rejection of that very same world based on the biker preference for biker values over mainstream values, and the need to show the squares and their opinions have no power over the biker. the biker/artist is aloof, yet bristles when ignored or disparaged and seeks ways of getting the right kind of attention.
david mann (artist)