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Stanley Jacobs on the Official Music of the Virgin Islands: Quelbe

Quelbe is the official music style of the Virgin Islands, characterized by call-and-response singing and drumming, accompanied by African-influenced dance.

Stanley Jacobs, bandleader of Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights and retired psychiatrist, shares his history and experience with the old-yet-new dance music. Though once overshadowed by other music styles from America and the Caribbean islands, Quelbe climbed the social ladder as the Virgin Islands focused on instilling the cultural heritage. Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights continue to play the traditional music 40 years later.

Related Album: Quelbe! Music of the U.S. Virgin Islands by Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights