An ethnography of Dancehall, the dominant form of reggae music in Jamica since the early 1960s.
Jamaican dancehall has long been one of the most vital and influential cultural and artistic forces within contemporary global music. Wake the Town and Tell the People presents, for the first time, a lively, nuanced, and comprehensive view of this musical and cultural phenomenon: its growth and historical role within Jamaican society, its economy of star making, its technology of production, its performative practices, and its capacity to channel political beliefs through popular culture in ways that are urgent, tangible, and lasting.
Norman C. Stolzoff brings a fan’s enthusiasm to his broad perspective on dancehall, providing extensive interviews, original photographs, and anthropological analysis from eighteen months of fieldwork in Kingston. Stolzoff argues that this enormously popular musical genre expresses deep conflicts within Jamaican society, not only along lines of class, race, gender, sexuality, and religion but also between different factions struggling to gain control of the island nation’s political culture. Dancehall culture thus remains a key arena where the future of this volatile nation is shaped. As his argument unfolds, Stolzoff traces the history of Jamaican music from its roots in the late eighteenth century to 1945, from the addition of sound systems and technology during the mid-forties to early sixties, and finally through the post-independence years from the early sixties to the present.
Wake the Town and Tell the People offers a general introduction for those interested in dancehall music and culture. For the fan or musicologist, it will serve as a comprehensive reference book.
"“An admirable attempt to change the terms of the debate engaged in by the foreign journalists and tastemakers who have dominated the discourse on Jamaican music. . . . Stolzoff’s historical analysis of dancehall culture, particularly how it grew out of the gang rivalry sponsored by Jamaica’s two main political parties, effectively maps the socio-political onto the music. . . His fieldwork and reportage of numerous yard dances is a crucial contribution to the literature.”" - The Wire
"“An engaging anthropological study of dancehall.”" - DownBeat
"“The first comprehensive study of a largely misunderstood and underestimated phenomenon.”" - Publishers Weekly
"“We are indebted to [Stolzoff] for his time and effort in putting together what must be, essentially, the most academic work on dancehall culture so far. . . . A very interesting and attractive book, it ought to be a watershed for how the music is studied in the future: As being much more than just music and dance and dubplates and deejays, but an intrinsic cultural force which has obviously influenced our society much more than many of us want to admit.”" - Jamaica Gleaner
"“Delivering an illuminating profile of an undeniably infectious form, Stolzoff weaves his strands of interdisciplinary research into a focused depiction of social struggle and ghetto stardom. . . . Wake the Town takes its rightful place at the top of a growing list of hands-on reggae analyses.”" - Bookforum
"“Norman Stolzoff seems to be the ideal chronicler. . . . Calling Wake the Town one of the best books written about Jamaican music is of course faint praise. . . . Armchair travelers will be rewarded with a visit to a place armchair travelers almost never go. Not the least of this book’s virtues is its title, which is taken from a tune by U Roy. In like fashion my summary paraphrases King Stitt: ‘No matter what the people say—this book leads the way.’ ”" - Beat
"An extremely important piece of scholarship and an enormous contribution to studies of popular culture, both in Jamaica and beyond. . . . The first sustained analysis of dancehall culture that I know of, and the first analysis of any kind that is so holistic in its coverage. . . . Impressive. . . . Should generate considerable debate in the field of cultural studies." - interventions
Формат: Скан PDf
Jamaican dancehall has long been one of the most vital and influential cultural and artistic forces within contemporary global music. Wake the Town and Tell the People presents, for the first time, a lively, nuanced, and comprehensive view of this musical and cultural phenomenon: its growth and historical role within Jamaican society, its economy of star making, its technology of production, its performative practices, and its capacity to channel political beliefs through popular culture in ways that are urgent, tangible, and lasting.
Norman C. Stolzoff brings a fan’s enthusiasm to his broad perspective on dancehall, providing extensive interviews, original photographs, and anthropological analysis from eighteen months of fieldwork in Kingston. Stolzoff argues that this enormously popular musical genre expresses deep conflicts within Jamaican society, not only along lines of class, race, gender, sexuality, and religion but also between different factions struggling to gain control of the island nation’s political culture. Dancehall culture thus remains a key arena where the future of this volatile nation is shaped. As his argument unfolds, Stolzoff traces the history of Jamaican music from its roots in the late eighteenth century to 1945, from the addition of sound systems and technology during the mid-forties to early sixties, and finally through the post-independence years from the early sixties to the present.
Wake the Town and Tell the People offers a general introduction for those interested in dancehall music and culture. For the fan or musicologist, it will serve as a comprehensive reference book.
"“An admirable attempt to change the terms of the debate engaged in by the foreign journalists and tastemakers who have dominated the discourse on Jamaican music. . . . Stolzoff’s historical analysis of dancehall culture, particularly how it grew out of the gang rivalry sponsored by Jamaica’s two main political parties, effectively maps the socio-political onto the music. . . His fieldwork and reportage of numerous yard dances is a crucial contribution to the literature.”" - The Wire
"“An engaging anthropological study of dancehall.”" - DownBeat
"“The first comprehensive study of a largely misunderstood and underestimated phenomenon.”" - Publishers Weekly
"“We are indebted to [Stolzoff] for his time and effort in putting together what must be, essentially, the most academic work on dancehall culture so far. . . . A very interesting and attractive book, it ought to be a watershed for how the music is studied in the future: As being much more than just music and dance and dubplates and deejays, but an intrinsic cultural force which has obviously influenced our society much more than many of us want to admit.”" - Jamaica Gleaner
"“Delivering an illuminating profile of an undeniably infectious form, Stolzoff weaves his strands of interdisciplinary research into a focused depiction of social struggle and ghetto stardom. . . . Wake the Town takes its rightful place at the top of a growing list of hands-on reggae analyses.”" - Bookforum
"“Norman Stolzoff seems to be the ideal chronicler. . . . Calling Wake the Town one of the best books written about Jamaican music is of course faint praise. . . . Armchair travelers will be rewarded with a visit to a place armchair travelers almost never go. Not the least of this book’s virtues is its title, which is taken from a tune by U Roy. In like fashion my summary paraphrases King Stitt: ‘No matter what the people say—this book leads the way.’ ”" - Beat
"An extremely important piece of scholarship and an enormous contribution to studies of popular culture, both in Jamaica and beyond. . . . The first sustained analysis of dancehall culture that I know of, and the first analysis of any kind that is so holistic in its coverage. . . . Impressive. . . . Should generate considerable debate in the field of cultural studies." - interventions
Формат: Скан PDf
https://www.yakaboo.ua/ua/wake-the-town-and-tell-the-people-dancehall-culture-in-jamaica-3268227.html