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List of Caribbean music genres

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Gig
Harry Belafonte,a Jamaican-American pop-calypso singer in 1954

Caribbean music genresare very diverse. They are each synthesis ofAfrican,European,Arab,AsianandIndigenousinfluences, largely created by descendants of African slaves (seeAfro-Caribbean music), along with contributions from other communities (such asIndo-Caribbean music). Some of the styles to gain wide popularity outside the Caribbean include,bachata,merengue,palo,mambo,baithak gana,bouyon,cadence-lypso,calypso,soca,chutney,chutney-soca,compas,dancehall,jing ping,parang,pichakaree,punta,ragga,reggae,dembow,reggaeton,salsa,socaandzouk.[1]Caribbean music is also related toCentral AmericanandSouth Americanmusic.

The history of Caribbean music originates from the history of the Caribbean itself. That history is one of the native land invaded by outsiders; violence, slavery, and even genocide factor in.

Following Christopher Columbus' landing in 1492, Spain laid claim to the entire Caribbean. This claim was met with dissatisfaction from both the natives and Spain's neighbors in Europe; within a few years, bloody battles between the European powers raged across the region. These battles, alongside the various European diseases which accompanied them, decimated the native tribes who inhabited the islands.

Thus the Caribbean was colonized as part of the various European empires. Native cultures were further eroded when the Europeans imported African slaves to work the sugar and coffee plantations on their island colonies. In many cases, native cultures (and native musics) were replaced by those imported from Africa and Europe.

At this point,[when?]whatever common Caribbean culture existed was splintered. Each of the European powers had imposed its own culture on the islands they had claimed. In the late 20th century, many Caribbean islands gained independence from colonial rule but the European influences can still be heard in the music of each subtly different culture.

Island-specific culture also informs the music of the Caribbean. Every island has its distinct musical styles, all inspired, to one degree or another, by the music brought over from the African slaves. As such, most Caribbean music, however unique to its own island culture, includes elements of African music - heavy use of percussion, complex rhythmic patterns, and call-and-response vocals. In many cases, the difference between one style and another comes down to the rhythms utilized in each music; every island has its own rhythmic sensibilities.

The complex deep origins ofCaribbean musicare best understood with a knowledge ofWestern Hemispherecolonial immigration patterns, human trafficking patterns, the resulting melting pot of people each of its nations and territories, and thus resulting influx of original musical influences. Colonial Caribbean ancestors were predominantly fromWest Africa,West EuropeandIndia.In the 20th and 21st centuries immigrants have also come fromTaiwan,China,Indonesia/Javaand theMiddle East.NeighboringLatin AmericanandNorth American(particularly hip hop and pop music) countries have also naturally influenced Caribbean culture and vice versa. While there are musical commonalities among Caribbean nations and territories, the variation in immigration patterns and colonial hegemony tend to parallel the variations in musical influence. Language barriers (Spanish,Portuguese,English,Hindustani,Tamil,Telugu,Arabic,Chinese,Hebrew,Yiddish,Yoruba,African languages,Indian languages,Amerindian languages,French,Indonesian,JavaneseandDutch) are one of the strongest influences.

Divisions between Caribbean music genres are not always well-defined, because many of these genres share common relations, instrumentation and have influenced each other in many ways and directions.[2]For example, the Jamaicanmentostyle has a long history of conflation with Trinidadian calypso.[3]Elements ofcalypsohave come to be used inmento,and vice versa, while their origins lie in the Caribbean culture, each uniquely characterized by influences from theShangoandShoutersreligions ofTrinidadand theKuminaspiritual tradition of Jamaica.[4]Music from the Spanish-speaking areas of the Caribbean are classified astropical musicin the Latin music industry.

