|
NORMAN C STOLZOFF - AUTHOR OF 'WAKE THE TOWN AND TELL THE PEOPLE'  You may not be familiar with the name Norman Stolzoff but you soon will be because he's the author of the recently published book
'Wake
The Town and Tell The People', a comprehensive guide on Dancehall culture in Jamaica. Although this is Norman's first and only book he has set such a high standard that we are sure many people will be interested in knowing what is next on his writing agenda.
Norman was born in San Diego, California and currently resides in the San Francisco Bay area and his background is in Cultural Anthropology (B.A Stanford/PhD University of California, Davis). He considered himself more of an anthropologist than a writer. The transition between researcher and writer took place with the realisation that his work on Dancehall culture was going to be published. In 1991, while riding on a long train journey from Chicago to Sacramento, he decided that he wanted to write a book. He was in his first year in graduate school and was in the process of trying to figure out what he would do for his dissertation research. Norman had been a long time Reggae enthusiast since accompanying his older brother to see Black Uhuru backed by Sly and Robbie in 1982 on their 'Chill Out' tour in LA. His brother Russell aka the Mad Healer used to host a Reggae show back in the '90s on KZSU Stanford which Norman used to assist with. Norman had been to Jamaica on 2 extended trips while he was an undergraduate at Stanford. He began to realise that while there were several excellent books and articles about Reggae in general, but none of them really focused exclusively on the sound systems and Dancehall culture. In addition, no one had approached the study of Reggae from a grassroots level, this was something Norman was about to change. Norman carried out extensive research and although he's the sole author he said "I've had literally hundreds of people work with me to make the book what it has become. The names are too numerous to detail here." He has had input from the African-Caribbean Institute of Jamaica, creative artists, sound system operators/owners, promoters and producers. He has received support from friends and colleagues in the writing process in terms of emotional support, editorial guidance, and proof-reading. Academic advisors who guided the research included the Wenner-Gren Foundation, Bowdoin College, and the African Caribbean Institute that provided financial assistance to carry out the research and of course he can't forget the editors at Duke University Press and his family for all their inspiration and love. When you read 'Wake the Town and Tell The People' it will be no surprise to find that Norman spent over 18 months conducting fieldwork in Jamaica performing research for the project. He made around 8 visits to Jamaica between 1991 and 1999, although the bulk of the study was conducted in 1994 when he lived in Kingston for 11 months. The actual writing began in 1995 and it took 2 years to finish the draft, which was then submitted for publication in the Fall of 1997. After having the text accepted for publication from Duke University Press, it took another 2 years to revise and complete the production ready version of the text. The book finally got published in June of this year. Norman received forthcoming responses from the people he dealt with during his research and the majority were very receptive. "However, there were some notable exceptions. The people I had the most difficulty having conversations with about my research were Jamaican researchers and writers who specialise on the history of Jamaican popular music. I guess they felt that there was too much for them to lose in sharing their knowledge with me." His research path was lightened by the combination of his association with the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica, the generous introductions and hospitality that he received from Dancehall participants, and a good deal of luck. "One of the big keys was meeting Louise Frazer-Bennett, who invited me to the Sound System Association of Jamaica (SSAJ) headquarters in Kingston. After interviewing Louise, she gave me a tour of some of the biggest studios in the music scene: Jammys, Black Scorpio, and the Dub Store. At the Dub Store, which is right next to the SSAJ headquarters, I met Trooper and Keith, the engineers who ran the studio and the selectors for the Killamanjaro sound system". When asking Norman what his views are on the current Dancehall culture his reply is simple, "One thing is for sure: Dancehall is an extremely dynamic cultural force, and will continue to be for the years to come". When Norman has not been spending his time researching and writing his book he has earned a living as a university professor and is currently working in market research. He hopes to get involved in a documentary on Dancehall culture, and he has already started working on a screenplay for a feature film that explores Jamaican music culture. We are sure anyone that reads Norman's book will be happy to know that someone who has his knowledge and the love for Dancehall will be getting further involved in promoting it. Norman had a message he wanted to convey to the readers of 'Wake The Town and Tell The People', "I sincerely hope that it will open up some space for some serious dialog on the import of Dancehall culture. Ultimately, I feel I will have made a contribution if it adds to the ongoing discussion about Jamaican music culture." Norman can be contacted via email on wakethetown@yahoo.com. |
