V/A - Mento: Jamaica's Original Music LP

If you are in search of the origins of Jamaican music this is a great album to start with. Mento was the original Jamaican folk music that predates ska and reggae. Played exclusively on acoustic instruments, Mento was based on both African and European elements. The 1950s was Mento's golden age, as many artists recorded songs using a variety of rhythms and styles. It was the peak of Mento's creativity and popularity and the birth of Jamaica's recording industry. Features Laurel Aitken, Ben Bowers with The Babba Motta Orchestra, Hubert Porter, Count Lasher's Seven, Count Lasher, Lord Flea, Harold Richardson & The Ticklers, Harold Richardson, Market & Day O Wrigglers, Lord Fly, Count Lasher & His Quintet, Boysie Grant, and Boysie Grant & Reynold's Calypso Clippers.