Costa Rica Reggae Nights
The origin of
reggae in Costa Rica dates
back to the 1920s, when Jamaican leader Marcus Garvey evoked his ideas and
beliefs throughout the Caribbean province
of Limon. Born in St.
Anne’s Bay, Jamaica, the future birthplace of Bob
Marley, Garvey is considered the prophet of Rastafarianism. So, it is easy to
see how reggae music is considered a kind of Costa Rican folk music.
Remaining
consistent in its mission statement, Papaya Music recently unveiled its newest
release, Costa Rica Reggae Nights. The CD embraces a variety of Costa Rican
reggae bands and styles. Included on this disc are eleven bands, demonstrating
the versatility during a span of the past two decades of reggae in this
country. All the recordings were previously unreleased and the compilation offers
songs in Spanish, English, and Limon Creole.
Baby Rasta Band,
now defunct, appears twice on the CD. Ricardo “Baby” Collette, from Puerto
Limon, took his band to San Jose
to record as well as to reach a larger audience. They are generally recognized
as Costa Rica’s
first nationally popular, modern reggae band.
Bamaselo’s lead
singer, Michael Livingston, was the first Costa Rican to sing Bob Marley songs
in Spanish. The band got its start in the mid-1980s. Bamaselo means “we are
going to do it” and they certainly do so on both songs preserved on this disc,
with their highly inventive style of Latino and Jamaican music.
Mentados is from
the new breed of twenty-first century reggae, which at times combines Latin
punk and ska music into the reggae stew. “Frente al Mar”, their contribution on
this compilation disc, is a good example of Mentados’ spin on modern reggae.
Born and raised in Puerto Limon, Roberto Clarke was an original member of the
Baby Rasta band. In 2001, he ventured south to Cahuita and formed the Trinity
Roots Band. Their song “Modern Times” demonstrates the more laid back style of
southeastern Costa Rica
reggae.
Native Culture
calls San Jose
home. They have been together for nearly five years and recently completed
their first CD. “Don’t Cry” is an example of the “old school” following in Costa Rica,
more in the style of Bob Marley. It is a great example of how good a band can
sound after playing together for half a decade. Next up is Ragga by Roots, with
the song, “Baby Broke”. This quartet was founded in 1996 and had an immediate
hit with “Jump to the Sound”. Both these songs are indicative of the rhythmic,
less structured form of reggae dubbed “ragamuffin”. The last spot on the disc
was appropriately reserved for Mekatelyu, the new bearers of the Costa Rica
reggae torch. Lead singer Johnnyman’s easily identifiable voice on “Don’t Worry
My Girl” is the trademark of the band, confirming its place in modern Costa
Rican reggae.
The packaging on
this disc bears the same standard as with all prior Papaya CDs. Even the
artwork on the disc itself is undeniably Papayan, as they demonstrate again
their astute drive to chronicle any and all Costa Rican music. Costa Rica
Reggae Nights is available at the Jaime Peligro stores in Playa Tamarindo,
Tilaran and Quepos, where they will gladly sample the music for their
customers. Any comments concerning this article are welcome.
