Since I was young I was taught to take pride in my culture and heritage. And oddly, it really wasn’t until I was given this assignment that I thought, “wow I have the perfect entry for this blog”. In fact, if you ever visited my grandparent’s house everything would be clear.
My father was born and raised in Port of Spain, Trinidad and since I was little I’ve been immersed in this culture. It’s a family tradition that everyone gathers together at my grandparent’s house for Sunday dinner and afterward we would all listen to vintage recordings of calypso and soca music. Calypso music is traditionally slow, (even though now most of this genre of music is recorded at a faster tempo that is easier to dance to) accompanied by political lyrics about everyday life in 1940’s Trinidad with percussion supplied by steel drums and guitars. In contrast, soca music is a transformation of calypso that is accompanied by vigorous dancing. This type of music is fast paced and infused with element s of calypso but is more energized due to electronic percussion, brass and usually social or humorous lyrics. Someday I hope to learn how to play the steel drums and guitar. It’s a sight to see my family dancing around in circles to loud soca music, especially those with two left feet!
If you want to listen to quality samples of calypso and soca music, Lord Kitchner is a great artist. His song titled Kaka Roach is really funny to listen to and will give you a taste of something I have grown up with all my life. Besides listening to modern popular music and calypso/soca music I have been doing a lot of research on the music performed during the indie film Slumdog Millionaire. The movie was set in India and uses the popular music of Indian artist A. R. Rahman. Most of the music is infused with elements of traditional Indian music which makes it very unique and catchy.I highly recommend listening to the song titled Jai Ho. This is a great movie suggestion for anyone who loves watching new age love stories.
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OMG! What you just said really hit a nerve! It is a good nerve but never the less you managed to make me look even deeper into my childhood memories. When you mentioned calypso it brought me back to when my stepaunts would try to teach me how to dance to calypso and soca. In fact, some of my stepmother's favorite music is within the realm of the calypso genre. We should get together and share some music!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea you liked Indian music! We should get together over some fantastic Bollywood cinema. Ever seen Lagaan? Anyway, I've always found calypso to be quite interesting and I'm glad that I might be able to learn some about it from you!
ReplyDeleteI love steel drums! I think calypso music is so amazing too! I searched some videos on youtube and you should definitely check this one out-
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV3rvUSlVnY&feature=related
It's a performance of the song "Stand by Me" on steel drums by the Pan Masters. I definitely feel in love with steel drums when my chorus sang "Kyrie." The opening was a steel drum solo. Nothing has ever made me want to dance more than when I was listening to that!
I really enjoy steel drums. At my previous college they actually had a steel drum band (which is funny because we didn't have a school band) It was always fun to watch them play, and I enjoyed the piece Kaka Roach on youtube.
ReplyDeleteI used to play in a steel drum band, something I wish had happened later in life so I could have gained a proper appreciation for it. Being surrounded by a culture that appreciates music in such a manner is something I believe most of us can envy. I'm going to have to check out Slumdog Millionaire, thanks for the suggestion!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, Kaleea! One of the groups a few years ago did a presentation on Jamaican music that included a video on how to make steel drums. I think Anna Owens was the one with the video, if you're interested. Good blog.
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