Talk:Calypso music

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Calypso music article.
This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject.

Put new text under old text. Click here to start a new topic.
New to Wikipedia? Welcome! Learn to edit; get help.

Article policies

Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL

This article is written in Trinidadian English, which has its own spelling conventions (colour, realise, analyse) and some terms that are used in it may be different or absent from other varieties of English. According to the relevant style guide, this should not be changed without broad consensus.

Caribbean Mid‑importance

	Caribbean portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Caribbean, an attempt to build a comprehensive guide to the countries of the Caribbean on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can edit this article, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion. If you are new to editing Wikipedia visit the welcome page to become familiar with the guidelines.CaribbeanWikipedia:WikiProject CaribbeanTemplate:WikiProject CaribbeanCaribbean articles
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.

Trinidad and Tobago High‑importance

	Trinidad and Tobago portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Trinidad and Tobago, an attempt to build a comprehensive guide to the country of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can edit this article, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion. If you are new to editing Wikipedia visit the welcome page to become familiar with the guidelines.Trinidad and TobagoWikipedia:WikiProject Trinidad and TobagoTemplate:WikiProject Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago articles
High	This article has been rated as High-importance on the project's importance scale.

African diaspora Top‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject African diaspora, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of African diaspora on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.African diasporaWikipedia:WikiProject African diasporaTemplate:WikiProject African diasporaAfrican diaspora articles
Top	This article has been rated as Top-importance on the project's importance scale.

Music/Music genres task force

Calypso music is within the scope of the Music genres task force of the Music project, a user driven attempt to clean up and standardize music genre articles on Wikipedia. Please visit the task force guidelines page for ideas on how to structure a genre article and help us assess and improve genre articles to good article status.Music/Music genres task forceWikipedia:WikiProject Music/Music genres task forceTemplate:WikiProject Music/Music genres task forcemusic genre articles

Seriously Messed Up & Needs ASAP Fixing!

Resolved

I really hope someone has this on a "Watch List", because towards the end of the first section the article's gone all haywire! I don't know if it was a weird edit by someone or what, but I know nothing about this article... hi

There appears to be info there that belongs in someone's notes that they wrote while researching or something, as well as...well, I don't know exactly. Formatting issue, maybe?

Anyway, someone PLEASE come take a gander at this and try to fix it! Kailey elise (talk) 19:48, 20 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Subsequently fixed. The easiest way to fix these things is by examining the page history; very often the problem will have occurred within the last edit or two. In this case someone had done a crude copy-paste from another Wikipedia article. Adrian J. Hunter^{(talk•contribs)} 11:09, 18 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I know it's over a year later, but I just wanted to thank you for noticing & taking care of the edit error, Adrian! :) I must confess that even after all this time, I'm not very good at accessing/reading page histories & seeing the differences between various edits. *blush* I am ever so grateful that we have users like you who *do* take the time to understand how it works & generously donate their time to fixing things like this, as well as adding new stuff to the Wikipedia. Thanks again!

I signed up for an account mostly to just fix glaring spelling/grammar errors as I come across them in my generalized reading. ;) All the best! Kailey elise (talk) 16:33, 16 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

really, what is calypso music?, need citation and facts on this —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.82.90.213 (talk) 03:11, 26 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Correction

This article states that "Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music which originated in the British and French colonial islands of the Caribbean at about the start of the 20th century." The 20th century would be the 1900s; however, later in the article, it says that Calypso music became more popular after "the abolition of slavery in 1834."

This seems to be contradictory...

Another Correction

I removed:

Lord Invader did not have a band called the Twelve Penetrators, and probably did not write "Zombie Jamboree" which is credited to Conrad Mauge. This story comes from a spoken introduction to the song by the Kingston Trio.

Because I don't understand it enough to incorporate the info, and I hate it when somebody contradicts the previous paragraph with new information that attempts to correct it. It's a roundabout way of doing things -- if the info on Lord Invader isn't correct, then correct it, but this schizophrenic method of adding contradictory information within the same article is just silly. User:Tokerboy

I agree. I removed the "Twelve Penetrators" from the main article; I don't know if he ever had a band called that but on the few Lord Invader cuts I have that isn't listed. -- Infrogmation

Sorry, I wanted to correct the mistake but didn't know if it was OK to just remove it. James Fryer (posted the removed section).

