music of the world r

i'm going to complete this little project for the sake of completeness
and apparantly there's something about always finishing what it is you started
so more transcribing of an article from songlines magazine july/august 2006 edition
the article titled 50 rhythms of the world and a brief description of each one

reel (ireland)

the reel is reckoned to have reached ireland towards the end of the 18th century
this rapid 4/4 dance form subsequently became the king of ireland's traditional music
which apart from slow airs consists almost entirely of dance tunes
all incorporated from other parts of europe

songlines recommends gcnoc na grai by noel hill and tony macmahon
esne notes this is not my favourite world music style due to past over-exposure

reggae (caribbean)

the rhythms collectively known as reggae - ska, rocksteady, reggae proper and ragga
first emerged in the early 60's when jamaican musicians started playing r&b boogies and shuffles
with an increasing emphasis on the offbeat - reggae rhythms have been mutating ever since
and provided the raw material for deejay music and dub - the templates for rap and remix culture respectively
and some classic rhythms are endlessly recycled within reggae music itself

songlines recommends downbeat the ruler - killer instrumentals from studio one (various artists)
esne notes also an early over-exposure to reggae but without the subsequent burnout

reggaeton (puerto rico)

reggaeton moves to various latin rhythms and the crucial dembow beat
created by late 90's reggae star shabba ranks from soca, ragga and hip-hop
in panama, el general introduced dembow to his latin-ragga mixes and unwittingly conceived reggaeton
influential bomba mixes by the puerto rican rapper vico c were formally labelled reggaeton and p r it's capital
from there daddy yankee's 2004 hit gasolina with catchy girl choruses and bomba beats propelled it internationally
today's electronic merengues and cumbias, real instruments, gangsta lyrics and erotic dances
including perreo (doggy style) have lured eminem and usher on board

songlines recommends barrio fino by daddy yankee
esne notes that reggaeton seems to have morphed into today's rap (?)

rumba (cuba)

rumba emerged in the ports of matanzas and havana, cuba in the 19th century
among black workers beating rhythms out on anything to hand from boxes to bottles, clave stocks to spoons
while one of them answered by a chorus sang improvised verses about life
it thrived in the patio fiestas of the communal solares, tenements populated by a family per room
sailors took it to cadiz, spain where it was absorbed into flamenco
and to barcelona from whence rumba catalana emerged

songlines recommends noche de la rumba by clave y guaguanco
esne notes this is one that needs definite follow-up

34 down 16 to go and learning a bit along the way
more soon...