jackie mittoo at home and abroad

354 Pages·2015·3.21 MB·English

JACKIE MITTOO AT HOME AND ABROAD:
THE CULTURAL AND MUSICAL NEGOTIATIONS OF A JAMAICAN
CANADIAN

KAREN ANITA ELOISE CYRUS

A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO
THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES
IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

GRADUATE PROGRAM IN MUSIC
YORK UNIVERSITY
TORONTO, ONTARIO

June 2015

© Karen A. E. Cyrus, 2015
ABSTRACT

Donat Roy ‘Jackie’ Mittoo (1948-1990) made significant contributions to the
genres of rock steady and reggae as a musician, producer and musical director of Studio
One in Jamaica. He is renowned for the number of recordings that he arranged at Studio
One, as well as his own instrumental recordings that featured the organ. He was also
among a number of Jamaican musicians who migrated to Canada at the end of the 1960s
and was active on the music scene in Toronto, as well as in the UK and the USA.
Although Mittoo’s significance to the emergence and dissemination of Jamaican
popular music (JPM) is acknowledged by music industry personnel, most studies focus on
the big names of reggae and the theme of social protest in their music. Little attention is
given to the role of session musicians such as Mittoo and the instrumental recordings that
they created. This study attempts to redress this oversight; it will offer the first in-depth
account of the career and instrumental recordings of Jackie Mittoo.
This dissertation is in two parts. The first section presents a career biography which
situates Mittoo’s role within the collective experience of Jamaican session musicians at
home in Jamaica, and abroad in the centers of JPM production in Canada, the UK, and the
USA. In part two of this dissertation, I outline four strategies that he used in his
compositions—straight covers, covers with multiple sources, paraphrases, and remixes—
and discuss the complexities associated with his body of work.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This dissertation would not have been possible without my supervisory committee. I
would like to thank my supervisor Rob Bowman for his assistance and encouragement
through the years. You have been an excellent guide. Thank you for believing in me.
It was also a privilege to work with Robert Vander Bliek, who challenged me during our
talks. Thank you for providing the resources that I needed. I am greatly indebted to my
mentor Bob Witmer who inspired and helped me in countless ways. I was honoured to have
the coveted position of graduate assistant with him for a number of years when I first came to
York. You showed me the ropes. Thank you for everything.
I would like to express my gratitude to the graduate program administrator, Tere
Tilban-Rios, who assisted me in navigating the Ph.D. process, and the graduate program
director, Michael Coghlan, for his support. At my request, I received a wide variety of TA
assignments (tutor, coach, and marker grader) for undergraduate courses in the music
department including: Music and Cultures; Ska, Reggae, Dancehall; Latin and Caribbean
Popular Music; Gospel Choir; Piano for Non-Majors; Classical Singing for Non-Majors; and
Caribbean Ensemble (Steel Pan Orchestra). Each assignment added value to my graduate
experience and preparation. Many thanks to the entire faculty and staff of the Department of
Music.
I also gratefully acknowledge a number of funding sources. They include several FGS
graduate bursaries, a Knowledge Mobilization internship, and the York Region Arts Council
Education Grant.
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I thank God for my family. Special thanks to my mother, Ita Phyllis Headlam,
Michael, Ruth, Jenine, and Samantha for their help. My gratitude goes out to my brilliant
children Esther, Elizabeth and Andrew, who have been waiting patiently to get my complete
and undivided attention. Thank you Errol; you have witnessed my journey and understand
what it took to ‘climb this very tall tree.’ You have my sincere appreciation and respect for all
you have done.
Last but not least, I would like to thank the family, friends and associates of Jackie
Mittoo for sharing their memories. I am especially grateful for the assistance of Mrs. Mittoo-
Walker, Marcia Mittoo, Marlon Mittoo, Krystal Mittoo, Sandra Mittoo, Joel Simpson,
Marlene Simpson, Barbara Tourigny, and Merlene Finikin. I would also like to thank the
following persons for taking the time to speak with me at various stages in this research: Noel
Alphonso, Alton and Blossom Barned, Arnold Bertram, Howard Cable, Jeffrey Cobham,
Donald Davidson, Carol Dodd, Jay Douglas, Fredlocks Elliot, Melva Harris, Godfrey Harris-
McLean, Hartley Nathan, Peggy Quattro, Ernie Smith, Rick Wilkins, Michael Williams, and
Desi Young.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract ii
Acknowledgements iii
Table of Contents v
List of Figures vi
List of Music Examples viii
PART ONE
Chapter One Cultural Negotiations 1
Chapter Two Definition of Terms 16
Chapter Three Literature Review on Jackie Mittoo 30
Chapter Four Cultural Background 39
Chapter Five: Career Biography 57
Chapter Six: Summary and Conclusion of Part One 158