Antigua and Barbuda

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By the mid-20th century Antigua and Barbuda boasted livelycalypsoandsteelpanscenes as part of its annual Carnival celebration. Hell's Gate, along with Brute Force and the Big Shell Steelband, were the first Caribbeansteelbandsto be recorded and featured on commercial records thanks to the efforts of the American record producer Emory Cook.[5]Short Shirt, Swallow, and Obstinate were among the most popular calypsonians who competed in the island's annual calypso competition.[6]

Benna

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Main article:Benna (genre)

Benna is an uptempoAntiguan folk song,also spelledbennahand known asditti.It is characterized by lyrics that focus on scandalous gossip, performed in acall and responsestyle. It has also been a means of folk communication, spreading news and political commentary across the island.[7]Other genres include:

Bahamas

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Barbados

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Belize

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Colombia

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Cuba

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Dominica

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Chanté mas

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Main article:Chanté mas

Chanté mas (masquerade song) is a tradition from themusic of Dominica,based in Carnival celebrations and performed by groups of masquerading partygoers. They use the call-and-response format, and lyrics are often light-hearted insulting, and discuss local scandals and rumors.[8]Other genres include:

soca music

Dominican Republic

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Dutch West Indies

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Bariis a festival, dance, drum and song type from the Dutch Antillean island ofBonaire.It is led by a single singer, who improvises. Lyrics often concern local figures and events of importance.[9]

Quimbeis a topical song form from the Dutch AntilleanSt Maarten.It traditionally accompanies theponumdance and drumming, but is now often performed without accompaniment. Lyrics include gossip, news and social criticism, and use clever puns and rhymes. Performance is often competitive in nature.[10]

Tumbais a style of Curaçao music, strongly African in origin, despite the name's origin in a 17th-century Spanish dance. Traditionaltumbais characterized by scandalous, gossiping and accusatory lyrics, but moderntumbaoften eschews such topics. It is well known abroad, and dates to the early 19th century. It is now a part of theCarnival Road March.[11]

Other genres include:

Guadeloupe

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Guyana

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Shantois a form ofGuyanese music,related to both calypso and mento,[12]and became a major part of early popular music through its use in Guyanesevaudevilleshows; songs are topical and light-hearted, often accompanied by a guitar.[13]Other genres include:

Haiti

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Main article:Music of Haiti

Compas /kompa

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Compas, short forcompas direct,is the modernméringue(merengincreole) that was popularized in the mid-1950s by the sax and guitar playerNemours Jean-Baptiste.His méringue soon became popular throughout theAntilles,especially inMartiniqueandGuadeloupe.Webert SicotandNemours Jean-Baptistebecame the two leaders in the group. Sicot then left and formed a new group and an intense rivalry developed, though they remained good friends. To differentiate himself from Nemours, Sicot called his modern méringue,Cadence rampa.

InCreole,it is spelled askonpa dirèkor simplykonpa.It is commonly spelled as it is pronounced askompa.[14]

Méringue

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Evolving in Haiti during the mid-1800s, the Haitian méringue (known as themerengincreole) is regarded as the oldest surviving form of its kind performed today and is its national symbol. According to Jean Fouchard, mereng evolved from the fusion of slave music genres (such as thechicaandcalenda) with ballroom forms related to the French-Haitian contredanse (kontradansincreole). Mereng's name, he says, derives from themouringuemusic of the Bara, a tribe of Madagascar. That few Malagasies came to the Americas casts doubt on this etymology, but it is significant because it emphasizes what Fouchard (and most Haitians) consider the African-derived nature of their music and national identity. Méringue has lost popularity tokonpa.

Mizik rasin

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Mizik rasinis a musical movement that began inHaïtiin1987when musicians began combining elements of traditional HaitianVodouceremonial and folkloric music withrock and roll.This style of modern music reaching back to the roots ofVodoutradition came to be calledmizik rasin( "roots music" ) inHaitian Creoleormusique racineinFrench.In context, the movement is often referred to simply asrasinorracine.

