Sunday, February 25, 2007

Kalmar Guide to Latino-Caribbean rhythms

We recently had a Latin American Carnival party and played a wode variety of Latino-Caribbean Music and many people expressed an interest in learning more about the music and enjoyed the dance. So I thought it might be a good idea to put samples of each type so that people can see and hear the differences in the rhythms. All Latino-Caribbean music can be considered of Afro-Arabic origin because the base beats and rhythms have strong African influence and Spanish\Portuguese influence which itself already has Arabic influences.
So here we go....

LATIN MUSIC- Part 1

SALSA- Origins in Cuba with developments from Puerto Rico - a 4 step dance with variations in speed



Jerry Rivera - Que Hay de Malo

MERENGUE- Origins in the Dominican Republic, speed varies a two step da



Olga Tanon - Es Mentiroso




Oro Solido- Chupa tu Paleta

BACHATA - Bachata is the other popular musical genre from the Dominican Republic. Until recently it was associated with the lower classes and rural areas and was not held in high esteem in the official music world.



Victor Victor - Bachata Entre Amigos

VALLENATO - The vallenato is accordion-based music of the valleys of eastern Colombia.



CUMBIA - The Cumbia is one of the most representative types of Colombian music. It is associated with the Caribbean coast. (Another main music type is the Vallenato, from the valley in the interior.) It is the result of African, Spanish, and Indigenous influences. Very popular now in Mexico



Kumbia All Starz - Chiquilla (modern)



Celso Pina - Sobre el Rio

SAMBA - samba is from Brasil and is very diverse - samba de roda, samba enredo pagode samba and more, but this video shows the best base rhythm very well and it is thought of to be the musical sister of the Brazilian martial art\dance- Capoeira- in the video you can see some of the dance movement in samba also at the end. The dance was derived from an African ritual dance and was done in circles (uma roda) with one person or pairs dancing in the middle



Carolina Soares- Samba de Roda

AXE - very popular choreographed dance famous in the region on Bahia, Brasil.



Axe Bahia - Olha a Onda

BOSSA NOVA- typically Brazilian it is synonymous with good lounge music and is based on the samba rhythm as well. Below is the best know song by Antonio Carlos Jobim - Girl from Ipanema



LOOK OUT FOR MORE SOON!!!


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Friday, February 16, 2007

MY LAND AND CULTURE - CARNIVAL

Carnival in T and T (Trinidad and Tobago)
Is so special to all ah we (all of us)
Like we need blood in we (our) vein
Dats how we feel about Port-of-Spain (the capital)
When de posse dem come in town
Beating pan and ah bongo drum
Is madness everywhere
Carnival is ah true freedom
Make ah noise or ah joyful sound
And jump up in de air
So...

[chorus]
Everybody take ah jump, take ah jump, take ah jump up now
Start to wave, start to wave, start to wave up now
Start to wine, start to wine, start to wine up now
Because, it's Carnival
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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago is one of grandeur, colour, revelry, rhythm, and gaiety. Evolving over the past two centuries from an elegant, exclusive affair to a truly all-inclusive national festival, it is by far the most spectacular event on the nation’s calendar. Although a major part of the Trinidad Carnival mystique lies in its unique ability to bring people of diverse backgrounds together in harmonious circumstances, the festival was not born to such noble pursuits.

From the inception of street parades in 1839 and for more than 100 years thereafter, the celebration flowed in two distinctly different social streams - upper and lower classes. For the most part, the upper classes held their masked balls in the great houses of sugar estates during the 19th century Carnivals, then mobilized the mas (but maintained their distance), by using the trays of lorries as their stage until well into the 1950s.
In order to fully understand the development of this festival, it is necessary to examine the complex historical, social, cultural and political contexts which gave birth to this national celebration.

In 1498, Christopher Columbus landed in Trinidad and, as was the practice in the so called age of Discovery and Exploration, took possession of the island in the name of the King and Queen of Spain. The island did not have the promise of immense wealth like the other countries in Spain’s Western empire. Trinidad was, therefore, largely ignored for over two hundred and fifty years.
In 1776, out of concern for this state of affairs, the Spanish king issued a Cedula of Population, which opened the island to colonization by the French. A second Cedula followed in 1783. This saw an even larger influx of planters from the French West Indian islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe and Saint Dominigue. Arriving also were Free Coloreds and Africans. The French brought with them their cultural traditions, language, dress, food and customs.

In 1797, Trinidad was captured by the British and was made a crown colony of Great Britain. The British immediately began the process of colonization as they had in Barbados and Jamaica two centuries before.
In this era, the period between Christmas and Lent was marked by great merrymaking and feasting by both the French and English. Historians of the nineteenth century wrote about the balls, fetes champetres (country style parties) and house to house visiting engaged in by the white upper class. It was also the custom of the British to impose martial law during the Christmas season. Military exercises were performed at the start of this martial law.

The Carnival celebrations between 1783 and 1838 were dominated by the white elite. Africans and coloreds (persons of mixed race) were forbidden by law to participate in street festivities. This is not to say that they did not celebrate in their own way in their compounds.
During this period also, there were numerous balls, parties and other entertainment. This gave the Africans some measure of freedom to enjoy themselves and engage in merry making. These festivities, along with the pomp and ceremony involved in imposing martial law, provided the Africans with ideas for some of the earliest masquerades for carnival.
The pre-emancipation carnival saw whites costume themselves as ‘Negues Jadin’ (Negres Jardin - French for Garden Negroes) and mulatresses. They also reenacted the Cannes Brulées (French for Burning Canes): the practice of rounding up slaves to put out fires in the cane field. With the emancipation of the slaves in 1838 however, the door was opened for the full participation of the Africans in the Carnival.
Information from the National Library and Information Authority of Trinidad and Tobago
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Today, Carnival is Trinidad and Tobago’s main tourist attraction and has inspired several Carnivals in cities where citizens of Trinidad and Tobago have settled including New York, Toronto, Miami and London. Other Caribbean islands such as Jamaica, St.Vincent and Grenada have similar festivities but Trinidad and Tobago Carnival remains the greatest show on earth.
For Trinis, Carnival is in our blood and an integral part of our culture. But aside from being a cultural event which hundreds of thousands of tourists visit each year and it is a very commercial and competitive occasion. Anyone including foreigners can purchase a costume in any masquerade band (average price is €350 and includes most times alcoholic and all other drinks and food for Carnival Monday and Tuesday). The Carnival season seems to be increasing each year with masquerade band launches starting in August of the previous year and Carnival 'fetes' or large public parties with great live performances and special effects starting right after Dece,ber 26 and continuing to Carnival Monday and Tuesday (always 2 days before Ash Wednesday on the Roman Catholic Calendar)
Every year a Band of the Year and Road March (most played song on the streets is chosen)
So for 2007:
Note: here is a good sample of people jumping in a masquerade band and what it looks like
The Road March for 2007 is - Jumbie by Machel Montano (see the video below)
Note: Machel is one the most popular if not the most popular SOCA singer in Trinidad and this video is a parody of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'. A 'jumbie' is a Caribbean word for ghost, spirit of the dead or living dead
I really missed Carnival this year and by all accounts they say it was the best!!!!
If you want a better look at Carnival in Trinidad here are some useful links
For links to newspapers, carnival bands, music, and anything Caribbean check
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