PART TWO
Chapter Seven: Musical Negotiations 175
Chapter Eight: Literature Review: Borrowing as a Strategy in Composing 184
Chapter Nine: General Characteristics 199
Chapter Ten: Straight Covers 217
Chapter Eleven: Covers With Multiple Sources 239
Chapter Twelve: Paraphrases 252
Chapter Thirteen: Remixes 276
Chapter Fourteen: Summary and Conclusion of Part Two 292
Reference List 298
Appendices
Appendix A: Identity Theories 333
Appendix B: Mittoo’s Work Schedule 334
Appendix C: Examples Of References to Mittoo’s
Creative Process In JPM Discourse 342
Appendix D: Summary of Sewell’s Typology of Surface
and Structural Samples 343
Appendix E: Mittoo’s LPs (1967-1990) 344
Appendix F: Retitled And Reissued Recordings 345

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LIST OF FIGURES

Fig. 1.1 Three Elements of Habitus 20
Fig. 1.2 T h e P r o c e ss of Cultural Change in JPM 26
Fig. 2.1 T w o I m p o rtant Notices From Jamaica Federation of Musicians 48
Fig. 3.1 T h e N a m e s o f All Star Bands 99
Fig. 3.2 T h e S i g n i f i c ance of Band Names 103
Fig. 3.3 N a m e C hanging of Studio One’s House Band 104
Fig. 3.4 A n A d v ertisement for the 1969 Musical Scorcher Show 122
Fig. 4.1 T h e s i s, Behaviors and Principles 159
Fig. 5.1 T h e L a y ers of an Arrangement 194
Fig. 5.2 Descriptors For Reused Music 197
Fig. 6.1 Contrasting Elements of Mittoo’s Consecutive Phrases 207
Fig. 6.2 Example of Contrast in the Lead Melodic Line of Mittoo’s Cover of 207

“Elenor [sic] Rigby”
Fig. 6.3 L a y e r s i n R o c k S t eady Arrangements 208
Fig. 7.1 R e s o u r c e s f o r Straight Covers 217
Fig. 7.2 Theoretically Possible Configurations for a Straight Cover 218
Fig. 7.3 Elements of the Source and Cover of “Who-Dun-It?” 222
Fig. 7.4 S t r u c t u r a l C o m parison Chart for “Who-Dun-It?” 227
Fig. 7.5 The Configuration of “Who Done It?” 229
Fig. 7.6 E l e m e n ts of the Source and Cover of “Too Late To Turn Back Now” 233
Fig. 7.7 S t r u c t u r a l C o m p a rison Chart for “Too Late to Turn Back Now” 234
Fig. 7.8 T h e C o n f i g u ration of “Too Late To Turn Back Now” 237
Fig. 8.1 The Sources Used in the Arrangement of “Rock Steady Wedding” 242
Fig. 8.2 Reused Motifs From “Ol’ Man River” 244
Fig. 8.3 A Breakdown of the Structure of Mittoo’s Version of “Ol’ Man River” 245
Fig. 8.4 The Placement of Reused Music in “Mission Impossible” 247
Fig. 8.5 Transcription of the Melodic Structure of “Mission Impossible” 248
Fig. 9.1 P a r a p h r a s es: Resources and Elements 252
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Fig. 9.2 T y p e s o f U n d e c l a r e d Paraphrases in Mittoo’s Body of Work 25 3
Fig. 9.3 E l e m e n t s o f “ Evening Time” 255
Fig. 9.4 T h e Structure of Mittoo’s Paraphrase of “Evening Time” 258

Fig. 9.5 E l e m e n t s of “You Don’t Love Me” 262

Fig. 9.6 T h e S t ructure of Willie Cobbs’s “You Don’t Love Me” 263

Fig. 9.7 A C o mparison of the Structures of the Cobbs and Penn Recordings 264
Fig. 9.8 T h e C o nfiguration of “You Don’t Love Me” 265
Fig. 9.9 Elements of “Loving You” 266

