Dubwise: Reasoning from the reggae underground

By Klive Walker

Reggae's influence can be heard in the popular music of nations in a variety of continents. In Dubwise, Klive Walker takes a fresh look at Bob Marley's global impact, specifically his legacy in the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1894663969
• ISBN13: 9781894663960
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Idiomatic
• Length: 290 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.7" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Review posted originally on my web site by dub poet Michael St. George

The first word in the title of Klive Walker's first book "Dubwise" would immediately grab the attention of hard-core roots reggae lovers across the globe. "Reasoning from the Reggae Underground", the second half of the title signifies dialogue from a place of the unknown, mystique and where the outlaws often dwell. Some of the individuals, incidences and accounts in this luminous piece of work speak to the above. The book is a series of essays by Jamaican writer Klive Walker who currently makes Toronto, Canada his home. The preface written by Herbie Miller, who once managed the great Peter Tosh and the legendary Skatalites, sets the table for a diverse musical diasporic journey. Herbie's preface along with Walker's introduction serves up the first offering, referencing Jamaica's musical landscape prior to Jazz popularity on the island. As the book progresses the writer describes his initial encounter with the music as a pre-teen at house parties in London, England. As you read, one gets the feeling of a traveler, packed, boarded and seated in first class, geared for a musical expedition from the UK to JA, to the USA, the Caribbean, Canada and stirring the Euro vibes with an insider's perspective. By the second chapter you have landed on the tarmac of Dub, soon to hit those of Dance hall, Jazz, Dub poetry, Rock Steady, Hip Hop, Reggae and Diasporic Reggae on a variety of plains. Then you discover the pilot-writer is also a poet in flight with fantastic navigational skills. In Dubwise, Walker puts forward a series of fresh perspectives on the culture. Unlike other writings on reggae, Klive did not merely deal with Robert Nesta Marley's significance in Reggae's history. He articulated Bob's influence in the streams of pop music culture but more importantly attends to those who influenced Bob and the field of competent Jamaica stars from which he ascended. He also locates many of Bob's phrases in the language of the people and the works of Louise Bennet Coverley, a champion of the people's language. One could conclude from the essay Reggae Sistas' Stories: The Women of Roots Reggae, that the careers of female singers such as Marcia Griffith, Judy Mowatt, Phyllis Dillion, Hortense Ellis, Dawn Penn and Jamaica's first female producer Sonia Pottinger did not receive their deserved recognition and support. The social construct underpinned by the patriarchal dominance of the day, contributed to women's absence form the lead microphone and other industry roles. This unfortunately bias dubbed into the culture and the dancehall, often determined whose work got placed on the wall, radio, record and the shelves. Walker informs the majority of my generation, and those after, that Jamaica's first international superstar on Chris Blackwell's Island was a woman named Millie Small and that Marcia had international hits prior to Bob Marley. This happened at a time when the kitchen was still considered the only place for women to be. Much more could be sai

Dub Fire Essay

I just finished reading another essay from "Dubwise", the chapter called "Dub Fire" that takes you through the whole history of diasporic reggae without boring you to death (like few other reggae history books on the market), infact the style of writing followed the "riddim" of a dub poet and kept me you hooked to the very end. The chapter pays homage to various diasporic reggae architects of the roots/crossover reggae era (as opposed to the dancehall era) and their forms of the reggae sound - Aswad, Steel Pulse, Dennis Brown, Shinehead, Sister Carrol, UB40... In this essay the author also highlights the variations of the transatlantic forms by looking at productions in the UK and USA. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who is currently undertaking reggae studies to find out their own views

Required Reading!

As someone with little knowledge and insight into the background of Jamacian music, I was facinated by this book. Klive Walker does a wonderful job of putting the reader into the scene and allowing you to experience the progression and changes of the music. I especially enjoyed his chapter "Reggae Sistas' Stories: The Women of Roots Reggae". This chapter opened my eyes to the contribution that women have made to reggae. Dubwise is a challenging and engaging book and necessary reading for those interested in music. I look forward to Klive's next project.

A true insider's perspective

I found Dubwise to be a great read and highly informative. For anyone interested in Reggae and Jazz or popular music in general, this is a must read. It illustrates the ties between Jamaican Jazz, Ska and Reggae. Ties that the casual observer may not have realized existed. The book also details the link between Reggae and the early British punk music scene, and gives a voice to the women of Reggae, a voice that had previously been ignored.

reggae music

this is a great book for someone who is intrested in the history of reggae music and how it had a hand in today's music.It's a challenging read and has something for everyone.Although I knew many things about reggae,rockstedy,and ska before reading this it was filled with new informative facts.You can tell the author is writing from an insider's percpective and the book includes some personal experience and opinions. All those who love hip-hop/reggaeton read this book and find out how it all started.