my mom's pretty cool

For this blog, I decided to interview my mom. Seeing as though she had her own radio show when I was younger, and she owns hundreds of CD's, I always knew that my mom had a very special connection with music, but I never questioned "why" or "how". After interviewing her, I have a greater insight on her love for music.

My mom is from Jamaica and, as we have seen in many of the countries that we've studied, music is simply a natural part of the culture of Jamaica. No matter where you go or who you meet, the relevance of music is all the same. Music is what has greatly helped Jamaica gain popularity and strive as a whole.

I asked my mom if there was anything significant that drew her closer to music; if there was a specific moment in her life where music truly spoke to her. Her response was no, because in Jamaica, listening to music is just as natural as breathing, walking, and talking. She explained that it is simply a part of the culture and there isn't anything that one can do to escape it (if they wanted to).

My mom also explained that since Jamaica is a very classist country, Jamaicans viewed American R&B as "higher class" music. American R&B was the most played genre in her household growing up, but not because of classism. It was because my mom's uncles felt as though American R&B spoke to the soul. Groups like The Temptations, The Shi-Lites, and The Originals were what my mom was accustomed to listening to in the house. But, when there were no adults around, her music of choice was dancehall.

I have always been greatly involved in music ever since I could walk, and as soon as I had the opportunity to play an instrument, my mom made sure that I did so. She said that she regrets not taking up any instruments and learning how to play anything passionately, and because of that, she invested in me and my musical career.

With regard to American music, she doesn't really understand or connect very well with the music of today. But "old-hits" from the 70's-80's are the songs that hold very near and dear to her heart.

In Jamaica, there is music constantly being played on people's veranda's so loudly that everyone in the neighborhood can hear it, and it is rarely a problem. On the weekends, the Christians in the neighborhood would play their music in the morning, and as the day progressed, the music gradually became more and more (for lack of a better word) raunchy. Now, I don't mean raunchy in terms of utterly vulgar, but the genres of music would slowly turn away from gospel and transition into ska, then reggae, and then late into the night, dancehall.

In Jamaica, the music itself has a greater influence on the people of the country than the people have on the music. It is the way of life as it has been since the first slaves stepped foot onto the island.

:)

-NTP