Unknown Artist – Bongo, Backra And Coolie: Jamaican Roots Volume 1, Kumina And Convince, Jamaican East Indian Music

Label: Folkways Records – FE4231
Series: Ethnic Folkways Library
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1975
Genre: Folk, World, & Country

First instalment to the two-part presentation of original Jamaican folk music (not reggae) published by Folkways.  (NM)  

Jamaican folk music blends African, European and East Indian (in dialect: Bongo, Backra and Coolie) roots into something distinctly Jamaican. Kumina, a magico-religious cult of predominantly rural peasantry, includes invocation of and possession by gods and ancestral spirits aided by songs and drumbeats. Convince, another magico-religious cult that likely originated among the Maroons of the Blue Mountains, differs from kumina on two basic accounts: ghosts called “duppies” rather than gods do the possessing and convince music never uses drums. Yet, kumina and convince share similar lineage from African cultural practices. Also sampled here are examples of “Hindustani” music intended for dancing. These selections use the tabla drum, the “Indian fiddle” (a bowed three-stringed instrument) and a nasal vocal tone. Volume Two (FW04232) continues with Zion Revival, quadrille bands and fife and drum music.

Tracklist
A1 Kumina And Convince: King Zombie
A2 Kumina And Convince: Asosowata
A3 Kumina And Convince: Since Mi Dead And Gone
A4 Kumina And Convince: Bembalay
A5 Kumina And Convince: Do Do
B1 King Zyah / John Fraser
B2 Country Song ?
B3 Hindustani Music: Dance Music 1
B4 Hindustani Music: Dance Music 2
B5 Hindustani Music: Dance Music 3
B6 Hindustani Music: Dance Music 4