Ska

Ska is a genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, developing out of Jazz and Rhythm & Blues oriented styles (specifically Jump Blues and New Orleans R&B), combined with local Mento and Calypso. This first wave of ska is retroactively referred to as Jamaican Ska. Ska as a whole can be characterized by a signature off-beat rhythm (referred to as the ‘skank’ rhythm), chop-style guitar work, busy bass lines and a use of horn sections. The genre is typically played at a lively tempo, often being quite danceable, with it even spawning it’s own dance moves. Towards the mid-1960s, ska would go on to implement influences from various Soul styles, developing into the slower Rocksteady genre. This development, alongside the overall growth of the ska movement, also lead to the creation of Reggae in the late 1960s. In the 1970s, British musicians who had grown up listening to the first wave of ska developed their own ska revival genre, referred to as 2 Tone, or second wave ska. Following this, in the mid-to-late 1980s, bands in North America revived the genre once again - influenced by the British 2 tone - creating the Third Wave Ska movement. Both 2 tone and third wave ska drew influence from Rock and Punk music, with the third wave eventually spawning the Ska Punk style.