#bafaloukos

In 1954, back in Jamaica, [Coxsone Dodd] set up the Downbeat Sound System, being the owner of an amplifier, a turntable, and some US records, which he would import from New Orleans and Miami [***]

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Theodoros -Ted- Bafaloukos: The people who began ska also began reggae: no more than two or three drummers, guitarists, and bassists. The quality of the singers became crucial, their ability to inspire the musicians. The sound was there, and the only thing missing were the little 45 rpms that had to be cut as quickly as possible—in two hours, even in a half hour—so that costs were kept at a minimum. The recordings would be done in rudimentary studios, the new tracks played in big outdoor dance sessions, over the weekends, traveling with vans chock-full of amps and massive speakers. This was music intended for immediate consumption. Later they began recording 45s on the spot and selling them in just a few shacks or shops. That’s how it was. And they sold more in the UK and fewer in the US.

[...]

[It was] Very localized. You could call it a ghetto, but it wasn’t really. Ghettos in Jamaica were neighborhoods of blocks built around courtyards, like Athens in the 20s and 30s or like African villages. In them were social structures with a life of their own that functioned separately from the broader context, which was the government, the police, the army, and the justice system. The local radio stations seldom played any reggae. They played soul and disco, as did the clubs.

Jean Bernard Sohiez/urbanimage.tv - Photo taken at a Sir Coxsone Sound System Dance and the man putting the needle on the record is Festus Coxsone. [***]

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[They didn’t support their own scene?]

It wasn’t their own scene, because no one made any money from it. Only a few guys who owned the sound systems made any money. In fact, only two people were behind most of the first releases: Coxton Dodd [of the Studio One label] and Duke Reid [of the Treasure Isle label]. When the genre started gaining ground internationally, things began to change, and by the mid-70s reggae as we knew it disappeared. It was impossible for the same people to be in so many bands. There were only enough musicians for five or six bands. Bob Marley took with him some of the best. The others started moving to New York and London. By the end of the 70s, there was no one left. You could say that it all ended with the One Love Peace Concert in 1978. --Vice Magazine

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photo: Theodoros Bafaloukos / “The late Richard ‘Dirty Harry’ Hall. He was a brilliant tenor saxophonist […]

Liz Kerr: "Political violence surrounding the 1976 [Jamaican] election erupted with astounding force. While the 1972 campaign was remembered as "joyous" and "warm", which is an exaggeration, the 1976 election brought with it the ugly reality of increasing sophistication of weapons and technique of the party gangs, ghetto youths and thugs. Nearly a hundred people were killed in the first five months of 1976. Rival gangs were at each other’s throats, ready to retaliate at any moment. Besides the violence that surrounded Kingston and other urban areas, there were other vicious acts that circulated throughout the political scene." --"Jamaican Politics, Reggae and Rastafarianism in the 1970’s"

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Theodoros -Ted- Bafaloukos: [...] One day a kid could pull the trigger and kill someone—this is Kingston we are talking about, a place were 600 kids were killed during that year [1976?][...] A great part of the population got killed, and most of the time for no reason. [...]

This was gang warfare, but believe it or not the law did not discourage this because guns were everywhere. There was a lust for guns, it was very cool to carry one, and there were also politicians who went around with entire armies of armed guys.

The greatest fear was these 11- and 12-year-old kids—you could not tell what they would do next, and they could kill just like that. [...] [...] the people who lived there and made music were scared stiff of guns. They did not use any themselves. They weren’t idiots, you know. They suffered from guns. What makes me view Bob Marley as a hero is that he came back and tried to help establish some order. Of course, he couldn’t do this across the board, and there were many reactions from people in the street. But this effort to bring about a truce and peace stopped the violence for a year. Then it began once again, and before the end of the year both gang leaders were dead. Then cocaine entered the picture.

photo: Theodoros Bafaloukos / The weed in Kingston was schwag. Horsemouth compensated by smoking large quantities throughout the day.

Weed was still there, but it was the cocaine that killed and devastated. There was lots of money involved; people became aggressive and started killing each other. But you could also meet the sweetest and most interesting people—a factory of expressions crammed into such a small place. [...] --Vice Magazine