First of all in the 1920's and 30's the local band scene in Jamaica was Mento. Mento was mostly a rural music because most of the bands were local bands. Typically a Mento band would play at weddings, local dances, fairs and concerts. They were even employed on a more personal level as bands for house parties. As time passed by, the popularity of Mento was on a steady decline. By the late 1950's Mento started the slow transition into Ska music. The so called "society" bands were playing only token Mento numbers, but the bands on the road were getting more daring in how they applied their Mento craft.
They called it the Jamaican mobile Disco. The DJs would travel from town to town. Sometimes playing in dancehalls, and sometimes setting up right in the street. The people would flock to these shows hungry for the sound coming out of America. Music from bands such as Fats Domino, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louie Jordan, and Ray Charles.They would party from Friday night to early Monday morning in the dancehalls thanks to DJs such as Tom the Great Sebastian, V Rocket, and Sir Coxsone's Downbeat.
They called it the Jamaican mobile Disco. The DJs would travel from town to town. Sometimes playing in dancehalls, and sometimes setting up right in the street. The people would flock to these shows hungry for the sound coming out of America. Music from bands such as Fats Domino, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louie Jordan, and Ray Charles.They would party from Friday night to early Monday morning in the dancehalls thanks to DJs such as Tom the Great Sebastian, V Rocket, and Sir Coxsone's Downbeat.
http://web.fccj.edu/~ivanhoof/ska/TheBeginning.html
