Music in the English Speaking Caribbean Featuring Olive Walke
Olive Walke- Zingay
Up first in this playlist is a song Olive Walke's "Zingay" which is was performed by her choire, "La Petite Musicale. " This song has gained popularity In the beginning of the song the listeners
are immediately greeted by stringed instruments and what sounds like a wooden
idiophone (castanets I presume). Drums are also very prominent in the song. Zingay’s
lyrics seems to be expressing discontentment or hypocrisy that can exist in some churches. The musical arrangement, and instrumentation selection cleary distinguishes the piece as a calypso song. A spirited Calypso song.
Calypso Rose- Calypso Queen
Second on the playlist is "Calypso Queen." This piece is related to Olive Walke through its Calypso genre which appears in many of Olive Walke’s works. With that said,"Calypso Queen" can be
compared to "Zingay" because the first instrument heard
at the beginning of both songs is what sounds like castenets, or some other
wooden idiophone. In "Calypso Queen," brass instruments are heard almost
immediately. Listeners can also here the guitar and the drums "Calypso Queen." Lyrics speaks to the then sexism of the music industry where
women’s musical works were underrepresented and their accomplishments not
respected. Calypso Rose expresses this sentiment in the chorus: “Instead of
respecting mi long long reign, they (men, it is presumed) making plot to take
down mi name.”
George Symonette – Don’t Touch Me Tomato
Next on the list is George Symonette’s “Don’t Touch Me Tomato.” This piece is related to
Olive Walke because like the "Calypso Queen," it is Calypso through and through. It sounds like a kind of
wooden idiophone (which can be heard in the first second of the song) is a part of the percussion instruments, along
with the drum instruments and maracas. There are also stringed instruments and
a playful and upbeat piano which plays a solo. Similar to “Zingay,” the lyrics
of this piece is encrypted with symbolism and may be addressing a controversial
issue behind the entertaining and up beat melody of the song.
Blind Blake-Alphonso – What a Pain I Got
Time stamp: 5:15
Alphonso Higgs is a Bahamian given the title Blind Blake after the famous American Jazz artist. Blake’s song, “What a Pain I Got” is similar to some of Olive Walke’s works because the verses are arranged as call and response. This makes the lyrics sound repetitious similar to Olive Walke’s “Every time ah pass” and “Zingay.” “What a Pain I Got” introduces the sounds of brass instruments at the beginning of the song. Stringed instruments can be heard throughout the song. However, the song also features electric instrumentation at some point. So, it relates to Olive Walke’s works, but it also distinguishes itself, through modern instrumentation
Charlie Adamson- Bangalee
More than Blind Blake’s “What a Pain I Got,” the song Bangalee
by Charlie Adamson adheres to the calypso style. The listeners are greeted with
the strings and percussion instruments, which again, relates to some of Olive
Walke’s works. Percussion instruments include idiophones
that are shaken and struck, and drums, all of which are typical found in
calypso music. Bangalee is entertaining and dance-provoking, despite the
heaviness of the lyrics which shines a light on the tragic fate of some
relationships. The fusion of entertaining accompaniment and satirical lyrics is
also characteristics of calypso.
Benjamin Bindley- Santa Looking for a Wife in St Thomas
Virgin Island
Benjamin Bindley’s Santa Looking for a Wife, is entertaining
and up-beat. The piece is related to Olive Walke’s works in the sense that it
has many elements of Trinidad and Tobago folk music. In the beginning of the
piece, listeners would hear wooden percussion instruments, brass instruments
and drums, all of which works together to create a call and response pattern. This
call and response recurs interchangeably between brass instruments, and brass
instruments and voice. Similar to other songs performed by Olive Walke’s La Petite
Musicale, the call and response from Santa Looking for a wife saturates the
entire song. Overall, this piece offers an impressive range of instruments and gives a modern feel to Trinidad and Tobago folk music.
Alphonso Higgs (Blind Blake)- Goombay Rock
Last, but certainly not least is Blind Blake’s Goombay Rock, which is a musical treat that pushes the boundaries of Caribbean folk genres. Goombay Rock delightfully fuses elements of blues with elements of calypso. In the beginning of the song, a stringed instrument is the first heard. Following shortly after, are the voice, and percussive instruments including the drums, and what sounds like some kind of idiophone. The arrangement of the percussion instruments gives the song its connection to Olive Walke because this gives the piece its Calypso feel. However, the song has minor chords and brass solo adlibs which give the music its Blues feel.
Father of Bahamian Music. (2022).Grand
Bahama Museum. https://www.grandbahamamuseum.org/new-to-the-museum/blind-blake
Gangelhoff, C., LeGrand, C. (2019) Tour de force: A musical journey of the Caribbean. Sound Caribbean. https://online.vitalsource.com/reader/books/9789769624900/epubcfi/6/2[%3Bvnd.vst.idref%3DTour_deForce_epub_8.16.19-1]!/4[Tour_deForce_epub_8.16.19-1]/2[_idContainer000]/2%4050:7
Comments
Post a Comment