Module 3 Flashcards
Carnival
- A festival that precedes the period of Lent in the Roman Church
- A secular event is considered a “farewell” celebration to such pleasures
- Festivities therefor include indulgences in music, dance, food, drink, and other revelry
- Although Carnival is celebrated today in many countries, the event is a critical cultural component of Trinidad’s musical development
Calypso
- The latter refers to the variety of steel drums, made from 55 gallon oil barrels
- Hallmark of Caribbean music
Steelpan (Steel Drum)
-Developed during the mid-twentieth century in Trinidad and Tobago
Calypso
- Can be traced to the call-and-response-form singing to African-descended slaves in Trinidad
- The leader known as the CHANTWELL became an important means of disseminating local new and entertainment revelers during Carnival celebrations after 1834
Chantwell (Song leader)
-Frequently challenged each other in song duels to the accompaniment of stick band or small brass band
-Their style was witticism and improvisational rhythm
~Similar to freestyle rap battles
Calypso
-Derives from a West African exclamation “Kaiso!” (Go on) to encourage the chantwell singers
Rafael “Growling Tiger” de Leon and Raymond “Attila the Hun” Quevedo
-Traveled to New York to record some of the earliest standards pf calypso music
~Ugly Woman (1934)
~Fire Brigade (1934)
Rupert Grant
-Used Rum and Coca-Cola as the central idea in the song to comment on the “American social invasion”
~Rum and Coca-Cola (1943)
Calypso instruments
- Is ever-changing by keeping up with the trends
- In “Rum and Coca-Cola” instruments reflect the WWII era (1940s)
- Electrical instruments became popular in the 1950s with the rock era
- The pan (steel drum) was not part of Caribbean music until 1946
- The clarinet took off when Jazz style swing era
- Percussion instruments were minimal (originally from West Africa and found frequently in Caribbean music genres)
Calypso (Male-dominate genre)
- Women vocalists were rarely heard until the 1980s
- Lyrical content is the primary focus with vocal delivery following a melodic line
- Often deals with serious social subjects, but presents them in a satirical way
Harry Belafonte
-The first full-length recording calypso by a single artist to sell more tan one million copies
-Not a calypso singer himself, but evoked the romantic spirt of the Caribbean isles with folk songs
~Brown Skin Girl
~Jamaica Farewell
~Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)
-Many folk-inspired artists were attracted to the music, which sprung a host of enthusiasts
Soca (soul-calypso)
- Persistent drum machine rhythms, electrical synthesizers, and funky bass line became the central focus
- The vocalist’s male role was to provide a melodic hook to instigate themes about partying, dancing, and casual love affairs
- Emerged as the dominant music of Carnival Season
- In 1968 “Hot, Hot , Hot” became the unofficial national anthem for Trinidad during the FIFA World Cup
- Thrives because of the performer’s ability to keep up with contemporary trends in popular music
Calypso to Soca
- As Soca music evolved from Calypso, it varied by way of distinct rhythms, less-nuanced lyrics, and increased tempo
- Early soca was performed at a relatively modern speed compared to modern soca
Two Styles of Soca
- Power
- Groovy
Soca Power
-For those undeterred by lighting-fast, “jump-up” tempo
Soca Groovy
-For those who felt the super-quick tempo was un-danceable
Mento
- Classic (root) reggae to much of today’s hip-hop ragga-dancehall bands from the island
- Reggae’s roots are found in the Jamaican rural folk genre
- Like calypso, this style focuses on witty, often bawdy, lyrical content and an ad hoc collection of acoustic instruments, normally banjo, small hand drums (bongos), and a bass lamellophone (rumba box)
- A bamboo saxophone, fife, or homemade flute is sometimes included
- Recording sometimes refereed as “Jamaican calypso” or “Jamaican folk song”
Akonting
-The banjo is derived from West African plucked lutes
Ska
- A dance-oriented popular style with repetitive themes and improvisational solos that became popular in Jamaica during the 1960s
- Characteristically faster than either mento or reggae and has a regular “walking” bass line, sounding on every beat
Rock Steady
-Due to the exclusion of vocals in ska this gave DJs the opportunity in dancehalls to ad-lib vocal improvisations (toasts)
-The immediate predecessor to reggae were collectively known as “rude boys”
-Became the musical outlet for the rude boys to express their civil discontent and rebel image
-Recording artists such as Alton Ellis incorporated lyrics that reflect the rude-by values
~Sharp suits and a “rude” (Jamaican slang for “cool” or “hip”) attitude
-Musical qualities also shifted to emphasize a more relaxed rhythm and streamlined instrumental
-Like Ska, the skank syncopation sounded on every pulse, the tempo of rock steady slowed to a walking pace that made it easier to “groove”
Jimmy Cliff
- Ska and rock steady/reggae performer, in the lead role of “The Harder They Come” as an aspiring musician who falls into a life of crime
- Also performed the title track and contributed several songs to the soundtrack
Eric Clapton
-Made “I Shot the Sheriff” cover gave Bob Marley the boost he needed to take off
Robert “Bob” Marley
-Was born in a small Jamaican town
-His father was a former British soldier and died when Robert was ten
-Marley quit school at 14 and began to frequently record songs for studios and dancehalls
-During the so-called classic period of reggae (1969-1987) is infused with spiritual ideals, linguistics idiosyncrasies, and social markers
~Dreadlocks
*Identified with the Rastafari religious movement
-Marley’s solo works were influenced by American R&B
Reggae
- One of the most distinctive features of Jamaican popular music
- Regular use of the syncopated rhythm (skank), which emphasizes the upbeat, or off-beats, of a four-beat measure