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| Putumayo World Music Presents: World Reggae |
Putumayo World Music presents World Reggae, a collection of reggae-
influenced tracks performed by artists from around the world. The surprising tracks
on World Reggae blend the upbeat and soulful groove of reggae with exotic local
influences to create new and appealing variations that will appeal to music lovers
everywhere.
If music is the universal language, then reggae is its most widely spoken dialect.
The irresistible offbeat shuffle and bouncing bass lines have earned fans around
the globe, and there is practically no corner on Earth that has not been influenced
by this Jamaican music style. Reggae’s syncopated beat fits well with most other
musical styles and countless artists around the world have incorporated it into
their music. While reggae has an engaging beat you can dance to, the music
alone is not the sole reason for its worldwide popularity. Reggae has also long
been a tool for social and political discourse.
Jimmy Cliff was the one of the first reggae artists to achieve worldwide renown.
The successful 1972 film "The Harder They Come" starred Jimmy Cliff and
featured his music along with that of other early reggae stars such as Toots and
the Maytals and Desmond Dekker. A few years later, when Bob Marley began
touring internationally, reggae’s popularity exploded around the world. Indeed,
Marley is practically a saint in many quarters of the globe, revered as more than
just a gifted musician, but as a messenger of hope and revolution. By the late
1970s, local reggae scenes were going in strong in Brazil, Africa, the Pacific
Ocean and elsewhere.
World Reggae features reggae from African artists Alpha Blondy (Ivory Coast),
Maria de Barros (Cape Verde), Majek Fashek (Nigeria), Kaïssa (Cameroon) as
well as artists from Europe including the French reggae band Kana and
British/Spanish fusionists Más y Más. The influence of reggae on music from the
Arab world is reflected in the selections by Intik (Algeria) and Gnawa Diffusion
(Algeria/France). Brazil’s thriving reggae scene is represented by Alê Muniz, who
fuses traditional music from the Brazilian northeast with a reggae swing. There’s
even reggae from India by Apache Indian and a track by Bernard Uedre from
Pacific Ocean island of New Caledonia, proving the worldwide reach of reggae.
Chris Combette from the South American country of French Guiana rounds out
the diverse selection with a smooth, zouk-flavored reggae track.
influenced tracks performed by artists from around the world. The surprising tracks
on World Reggae blend the upbeat and soulful groove of reggae with exotic local
influences to create new and appealing variations that will appeal to music lovers
everywhere.
If music is the universal language, then reggae is its most widely spoken dialect.
The irresistible offbeat shuffle and bouncing bass lines have earned fans around
the globe, and there is practically no corner on Earth that has not been influenced
by this Jamaican music style. Reggae’s syncopated beat fits well with most other
musical styles and countless artists around the world have incorporated it into
their music. While reggae has an engaging beat you can dance to, the music
alone is not the sole reason for its worldwide popularity. Reggae has also long
been a tool for social and political discourse.
Jimmy Cliff was the one of the first reggae artists to achieve worldwide renown.
The successful 1972 film "The Harder They Come" starred Jimmy Cliff and
featured his music along with that of other early reggae stars such as Toots and
the Maytals and Desmond Dekker. A few years later, when Bob Marley began
touring internationally, reggae’s popularity exploded around the world. Indeed,
Marley is practically a saint in many quarters of the globe, revered as more than
just a gifted musician, but as a messenger of hope and revolution. By the late
1970s, local reggae scenes were going in strong in Brazil, Africa, the Pacific
Ocean and elsewhere.
World Reggae features reggae from African artists Alpha Blondy (Ivory Coast),
Maria de Barros (Cape Verde), Majek Fashek (Nigeria), Kaïssa (Cameroon) as
well as artists from Europe including the French reggae band Kana and
British/Spanish fusionists Más y Más. The influence of reggae on music from the
Arab world is reflected in the selections by Intik (Algeria) and Gnawa Diffusion
(Algeria/France). Brazil’s thriving reggae scene is represented by Alê Muniz, who
fuses traditional music from the Brazilian northeast with a reggae swing. There’s
even reggae from India by Apache Indian and a track by Bernard Uedre from
Pacific Ocean island of New Caledonia, proving the worldwide reach of reggae.
Chris Combette from the South American country of French Guiana rounds out
the diverse selection with a smooth, zouk-flavored reggae track.