Description
Book SynopsisDuring the second half of the 20th century, the Caribbean island of Barbados emerged as a key player in the creation and nurturing of Caribbean popular music. And, yet, despite its vital role in the popularization of tuk music, the rise of spouge, and the Barbadian contribution to and transformation of other Carribean music traditions, there is still relatively little sustained critical literature that discusses the various strands of the island's music culture. Curwen Best's The Popular Music and Entertainment Culture of Barbados provides this long overdue survey of the development of Barbadian popular music and entertainment culture by focusing on pivotal phenomena, artists and movements in the evolution of Barbadian popular music and culture. Best concentrates, in particular, on transformations since 1980 and 2000 respectively, each of which marked the ushering in of new opportunities and challenges to the creation and dissemination of Barbadian popular music. His study considers th
Trade ReviewProfessor Best's research skillfully weaves the paradoxes of resistance and subjection as the warf and weft of a musical tapestry begun in the slavery period, but undergoing renovation in the digital era. . . .Pathways also offers a valuable and long overdue survey of twentieth-century social, economic, and technological developments. . . .Historians and scholars will certainly appreciate the enormous detail and research found in the historical background. Musicians can appreciate the intimate understanding the author has of both the cultural and technical nuances of Barbados and Caribbean music. Cultural enthusiasts will particularly enjoy the insightful observations of people and artists from a variety of islands involved in the growing Caribbean music industry. * Caribbean Studies *
Table of ContentsContents Introduction Chapter 1 Tuk Chapter 2 Bridges and Tracks Chapter 3 Root Notes and Departures Chapter 4 Staying and Crossing Over Chapter 5 Low Frequencies Chapter 6 Criticism. Culture Chapter 7 The New Folk. Breaking with the Past Chapter 8 The Culture Industry. Your Party or Mine? Chapter 9 The Digital Nation Chapter 10 Music Technology. Hard and Soft Options Bibliography
