Music of the Caribbean

I was cleaning my Spotify the other day. Listening to the old playlists took me back to the music quizzes we had during covid lockdowns, and basically all along the covid year. The world stopped, but in that insanity, we managed to find little pleasures. One of them was the Friday night music quiz held via VHF by John, Les and other cruisers, including us. We loved it so much that even when the lockdown was over, we wouldn’t go to the party until the game was over. I miss it dearly.

Sounds from the islands

Music from Trinidad

This time I would like to take you to Trinidad, where calypso was born. The first thought that comes to mind when you hear “calypso” is probably steel drums. You picture a group of smiling musicians with shiny steel pans, kinda like a cruise ship commercial inviting you for a true Caribbean experience. And… in fact, geographically speaking, you wouldn’t be very wrong, as steel drums are the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. On the historical side, calypso and steel drums come from the same period. 

Calypso and steel drums were all closely connected to the Carnival, which was brought to Trinidad by the French in the XVIII century. Carnival was obviously reserved only for white people. Canboulay (fr. canes brulées – burned sugar canes) or Kambule, on the other hand, was slaves feast, parallel to Carnival. In the beginning, it was a harvest festival. Later, after abolition, it turned into a celebration of freedom. 

In the beginning, Carnival took the form of fancy house balls, reserved only for high society. Canboulay was street masquerade procession. It was in-your-face mockery** of everything that represented so-called white culture: dances, dresses, social behavior, expressed in the way impossible to handle by the prude society (I bet, even now, most of you would be shocked during the Carnival!). The culmination of the feast was a burning stick fight called calinda, driven by kaiso singer-griot (French creole known as chantuelle or calypsonian), and accompanied by the deep, dramatic beat coming from big wooden drums.

As much as masquerade was just offensive, drumming scared the sh*&^ out of white people. Drums could have been used for entertainment only or for communication, which could have been a call for rebellion, and none of them whities could tell the difference. Later, after abolition, drumming events often ended as a street demonstration against injustice towards the black community. It was seen by the establishment as a danger to the public order. In 1881, Canboulay ended in bloody riots, and that was the final reason to ban drumming. Tradition hasn’t died as hoped. Instruments changed, first to tamboo bamboo and later to steel drums.

For decades steel pans were seen as a lower-class, ghetto hooligan’s instrument associated with the crime world. It gained international recognition thanks to the US troops stationed in Trinidad in the 80s. Now it is the pride of Trinidad, and pannists (musicians) are highly notable citizens. What about calypso? Calypso was born from that traditional Canboulay singing – Kaiso. 

** You should probably know that Carnival balls participants dressed up, painted faces, and mocked the slaves for their behavior, customs, and sexuality. Canboulay was basically a payback. However, one group couldn’t stand the offense of the other. Guess which one? 

Calypso

Everyone (or at least matured readers 😉 ) can probably recall one or two 80’s pop hits in calypso style, with music videos full of Caribbean cliches and stereotypes. There were also funny appearances in movies like the dinner scene from Beetlejuice. But calypso was so much more than this. It had an important role in society, culture, and musically speaking, a huge impact on reggae, funk, and even hip-hop. 

Calypso was sung initially in creole/patois, later mostly in English. And when sung in English, it became an open and bold political voice of criticism of the white government. Politicians seriously discussed songs as they reflected the level of public discontent! Obviously, at some point, it became also a drag for politicians, and they started to censor songs. In response, artists used double-speak and pointed references. We know it so well from totally different parts of the world, from Poland, where communistic censorship pushed artists to never write directly. There was always a second meaning to any good song, book, or film. Same here, under cover of frivolous, goofy lyrics, there was the second bottom. 

Calypso was also a reliable source of news and described society accurately. In its social role, with the political and social contexts, you could compare it to hip-hop. Calypso lyrics dealt with sex, scandal, gossip, or took the form of pointed insults. There was even a form of improv battle, based on personal affront and direct challenge called “no mercy” (fr. “sans humanitè”). I bet you can recognize it in present-day music and even in stand-up comedy roasts. Back in the day, same as hip-hop now, Calypso was shocking and outrageous to moralistic parts of society.

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For me, music represents the spirit of people. I am drawn by places where you can find music that tells stories and makes you dance. I love Cuban salsa, Jamaican dubs, or reggae and I cannot also go past the street string band in Carriacou or not stop by Big Drums. My latest discovery and love is the sweet music of the Garifuna people from Belize. Caribbean Islands music covers the entire spectrum of emotions. It is aggressive, it is intensive, but it is also sweet, joyful, and optimistic. And… it is all related to Calypso!

I made it easy for you to taste it, below you can find a playlist, or use this link to go directly to our profile on Spotify. You can find some samples of Calypso-related genres like mento, benna, spouge, music from Kuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Guadeloupe, Saba, Barbados, Martinique and Carriacou (see below, plus some bonus)

I hope the music will bring some sun to you in the coming winter days (not being mean, just realistic! ;)).

Yo-ho!
Meanwhile off we go to explore the new continent – we are in Colombia
See you soon!
Over and out
White Dog Crew