Starting in the late 1970s (with discontent surrounding the increasing opulence of theDuvalierdictatorship), youth fromPort-au-Prince(and to a lesser extentCap-Haïtienand other urban areas) began experimenting with new types of life.François Duvalier's appropriation of Vodou images as a terror technique, the increase in U.S. assembly and large-scale export agriculture, the popularity ofdisco,andJean-Claude Duvalier's appreciation ofkonpaand chanson française disillusioned many youth and love.

To question the dictatorship's notion of "the Haitian nation" (and thus the dictatorship itself), several men began trying a new way of living, embodied in the Sanba Movement. They drew upon global trends in black power,Bob Marley,"Hippie" -dom, as well as prominently from rural life in Haiti. They dressed in the traditional blue denim (karoko) ofpeasants,eschewed the commercialized and processed life offered by global capitalism, and celebrated the values of communal living. Later, they adopted matted hair which resembled dreadlocks, but identified the style as something which existed in Haiti with the term cheve simbi, referring to water spirits.

In the 1990s, commercial success came to the musical genre that came to be known asmizik rasin,or "roots music". Musicians likeBoukman Eksperyans,andBoukan Ginen,and to a lesser extentRAM,incorporatedreggae,rockandfunkrhythms into traditional forms and instrumentation, includingrara,music fromkanaval,or traditional spiritual music from the rural hamlets called lakous, like Lakou Souvnans, Lakou Badjo, Lakou Soukri, or Lakou Dereyal.

Twoubadou

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Twoubadouis another form of folk music played by peripatetic troubadours playing some combination ofacoustic,guitar,beat boxandaccordioninstruments singingballadsof Haitian,FrenchorCaribbeanorigin.[15]It is in some ways similar toSon CubanofromCubaas a result of Haitian migrant laborers who went to work on Cubansugar plantationsat the turn of the century[clarification needed].[16]Musicians perform at thePort-au-Prince International Airportand also at bars and restaurants inPétion-Ville.

Other

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Honduras

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Themusic of Hondurasis varied.Puntais the main "ritmo" of Honduras, with similar sounds such as Caribbean salsa, merengue, reggae, reggaeton, And kompa all widely heard especially in the North, to Mexican rancheras heard in the interior rural part of the country. Honduras' capitalTegucigalpais an important center for modern Honduran music, and is home to the College for Fine Arts.

Folk music is played withguitar,marimbaand other instruments. Popular folk songs includeLa ceibaandCandú.

Other genres include:

Jamaica

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Reggaeis a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development ofskaandrocksteady.[17]

Skais a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbeanmentoandcalypsowith American jazz and rhythm and blues. It is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the upbeat.[17]

Mentois a form ofJamaican folk musicthat uses topical lyrics with a humorous slant, commenting on poverty and other social issues. Sexual innuendos are also common.[18][19]Mento was strongly influenced by calypso, the musical traditions of theKuminareligion andCuban music.[4]During the mid-20th century, mento was conflated with calypso, and mento was frequently referred to ascalypso,kalypsoandmento calypso;mento singers frequently used calypso songs and techniques.[3]

Jamaican genres include:

Martinique

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Puerto Rico

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Saint Kitts and Nevis

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Saint Lucia

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Jwéis a kind of rural music from Saint Lucia, performed informally at wakes, beach parties, full moon gatherings and other events, includingdébòtdances. Jwé uses raunchy lyrics and innuendos to show off verbal skills, and to express political and comedic commentaries on current events and well-known individuals. One well-known technique that has entered Lucian culture islang dévivé,which is when the singer says the opposite of his true meaning.[20]Other genres include:

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

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Big Drumis a style found inSaint Vincent and the Grenadinesand elsewhere in theWindward Islands,especiallyCarriacou.It is accompanied by drums traditionally made from tree trunks, though rum kegs are now more common. Satirical and political lyrics are common, performed by a female singer called achantwelland accompanied by colorfully costumed dancers. Big Drum is performed at celebrations like weddings and the launchings of new boats.[21]Chutney-socais another genre.