Fig. 9.10 A B reakdown of the Phrases in “You Don’t Love Me” (Penn) 266

Fig. 9.11 S o u r c e s Used in the Arrangement of “Loving You” 268

Fig. 9.12 T h e ‘ a b’ Phrase in “Loving You” 268
Fig. 9.13 T h e ‘ c b ’ P h r a s e i n “Loving You” 269
Fig. 9.14 S t r u c t u r e o f “ M o n k ey Man” 272
Fig. 9.15 T h e V a r i a t i o n s o f “ Monkey Man” 272

Fig. 10.1 Structure of “Drum Song” 281

Fig. 10.2 Remixes 289
Fig. 10.3 Variations 289

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LIST OF MUSIC EXAMPLES
Ex. 1.1 Higgins’s Bass Riff 223
Ex. 1.2 Higgins’s Guitar Riff 223
Ex. 1.3 Mittoo’s Duplicated Bass Riff 223
Ex. 1.4 Mittoo Modified Bass Riff 223
Ex. 1.5 Mittoo’s “A” Subject 227
Ex. 1.6 Higgins’s “A” Subject 228
Ex. 1.7 Mittoo’s “B” Subject 228
Ex. 1.8 Cornelius’s Riff 234
Ex. 1.9 Mittoo’s Guitar Riff 234
Ex. 1.10 Mittoo’s Bass Riff 235
Ex. 1.11 The End of Mittoo’s Phrases 236
Ex. 2.1 The “a1” Motif 245
Ex. 2.2 The “b” Motif 245
Ex. 2.3 The “c” Motif 245
Ex. 2.4 The Emphatic Figure 246
Ex. 3.1 The Two-Note Figure 257
Ex. 3.2 Extract From The Refrain of Ferland’s “Evening Time” 258
Ex. 3.3 Mittoo’s Modified Theme From the Refrain of “Evening Time” 258
Ex. 3.4 Extract From Ferland’s Verse 259
Ex. 3.5 A Bass Figure Serves as the Introduction in Penn’s Cover 262
Ex. 3.6 The Intro and Reoccurring “B” Phrase in Cobbs’s Recording 263
Ex. 3.7 The New Melody for the Instrumental Break in Mittoo’s Arrangement 264
Ex. 3.8 Penn’s “a” Motif and Mittoo’s Paraphrase of “a” 267
Ex. 3.9 Penn’s “b” Motif and Mittoo’s Paraphrase of “b” 267
Ex. 3.10 Penn’s “c” Motif and Mittoo’s Paraphrase of “c” 267
Ex. 4.1 Wilson’s Main Theme 279
Ex. 4.2 Extract from Mittoo’s ‘A’ 279
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Ex. 4.3 Mittoo ‘B’ Phrase 280
Ex. 4.4 The Melodic Riff in the Groove of “Drum Song” 280

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CHAPTER 1: CULTURAL NEGOTIATIONS

One of Jamaica’s famous products is its music. Most would assume that the
international fame of reggae is attributable to Bob Marley, and that would be partly correct.
However, behind this great man there existed a recording industry that was manned by many
categories of workers. Jamaica’s recording industry workers created the music that enabled a
number of singers to sail to international stardom. This dissertation explores the career and
music of a session musician who was significant to Jamaica’s recording industry: Donat Roy
“Jackie” Mittoo (1948–1990). Mittoo made major contributions to the genres of rock steady
and reggae as a musician, arranger, and musical director at Studio One, which was one of the
pioneer recording studios of popular music in Jamaica. He was also active in Jamaican
popular music scenes in Canada, the UK and the USA.
Many singers and musicians have laid claim to originating genres of Jamaican popular
music (hereafter called JPM). However, it has been Mittoo’s peers, as well as reggae
journalists and historians, who have acclaimed his work and his music. A number of Jamaican
singers and musicians have applauded Mittoo as a “hit maker” who was central to their
success in the music business. They include Ken Boothe (Foster 1999, 26), Lloyd “Matador”
Daley (Katz 2012, 133), Earl “Little Roy” Lowe (Larkin 1998, 172), Lloyd “Bread”
McDonald (Katz 2012, 156), Sugar Minott (Katz 2012, 334), Dawn Penn (Barrow and Dalton
1997, 102; Taylor 2012), the Silvertones (Larkin 1998, 269), Michael “Mikey General”
Taylor (Larkin 1998, 197), and Willi Williams (Van Pelt 2003), among others. Many
instrumentalists have also paid homage to Mittoo for being their influence and mentor, such
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