Music of the Islands

2005-12-06T11:36:00.000-08:00

Now our class is trying to see if we can increase Search Engine Optimization by hyperlinking our professor's sister's website. She currently owns a children's shop in the UK and we want to see if our blog entries can push her website to the first page of a google search. The keywords that need to be linked are outdoor trampolines chester. Let's see if our blogs can help her out!

2005-11-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

Professor Trying to Out Smart Google...

In my, Information Technology Applications in Marketing my professor is trying an experiment to see if the entire class can get listed under a keyword created by Professor Brown. This keyword is nworbxela (which is his name spelled backwards). Hopefully, we'll get the results back soon and see if all of the classes blogs end up in the search engine!

2005-11-22T20:05:00.000-08:00

Check out this BLOG!!

I was searching the blogosphere and came across a blog called Womenfolk, The song blog dedicated to women in music
In this blog there was a post dedicated to Heather Nova, a musician from Bermuda. The post is a very interesting summary of her life. So check it out when you get a chance.

2005-11-16T11:08:00.000-08:00

HAWAIIAN MUSIC!!!

I was searching the web for music, when I came upon this blog that was talking about a new CD from the Hawaiian Islands. Orginally, when I started this blog, the Hawaiian Islands didn't even occur to me, but they have a music all their own too. So i decided to purchase this compilation CD of all Hawaiian artists, so I'll let you know how it is when I get it!!

2005-11-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

In a blog called FLY Global Music Culture, I found a post dedicated to Sierra Maestra, musicians who come from the island of Cuba. This post partly discusses how Sierra Maestra had a hit concert in London as well as releasing another album. It shows everyone how passionate Cubans are about their culture and music. The band is internationally known and loved. Eduardo Himely, a member of Sierra Maestra, states "Cuban Music is popular because we play with heart, the most important part of song is that is reaches the people..." To learn more about Sierra Maestra and FLY Global Music Culture, visit FLY

2005-11-04T17:18:00.000-08:00

GET AWAY TO THE ISLANDS WHILE STILL IN THE USA!!

Want to get away and enjoy all kinds of cultures from the islands, but stay right here in the United States? Visit South Beach, Miami, a hot spot for clubs of all kinds. Here are some clubs, bars, and restaurants that will provide an atmosphere of being on a tropical island right in America...

Lario's on the Beach- this restaurant that serves classic Cuban dishes, turns into a salsa club that has sounds of English and Spanish music. It is located right on Ocean Drive in South Beach. Check out this review of Lario's on the Beach

La Coupolle- This restaurant serves Caribbean style food with live entertainment.

Mango's Tropical Cafe- Located right on Ocean Drive, Mango's has an art gallery full of Haitian and Jamaican art. There is Latin music played at all hours/seven days a week. Visit Mango's Tropical Cafe!

Lincoln Road Cafe- This is considered a local favorite. It is a Cuban influenced cafe that is popular for a cheap breakfast. In the evenings, they have Latin musicians performing out front. It is located on trendy Lincoln Road.

So enjoy some island culture without traveling outside of the United States...Visit South Beach, Miami!

2005-10-31T10:12:00.000-08:00

A 'Masters of Caribbean Music' tour will be coming to the United States. It will represent the cultures of the Caribbean. The tour will focus on the three most distinct muscial traditions of the Caribbean. The first is calypso, which is a danceable music that can sometimes bring humor to social and political situations. Next is Jibaro music which was created in the highlands of Puerto Rico and usually played in ensembles. The last traditional music that will be played on this tour will be Haitian. This music is usually played by singers who are accompanied by small string-based ensembles.

'Masters of Caribbean Music' will star Slinger Francisco, a Trinidadian calypso musician, the Puerto Rican group Eco de Borinquen, and lastly a group from Haiti, called Ti-Coca et Wanga-Neges.

So check out your local venues to see when Masters of Caribbean Music is coming to you!

2005-10-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some wikipedia sites that are connected to music of the islands. Check them out to get more information on this genre of music.

Music of Cuba
Music of the Bahamas
Music of Haiti
Music of Puerto Rico

Come visit Music of the Islands soon, I will be discussing some of this music more in depth!

