"Before reggae, rock steady, or even ska, mento ruled Jamaica's musical consciousness. Originally a rural folk music, coalesced from African and European influences, mento took on a more modern tenor when played in the cities by musicians schooled in jazz bands. Mento Madness is a delightful primer, introducing the styles and stars of this all-but-forgotten roots music. "Old school" in the most accurate sense, the reggae dancehall "toasting" that evolved from these recordings is the precursor to American rap. There was no indigenous Jamaican recording industry before Stanley Motta opened his studio and made these historic recordings. Lord Fly's 1951 "Medley of Jamaican Mento," released on 78 rpm, was the first Jamaican-made record ever, marking the industry's birth with a decidedly uptown sound replete with the jazzy flourishes of trumpet and piano. Subsequent releases included more rural stylings like the Ticklers' "Glamour Gal," which became the first Jamaican recording issued outside the island, where it found a following in the UK. Others, like Hubert Porter's "Dry Weather House," contain a mixture of elements like banjo, maracas, and clarinet, recalling Sidney Bechet's sinuous "Haitian Moods" sessions. Although mento was distinct from Trinidadian calypso, Jamaican groups often used names such as Calypso Clippers and Calypso Quintet to coattail their neighbor's commercial popularity. It's easy to hear how the syncopated rhythmic patterns of the percussionists and guitarists along with the lilting, if hardly dominant, basslines soon evolved from mento into the internationally coveted sounds of Jamaica." (
The Austin Chronicle)
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V/A- Mento Madness, Motta's Jamaica Mento: 1951-56 (320kbps)
1 Lord Composer & The Silver Seas Hotel Orchestra - Hill & Gully Ride / Mandeville Rd 3:02
2 Hubert Porter - Dry Weather House 2:46
3 Harold Richardson & The Ticklers - Healin' In The Balmyard 2:56
4 Lord Fly - Manassa With The Tight Foot Pants 2:39
5 Monty Reynolds & The Shaw Park Calypso Band - Me Dog Can't Bark 2:45
6 Hubert Porter - Monkey Talk 2:38
7 Lord Messam & His Calypsonians - Linstead Market 3:15
8 Harold Richardson (2) - Country Gal 2:30
9 Baba Motta & His Jamaicans - She Pon Top 2:30
10 Lord Fly - Blu-Lu-Lup 2:49
11 Harold Richardson & The Ticklers - Glamour Girl 2:44
12 Boysie Grant - Solas Market 3:18
13 Monty Reynolds & The Silver Seas Orchestra - This Long Time Gal A Never See You 2:59
14 Lord Fly - Medley Of Jamaican Mento (Fan Me Solja Man, Fan Me / One Solja Man / Yah No Hear Weh De Old Man Seh / Slide Mongoose) 2:59
15 Boysie Grant - Come We Go Down A Unity / Old Lady O / Linstead Market 2:56
16 Lord Fly - Swine Lane Gal / Iron Bar 2:47
17 Boysie Grant - Sweet Charlie / Mattie Rag / Nobodys Business 3:00
18 Lord Fly - Big Big Sambo Gal / Mattie Rag 2:51
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