Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae - Hardcover

Manuel, Peter; Bilby, Kenneth; Largey, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1566393388 ISBN 13: 9781566393386

Publisher: Temple Univ Pr, 1995

Synopsis

First published in 1995, Caribbean Currents has become the definitive guide to the distinctive musics of this region of the world. This third edition of the award-winning book is substantially updated and expanded, featuring thorough coverage of new developments, such as the global spread of reggaeton and bachata, the advent of music videos, the restructuring of the music industry, and the emergence of new dance styles. It also includes many new illustrations and links to accompanying video footage.
 
The authors succinctly and perceptively situate the musical styles and developments in the context of themes of gender and racial dynamics, sociopolitical background, and diasporic dimensions. Caribbean Currents showcases the rich and diverse musics of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad, the French Caribbean, the lesser Antilles, and their transnational communities in the United States and elsewhere to provide an engaging panorama of this most dynamic aspect of Caribbean culture. 

About this title

About the Author

Peter Manuel is Associate Professor of Music at John Jay College and the CUNY Graduate Center.

Kenneth Bilby is a Research Associate in the Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institute.

Michael Largey is Assistant Professor of Music at Michigan State University, East Lansing.

From the Inside Flap

"[T]he many helpful discographies throughout the book not to mention the cool photographs! contribute to making this an essential text on some of the world's most irrepressible rhythms." Booklist

"Professor Manuel is a superb ethnomusicologist with several important books to his credit. He is well versed in the intricacies of hybrid music forms on the Caribbean... This is an excellent summary volume on Caribbean music." Raul Fernandez, Professor of Social Sciences, University of California at Irvine

"This excellent book encompasses Caribbean music in all its diversity and complexity. Manuel shows a great deal of contemporary sensibility and sensitivity in covering this fertile region of world music he is able to relate the many musical traditions present in the region to those that are present in world music today." Juan Flores, Director, Centro de Estudio Puertoriqueños, City University of New York

Reviews

Since the Caribbean's multifaceted music is usually heard in the U.S. only in such popular forms as reggae and salsa, Manuel and company's diligent scholarship is much needed. They provide thoughtful descriptions of such overlooked styles as the bachata of the Dominican Republic and the voudou-jazz of Haiti, as well as of the forms of more musically famous islands, such as Jamaica and Trinidad. They discuss such insular cultural manifestations as the salsa vs. merengue conflict in New York City and the Hindu devotional songs of Trinidad's Indian community. They describe their travels in several rather inaccessible countries, particularly Cuba. They cogently argue how the Caribbean's historical, political, and social developments shaped its musics. The musical analyses and notation they provide are straightforward enough to interest careful listeners as well as casual fans, and the many helpful discographies throughout the book--not to mention the cool photographs!--contribute to making this an essential text on some of the world's most irrepressible rhythms. Aaron Cohen

Edition details

• Publisher: Temple Univ Pr
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1566393388
• ISBN 13: 9781566393386
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272