Suriname

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Kasekois a music genre that originated in Suriname. The termKasekois probably derived from the French expressioncasser le corps (break the body),which was used during slavery to indicate a very swift dance. It is a fusion of numerous popular and folk styles. It is rhythmically complex, with percussion instruments includingskratji(a very large bass drum). Songs are typicallycall-and-response.

Other genres include:

Trinidad and Tobago

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Calypso

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Main article:Calypso music

Calypso is aTrinidadianmusic, which traditionally uses a slow tempo to accompany vocalist-composers, orcalypsonians.Songs are often improvised and humorous, with sexual innuendo, political and social commentary, andpicong,a style of lyricism that teases people in a light-hearted way. Calypso is competitively performed incalypso tentsatCarnival.[19]Calypso uses rhythms derived from West Africa, with cut time, and features dance as an important component.[22]Calypso's roots were frequently ascribed tothe Bahamas,Jamaica,Bermudaor theVirgin Islands.Calypso can be traced back to at least 1859, when a visiting ornithologist in Trinidad ascribed calypso's origins in British ballads.[2]While calypso has a diverse heritage, calypso became a distinct genre when it developed in Trinidad.[18]The wordcalisorefers totopical songsin the dialect of Saint Lucia, and may be linguistically related to the wordcalypso.[2][23]

Cariso

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Main article:Cariso

Cariso is a kind of Trinidadian folk music, and an important ancestor ofcalypso music.It is lyrically topical, and frequently sarcastic or mocking in thepicongtradition, and is sung primarily inFrench creoleby singers calledchantwells.Carisomay come fromcarieto,aCaribword meaningjoyous song,and can also be used synonymously withcareso.[24]

Chutney

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Chutneyis a form indigenous to the southernCaribbean,popular inGuyana,Trinidad,JamaicaandSuriname.It derives elements from traditional Indian music and popularTrinidadianSoca music.

Soca

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Socais a style of Caribbean music originating inTrinidad and Tobago.

Soca originally combined the melodic lilting sound ofcalypsowith insistentcadencepercussion (which is often electronic in recent music), and Indian musical instruments—particularly the dholak, tabla and dhantal—as demonstrated in Shorty's classic compositions "Ïndrani" and "Shanti Om". During the 80's, the influence ofzoukas popularized by theFrench AntilleanbandKassav' had a major impact on the development of modern soca music.

Other

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Venezuela

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Virgin Islands

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Careso

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  • Caresois a Virgin Islander song form, which is now entirely performed for special holiday and appreciation or education events, by folkloric ensembles. It is similar toquelbein some ways, but has more sustained syllables, a more African melodic style and an all female, call and response format with lyrics that function as news and gossip communicator, also commemorating and celebrating historical events.[25]

Other

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Quelbe

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Main article:Quelbe

Quelbe is a form of Virgin Islander folk music that originated onSt. Croix,now most commonly performed by groups calledscratch bands.Traditionally, however, quelbe was performed informally by solo singers at festivals and other celebrations. Hidden meanings and sexual innuendos were common, and lyrics focused on political events likeboycotts.[25]

Yucatán, Mexico

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[26]