There really was a Lord Invader, but the Twelve Penetrators was a slightly blue song intro joke by Dave Guard before the Kingston Trio's performance of it on their landmark ...From the Hungry i album. But Invader didn't write the song - it was written by Winston O'Connor, a Trinidadian whose stage name was "Lord Intruder" who for whatever reason made up the "C.E. Mauge" pseudonym.But since that album sold 900,000 copies, the myth has persisted to this day.Sensei48 (talk) 22:34, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Conrad Mauge and Lord Intruder were not the same person as far as I can ascertain. My belief is that Mauge copyrighted Intruder/O'Connor's song as happened to many songs in the mid-20th century (e.g. Invader's Rum & Coca Cola, Lion's Ugly Woman, the Jamaican folk song Day-O). However there are no reliable external sources for this. See the articles Jumbie Jamberee and Lord Intruder. Someone recently changed the credits in those articles to Mauge because there is documentation for his copyright even though it is probable he stole the song rather than writing it. James Fryer (talk) 09:08, 29 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Harry Belafonte

Is it really appropriate to include him in an article about 'calypso'? After all, as it mentions, his best known song is a Jamaican folk song (no banana exports from Trinidad to speak of). Calypso is a matter of composition and originality as well as song - Belafonte re-made calypsos, but you might as well call the Andrews Sisters calypsonians for their re-make of Lord Invader's Rum and Coca-Cola. True, he had more respect for the art-form than they did, but I would not call him a calypsonian. In addition, by changing the beat and mode he changed the substance. When Sparrow sang 'The Slave' people said it was a great song, but not a calypso.

History of the term Calypso in "Calypso Music"

If anyone knows it, it would be very informative to add the actual history of the term Calypso and how the music came to be named (for example, I would guess that it is not based on the Greek Sea Nymph or the Cousteau ship or camera, but I don't know).

There are a few theories, but no-one knows for sure. Some say it derives from "Kaiso", others from a slave named "Calypso" (slaves were often given Classical names). I'll see if I can dig out some references. Guettarda 23:01, 13 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The etymology section needs a reference to the earliest use of "Calypso" in its current form.--Jack Upland (talk) 22:33, 29 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

THE IBIBIO OF SOUTHEASTERN NIGERIA, LIMBO, AND THE MEANING OF KAISO.

The Ibibio people and the origins of limbo and calypso. The enslaved Ibibios and, I suppose, other slaves would gather, plant two poles on opposite ends, and place a bar across. They’d take turn(individually) dancing and negotiating their bodies to go underneath the bar and exit on the opposite end without upsetting it, no matter how low the bar was. The accompanying chant used to egg on and lead the dancer to a successful exit went something like this: ‘kaiso, kaiso, kaiso—–.’ That means go forward, go ahead, more, etc. The dance was later named limbo. Ka means go. Iso means forward. Kaiso therefore, means go forward in the Ibibio language of Southeastern Nigeria. The Ibibios who were kidnapped from the Niger Delta, shipped across the vast Atlantic ocean, and subsequently enslaved in the caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago brought their music, language, and traditions with them. In slavery, their customs and traditions got interwoven into the larger slave culture of the area, but the word kaiso(go forward, go ahead or, more) survived. It later became the name of Trinidad and Tobago’s most popular music. Kaiso evolved into calypso and, that too, evolved into soca;a blend of American soul music (so) and calypso (ca); hence, soca. The very fact that the word kaiso was common and accepted enough to be used for naming a dance or song suggests that the Ibibio slave population of that area was strong and socially influential. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:558:6045:2F:B1E5:3177:F1E5:FE3E (talk) 22:09, 9 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Elements of the Music

Someone should add the elements of calypso to this page. I can't because I'm the one researching, not the source of research.

A bit more description please, and what about soca?

How about you calypso fans sharing a description of what makes calypso calypso? Describe it so that someone who hasn't heard it before might be able to identify it when first listening to it - typical rhythms, instruments, lyrics, etc.

I also suggest adding soul calypso or soca as a subgenre.

Apocalypsolically yours :), DBlomgren 10:42, 22 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I support DBlogren's question. And I have some questions about first paragraph: articles says, that calypso formed in the beginning of 20th century (but Africans used to sing to each other instead of speaking). But why then calypso took part in Carnival in 19th century, if it is not formed yet? If calypso already formed only in the beginning of 20th, then how do we call the roots of the calypso in 19th? Please, make that clear, because I'm not advanced in English, and for me this text is not understandable enough. Thank you. --ru:User:Nagash.

Wisky Tango Foxtrot?

