Drums of Defiance: Maroon Music from the Earliest Free Black Communities of Jamaica

Featuring complex, West African influenced drumming and dancing, this little-known rural tradition is at the heart of modern, politically charged reggae music. The conviction heard here reveals a long history of struggle. During the 17th and 18th centuries, some of the Africans brought to Jamaica as slaves escaped to the mountains. There they settled, and over time, became known as "Maroons." Today, four major Maroon colonies still exist in Jamaica's rugged western Cockpit Country and in the eastern Blue Mountains. Some selections on this recording were previously issued in 1981 on Folkways 4027. "..an aural kaleidoscope, presenting small glimpses into the colorful world of the Maroon music of Jamaica." –Sing Out