ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the historical, cultural, and musical overview of the Caribbean. It then provides in-depth studies of varied musical traditions, followed by an "aural analysis" of the sound and prominent musical elements. The Caribbean represents many things to different people: white sandy beaches with clear blue water, dreadlocks and reggae music, cruise ships, Cuban communism and Fidel Castro, sugarcane, steel bands, or perhaps even offshore financial havens. While the Caribbean is home to numerous little-known, though fascinating, kinds of music, it is also a wellspring of some of the world's best-known music genres. Jamaica is widely known for its white sand beaches along the north coast at Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, or Negril, classy resort hotels, and welcoming local musicians playing gentle calypsos and limbo dance music. A popular music from Jamaica characterized by a rhythmic emphasis on the offbeat and by politically and socially conscious lyrics.