Can someone explain what this means:

"Early forms of calypso were also heavily influenced by jazz such as Sans Humanitae, the extempo melody in which calypsonians lyricise impromptu, commenting socially or insulting each other, without humanity - once again the French influence."--24.15.11.254 06:54, 14 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Kitchener as melodic genius

I agree that he is, but I'm not sure that's something that's testable or encylopedic. I removed it. 129.79.32.239 (talk) 20:52, 25 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

media

Isn't there an example in Wikimedia Commons that can be added here? Abisharan (talk) 22:39, 18 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Problematic edits

Hi

I am concerned that a user - Howie Bledsoe - is editing articles and not listening to advice. I tried to help him by copyediting one article for him, Lovey's String Band, put the refs in properly and left a note on his talk page [] with advice on how to improve his edits.

I have told him that he needs to check his edits as there have been many cases of him incorrectly adding carriage returns and spaces. This is resulting in articles wiht 6 or 7 paragraphs ending up being one huge paragraph such as Calypso music(where the lead summary is now longer than the article itself) Wilmoth_Houdini, Blake Alphonso Higgs, Lionel Belasco, Harry Belafonte#Film career and Lionel Belasco.

You also now have a List of calypso musicians that is peppered with red links introduced mainly by him.

He is also refusing to add edit summaries, in the around 100 edits he has done there is NOT ONE summary

Can someone have a look at his work please before this gets out of hand.

He is a new user and I am trying to give him leeway before starting more vigourous methods of control

Thanks...Chaosdruid (talk) 16:31, 22 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Chronological error

Here’s what is said,

“The term "calypso" is recorded from the 1930s onwards. The word was bastardized into "Calypso" when the early European settlers put the word into print.”

In the page about Trinidad and Tobago http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidad_and_Tobago it says that the early settlers got there as early as 1498. How could the early European settlers bastardize a word that wasn’t used until the 1930’s? Either the info about when the word was first recorded is wrong or the part about the early settlers is wrong. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.11.120.189 (talk) 16:03, 8 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Jazz Instrumentation

No mention that modern calypso instrumentation from the early 20th century is actuality JAZZ. Most of THE INSTRUMENTS USED ARE FROM Jazz. Jazz was the very First Black western popular music that traveled internationally. Jazz exploded in the 1920's which is they same time Calypso started to become more well known. Most of the instrumentation is the same is you are not using modern technology — Preceding unsigned comment added by Starbwoy (talk • contribs) 02:03, 28 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The earliest recordings from Trinidad (1910s to mid 20s) are of string bands with a Spanish American influence but after this you are correct, jazz instrumentation and arrangements became more popular. There is definitely a jazz influence on calypso arrangements from the late 20s onwards. There is some evidence the influence went both ways, as Trinidadian musicians travelled to the US and some stayed there. It's not really clear to me though what your point is or how it could be incorporated into the article? James Fryer (talk) 09:53, 28 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

It would seem to me that the instruments used in early Calypso were European. African tribes did not bring melodic musical instruments with them, they had no melodic music but rather singing and drumming (and dancing of course). The adoption of European instruments and "mocking" of European sea-shanties and popular songs is what basically ended up creating Calypso and also Jazz of course (mocking of military parades with 'second-lines' in New Orleans.) The rhythms of Calypso are in fact closely related to the Polka, which sailors would be familiar with and play on accordions and fiddles. 47.221.11.114 (talk) 03:13, 9 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Wiki Education assignment: Black American Music 209

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 23 October 2022 and 15 December 2022. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Rokeena (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Rokeena (talk) 03:42, 16 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Good detailed source for article expansion

This article will be useful for editors eager to expand this article: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20171010-the-surprising-politics-of-calypso --Danimations (talk) 08:56, 19 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Brazilian Calypso

A while ago, I learned that there's a Brazilian genre that's also called Calypso (it's also known as Brega Calypso or just Brega-pop) but it only has articles in Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. I think it deserves an article in English as well. 2600:6C5A:417F:794E:9071:DD5C:3225:E1B (talk) 03:38, 18 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Your first task is to find at least two really good WP:Reliable sources discussing the genre. WP:SECONDARY sources anchor the facts on Wikipedia. Binksternet (talk) 03:48, 18 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Here are some references (both of which are in Portuguese):

https://archive.is/MLGY6

https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/agora/show/sh1212200501.htm

2600:6C5A:417F:794E:1C:9EB3:EC0D:6A1B (talk) 00:36, 19 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]