2005-10-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

Sean Paul makes Reggae History

In the first week of Sean Paul's ablum release 'The Trinity', it sold 107,000 copies. This is the highest debut week sales for a reggae artist in history. The single 'We Be Burnin' is now in the top twenty on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop chart and climbing the Pop charts. We Be Burnin if you want to download Sean Paul's new hit single

2005-10-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

MTV Creates New Music Channel "Tempo" devoted to Caribbean Music.

This new channel will only play music from different islands and it will be launched in November. There will be a series of concert events called 'Caribbean Rising' to launch Tempo.

Here are the dates and islands that will be participating in the concerts:

Jamaica- October 15 & 16
Barbados- October 21
St. Maarten- October 25
St. Croix- October 27
Nevis- October 30
Trinidad & Tobago- November 5

Stay tuned for the new Tempo Channel!

2005-10-10T19:08:00.000-07:00

Damien Marley, youngest son of legend Bob Marley has hit mainstream music with his hit "Welcome to Jamrock". Through this song, Damien has been able to show the 'true' Jamaica.

In an interview with AllHipHop.com Alternatives Marley discusses what some of his lyrics mean. The song is about the stuggle of Jamaicans, not what is 'advertised' to the rest of the world. He states that the politicans are liars to the Jamaican people. He also brought up the war in Iraq and how "war only bring more war" and then says how it is a joke that all these educated people cannot come up with a solution without killing eachother. This song has helped portray the 'real' Jamaica, at least through Damien Marley's eyes.

2005-10-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Madman or Music Genius?

You might know him as Jah Lion, Super Ape, the Upsetter, or Scratch; Lee Perry, a producer and songwriter is considered one of the best in his field. Perry is credited with making reggae part of the pop world. Working with groups from Bob Marley and the Wailers to Clash, 'Scratch' makes a unique sounds that can never be replicated. As quoted by Daniel and Seth Nelson, "if Scratch didn't sing on it, sing through it, sing about it, produce it, write it, or do anything else to it, then surely no one else ever did."

Many of the groups that Lee Perry worked with never reached the same status in their careers ever again. However, Perry wasn't always the easiest to work with. Whether fact or fiction, Perry had been accused of burning down him own studio due to an acid-induced sighting of the devil. He also had many mental breakdowns and supposedly severe substance abuse problems.

To learn more about Lee Perry and check out some of his cds, go to

Lee Perry

2005-09-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

In this blog I will be discussing how Reggae music came about. Since it is one of the more popular styles of music in the genre of island music, I decided to talk about it first. Keep in mind a lot of the 'history' sited about music is word of mouth where certain dates may not be exact.

It all began with jazz music, which was an American style of music that swept the world; including Jamaica. Many performers in Jamaica started performing jazz mainly for the tourists. In Jamaica, many people were moving to the capital, Kingston to get the best opprotunity. Here is where many Jamaicans were introduced to all typed of music. On the weekends many Kingstonians would gather for dances in open spaces. They would all be playing music from the United States. This brought their culture closer than ever before.

When Rock n Roll hit America and R&B came to a halt, Jamaica wanted to create their own sound and music. Around 1960, Jamaicans made their first original sound called ska. It was the rhythm of 'mento' music and R&B combined. At the same time, Jamaica received independence and the music helped create high national pride.

As ska was gaining success in other parts of the world like England, a group of Jamaican outsiders call the 'rude boys' came to Kingston. This group did not like dancing to fast paced music like ska. After some time, musicians began to slow down the pace, this was called rocksteady.

Rocksteady was only popular for about two years until one singer tried to change the beat by using an organ and a rhythm guitar. This new style was called Reggae. It was faster than rocksteady, but tighter and more complex than ska. The first official record in Reggae is "Do the Reggae".

2005-09-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

About me...

I am a senior Finance/Marketing Major. My home town is Beachwood NJ, which is about 10 minutes from the beach. The beach is my favorite place to be. I also work at Bertucci's in Newark as a server. I am very interested in all different types of music, that is why I choose this subject for my blog. I wanted to take this opportunity to learn about other music and cultures.

2005-09-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

I have created a blog to discuss different music of many islands in the world. Music is very important to many cultures. It brings all types of people together. I will mostly be focusing on Reggae music because of its popularity in American culture. Here is a link for some general information on island music. Brief History of Caribbean Music