Ska is a genre of Caribbean music that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s. It is a fusion of traditional mento and calypso music with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walking bass line, guitar and piano accents on the offbeat, and a strong emphasis on the backbeat. It is often accompanied by horns, such as trumpets and saxophones. Ska has been popularized around the world, and is still enjoyed today.