References

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  1. ^Manuel, Peter (1995).Caribbean Currents: From Rumba to Reggae.Temple University Press.ISBN1566393388.
  2. ^abcDaniel J. Crowley (1959). "Toward a Definition of Calypso (Part I)".Ethnomusicology.3(2 (May 1959)). Ethnomusicology, Vol. 3, No. 2: 57–66.doi:10.2307/924286.JSTOR924286.andDaniel J. Crowley (1959). "Toward a Definition of Calypso (Part II)".Ethnomusicology.3(3 (Sep., 1959)). Ethnomusicology, Vol. 3, No. 3: 117–124.doi:10.2307/924610.JSTOR924610.
  3. ^abGarnice, Michael."What Is Mento?".Mento Music.RetrievedOctober 13,2006.
  4. ^abNye, Stephen."Trojan Calypso Box Set liner notes".Savage Jaw.RetrievedOctober 13,2006.
  5. ^Gordon, Leroy."When Steel Talks:" The Story of Pan in Antigua. "".
  6. ^O'Marde, Dorbrene (2014).King Short Shirt: Nobody Go Run Me.United Kingdom: Hansib Publications Limited.ISBN9781906190712.
  7. ^McDaniel, Lorna (1999)."Antigua and Barbuda".Garland Encyclopedia of World Music.Vol. 2. Routledge. pp.798–800.ISBN0-8153-1865-0.
  8. ^Guilbault, Jocelyne (1999)."Dominica".Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Volume Two: South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.Routledge. pp.840–844.ISBN0-8153-1865-0.
  9. ^"Culture: A Rich and Diverse Heritage".Geographica: Bonaire.RetrievedDecember 3,2005.
  10. ^Sadie, Stanley, ed. (1995). "Dutch Antilles".New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians.London: Macmillan Publishers. p. 777.ISBN1-56159-174-2.
  11. ^De Ledesma, Charles; Gene Scaramuzzo (2000). "Dance-Funk Creole-Style". In Broughton, Simon; Ellingham, Mark; McConnachie, James; Duane, Orla (eds.).World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific.Rough Guides. pp. 289–303.ISBN1-85828-636-0.
  12. ^"The African Folk Music Tradition from Guyana: A Discourse and Performance"(PDF).Brown Bag Colloquium Series 2003–2004.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on August 28, 2006.RetrievedOctober 1,2006.
  13. ^Seals, Ray."The Making of Popular Guyanese Music".RetrievedOctober 1,2006.
  14. ^Wise, Brian (9 June 2006)."Band's Haitian Fusion Offers Fellow Immigrants a Musical Link to Home".New York Times.Retrieved24 January2015.
  15. ^Eve Hayes de Kalaf."HSG - HSG".HSG.
  16. ^Manuel, Peter with Kenneth Bilby, Michael Largey (2006).Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae.p. 156.ISBN9781592134649.Retrieved29 January2014.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ab"The History of Jamaican Music 1959-1973".GlobalVillageIdiot.net. 31 October 2000.Retrieved16 August2012.
  18. ^abRao, Shivu (May 2002)."Jolly Boys and Mento".Perfect Sound Forever.RetrievedOctober 13,2006.
  19. ^abManuel, Peter (2006).Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae(2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Temple University Press.ISBN1-59213-463-7.
  20. ^Guilbault, Jocelyne (1999). "Saint Lucia".Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Volume Two: South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.Routledge.ISBN0-8153-1865-0.
  21. ^"The Arts and Literature".Cultural Profiles Project.Archived fromthe originalon October 1, 2006.RetrievedSeptember 27,2005.
  22. ^Liverpool, Hollis Urban (Autumn 1994). "Researching Steelband and Calypso Music in the British Caribbean and the U. S. Virgin Islands".Black Music Research Journal.14(2). Black Music Research Journal, Vol. 14, No. 2: 179–201.doi:10.2307/779483.JSTOR779483.
  23. ^"Calypso - The Evolution of the Calypso".Calypso Music in Trinidad and Tobago.National Heritage Library.Archived fromthe originalon October 14, 2006.RetrievedOctober 1,2006.
  24. ^Samuel, Allyson (2004)."Descendants of a Sharp-Tongued Dialectic: Calypso and the Chantwell".Proudflesh: A New Afrikan Journal of Culture, Politics & Consciousness(3).ISSN1543-0855.Archived fromthe originalon May 14, 2006.RetrievedDecember 9,2006.
  25. ^abSheehy, Daniel E. (1999). "The Virgin Islands".Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Volume Two: South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.Routledge. pp. 968–974.ISBN0-8153-1865-0.
  26. ^Cumbia music by country#Mexico

Further reading

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  • Brill, Mark.Music of Latin America and the Caribbean,2nd Edition, 2018. Taylor & FrancisISBN1138053562
  • Manuel, Peter.Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae(Temple University Press, 1995).ISBN1566393388
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