Calypso is the traditional music of Trinidad and Tobago – and is not as
Jamaican as most people think. Musical trade throughout the region did, however, bring calypso from
the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Jamaica's own local music from the countrysides is called
mento, but it is often referred to as calypso as well.
Trinidadian Types
The confusion over these types of music is common. But those who know will tell you that
Jamaican mento, the music of the island's rural areas, is the basis for all later Jamaican musical
styles. Calypso was developed on the island of Trinidad from the music of slaves, and it is
extremely important to modern celebrations of Carnival, even on Jamaica. Traditional calypso has
a slow tempo, which has been sped up in more modern recordings of soca and rapso music. However,
one major component of calypso is picong, a lyrical style of lightheartedly making fun of others.
However, picong can also be a way to hurl insults.
Lyrics are often political and have been known to inspire social changes on the islands of
Trinidad and Tobago. At carnival celebrations, there are even calypso tents where performers show
off their skills. This musical style has, in many ways, become synonymous with the Caribbean.
Early Mento
Recordings of mento songs, particularly early mento songs, are extremely rare. This form of
music was popular in the 1950s on Jamaica. The genre combined mainly European and African styles,
but it was played in many different manners, without as many stylistic rules as are found in later
types of Jamaican music.
Banjo, acoustic guitar, homemade bamboo saxophones, clarinets, or flutes, a variety of hand
percussion, and a rumba box were the main instruments in mento (or country) music. The roots of
reggae can be traced to this rural musical form, though ska and rocksteady also share roots in
mento.
Eventually, the popularity of blues and other musical forms led to dropping the banjo from mento
music, but the instrument was important in the earliest development of this genre. Another early
characteristic of mento music was the use of makeshift percussion. A full drum set would not have
been common in a rural Jamaican setting, so many items were used to create mento beats.
It was during this time that Trinidadian calypso's fame was growing internationally. This is the
reason why mento is often confused with calypso music, as it was called "calypso," "kalypso," and
even "mento calypso" by companies seeking to sell the music. Of course, Jamaica also had its own
calypso recordings, done in the style of the Trinidadian calypso songs.
Popular Sounds
The calypso craze in the United States and Britain was spurred by calypso recordings by Harry
Belafonte. What many don't realize is that many of his songs were Jamaican mento songs. These
songs' popularity led the way for Jamaica's mento recordings to become popularized.
Still, in a few short years the calypso craze had died down, and the ska, rocksteady, and reggae
songs of the 1960s had taken center stage in the Jamaican musical scene. Mento took a back seat to
the genres it had influenced, but it would not be there long.
Reggae was the style that brought back mento. Mento-reggae, in fact, is a popular fusion genre
that brought the sounds of Jamaica's countryside back into the spotlight. Surprisingly, it was
largely international interest in mento – recordings were popular in Germany and Japan – that
helped spur a renewal of interest in Jamaica.
So, whether it's called calypso or mento, Jamaica's earliest local music is still popular to
this day. Although you may have to dig to find recordings, any reggae, ska, or rocksteady fan will
immediately see the ties between these genres and their musical predecessor.
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