Performers
Tallawah Mento Band

The word “Tallawah” is African in origin, meaning “strong.” In Jamaican parlance the word is typically associated with a small but powerful person or thing.

“Mento” has much in common with Calypso, Merengue, Beguine, and Rhumba. They all are “crossovers,” successful mergers so to speak, of African and European rhythms. Mento is the traditional Jamaican beat which gave rise to Ska and to Reggae. It has made a tremendous impact on international music.

The four founding members of the popular “Jamaica Folk Revue” band made a decision to focus on Mento as their main performance genre. The powerful music this little band produced earned them the accolade “likkle but tallawah,” hence the name the “Tallawah Mento Band.”

The group has strengthened in numbers and instruments over the years, has entertained all over the USA, and has won numerous accolades. They have been featured on NBC 6, Radio Waves and Mystic Radio.

The group’s wide repertoire now includes jazz, classical, pop, soca/calypso, and of course, mento.

The group has produced compilations of traditional Mento music that are available for purchase.