Jamaica Folk Trance Possession: Mystic Music from Jamaica, Roots of Rastafari 1939-1961

This two-CD set is no less than a historic document, among the most important anthologies of Jamaican audio ever assembled. I use the term ‘audio’ here as many of the most fascinating tracks here are fly-on-the-wall recordings of 50s revivalist and early Rastafarian ceremonies; they are of murky quality and have a sense of being excerpts from longer ceremonies. It is eerie and almost surreal to listen to the set of ritual accompaniments by Revival Zion and Kumina congregations that dominate the first CD. Among the drums, cymbal punctuations, wailing vocals and rapid call-and-response interplays, you are swept right into a dense, almost oppressive world where Bantu African traditions merge with Pentecostal Christian ritual, and an indigenous folk voice gradually emerges. On ‘Uplifting Table 1', the fierce drum orchestra is tightly syncopated and the vocals sound like they are beaming in directly from Nigerian juju music. ‘Preparation for Baptism Table 1’ is a less structured sprawling spiritual, with wonderfully moving, intricate choral work.

Apart from these fabulous mid-century slices of genuine Caribbean ritual, the collection also includes Jamaican calypso, such as 1957’s infectious ‘Back to Back (Zombie Jamboree)’ and two invaluable cuts from the legendary Count Ossie, a prime progenitor of Rasta nyabinghi music traditions. ‘Rock a Man Soul', a modern version of a famous mid-19th century spiritual, is perfectly constructed. Superlatives aside, Jamaica Folk Trance Possession is essential listening: timeless, culturally vital and profoundly moving.