"I have heard the term "ska purist", understand how it is used, yet the term itself begs the question - what is pure ska? Is there such a thing?

In truth, original Jamaican ska was a fusion of various musical elements that mixed together to form a sound that is instantly recognizable, yet which is most accurately one link in a chain of musical evolution has that continued forward through rock steady and reggae to modern dancehall influencing many non-Jamaican styles along the way.

In this workshop, we will investigate the pre-ska musical styles that contributed to the birth of ska music as a recognizable style in its own right."
-Chris Murray