| CALYPSO: A WORLD MUSIC |
The Eastern CaribbeanPart 1 | Part 2
The musical heritage of the Caribbean encompasses a wide range of traditions brought to the region by European colonizers and enslaved Africans. |
International
Calypso
Caribbean & Latin America:  The Eastern Caribbean Jamaica The Bahamas The Virgin Islands Bermuda Latin America |
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Spanish, French, British, Dutch, Yoruba, Fon, Congo and other traditions
shaped, in varying ways, the specific musical styles that developed in
each island or mainland territory. Indentured laborers from India and
other countries also brought musical traditions to many Caribbean locales.
In each part of the Caribbean, there emerged diverse "creole"
musical styles: new styles that synthesized musical traditions from different
sources. Among the many types of creole music were topical songs—songs
that commented on local events. Topical song traditions throughout the
Caribbean were often similar to the calypsos of Trinidad. |
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In Guyana (British Guiana), a topical song tradition known as "bhagee" was popular during the 1920s and 1930s. In a manner similar to the extemporaneous type of calypso, bhagee performers improvised both commentary on local events and insults directed at each other. One of the leading dance bands associated with bhagee was the Mootoo Brothers, an ensemble that also regularly performed with calypsonians in Trinidad. Bill Rogers, a Guyanese vaudeville entertainer, drew on bhagee and other musical traditions to create a style that he called "shanto." Phil Madison, another vaudevillian of the era, also wrote many topical songs. Both Rogers and Madison traveled to Trinidad to perform and to New York to record. |
 Phil Madison |
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