Caribbean music is in continuous evolution. The East Caribbean islands, where fusion is a way of life, are becoming the world Mecca of music

Think for a moment in Caribbean music. Which is your first thought? Probably Reggae. In fact, almost everybody recognizes the peculiar sound of this music that took the world by a storm in the 1970’s thanks to musicians like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, and that still rings strongly within modern music. What else? Salsa, of course, that in the 1990’s became world phenomena, due especially to Cuban, Puerto Rican and Latin American musicians. There’s also calypso, and the peculiar percussionist bands using drums made of oil barrels.

But reggae, salsa and calypso are only the tip of the iceberg of what is growing. If we left aside the larger islands like Jamaica, Cuba and Puerto Rico, will find that the smaller also have a great diversity of sounds and musical styles, that go from “a” to “z”. From the aguinaldo of Trinidad to the zouk of Martinique, passing through the bélè of the French islands, the jing ping of Dominica, the raggasoca of Barbados or the tambu of the Dutch islands, there is a fascinating music diversity that includes also the bouyon, the parang or the soukous.

A Mixture of Influences
This great variety of musical styles is a proof of the endless creativity of the islands. Also reminds the diverse influences received, in music and language. The British, French and Spanish colonists brought their music and instruments. Dances like the quadrille from Martinique and Guadeloupe, still remember that age. From Africa came the drum rhythms, and a musical tradition with massive participation that is still present in most of the musical styles of the region. The immigrants from India brought their own harmonies and instruments, though where this musical influence is more evident is in Trinidad. Later, jazz, rock and roll and rap, have been adapted or incorporated to the island’s musical styles, which have also happened with country and western and the Latin American rhythms.

Caribbean music is constantly evolving, because it’s always receiving new influences. This music has adapted to times, using new techniques, but without separating from its traditional source. In a region where all kinds of influences converge, some better than others, and where fusion is a way of life, is not surprising that the Caribbean is becoming the world’s Mecca of music.

The Steel Pan, an Oil Consequence
The steel pan (that means something like “iron casserole” can be heard all around the region, though the people of Trinidad insists this music was not only their invention, but the place where it is better played. It’s not clear who was the first to discover the musical potential of an old oil barrel, but it’s clear that this music started to emerge in the 1930’s, and that at that time, rhythm and percussion were already well established in the islands. You can find some precedents in some peculiar orchestras, with musicians beating bamboo canes with sticks, in some way of percussion. Other percussionists used cracker boxes, garbage containers, and casseroles, before the oil boom in Trinidad drove someone to discover the musical properties of an oil barrel, that finally was transformed into a musical instrument.

At the beginning, the steel pan and their musicians were not accepted, because they were identified as coming from the worst quarters of Port of Spain, where violence was common between rival gangs. The honest citizens from Trinidad considered it violent music, and its bad reputation got even worst, when fights between rival gangs and the police become frequent, ending in real street battles. However, situation changed thanks to the sponsorship of many companies, and the progressive commercialization of carnival.

Calypso, the Voice of the People
The calypso singer was, and still is, a speaker through the people’s mouth. In the years following abolition of slavery, people abandoned the plantations in mass, looking for better luck in the cities. There, the calypso singer substituted the traditional role of the spontaneous singer of rural places, whose mission was to spread out news, especially those referring to famous people and politicians. These singers usually performed at shops in front of spectators that had also the task of judging the originality of each artist.     

Few things have changed since. But now there are women singing calypso, which was unimaginable some years ago. Also there’s a wider repertory of themes, though what still makes a calypso singer different, is his humor, spontaneity and improvisation. Singers can tell their stories in many different ways, but they will probably end up making reference to sex or some scandal, called “bacanal”.

Calypso music ranks very high in the cultural life of Trinidad, though their influence extends to the whole Caribbean. In carnival, many contests are organized, with very good prizes, and the winners appearing in the front pages of newspapers. Among the most famous calypso singers in Trinidad, are Roaring Lion, Attila the Hun and Lord Kitchener. On the other side, Arrow, the singer of the international hit “Hot, hot, hot” is from Montserrat, though his style is not calypso through and through. It’s really a soca song (faster rhythm and danced eastern style, coming from the fusion of soul and calypso)). Soca is a young music very popular in the East Caribbean. But it does not stop here, because evolution continues with the raggasoca music, that appears to be the fusion between soca and Jamaican reggae, which is also widely accepted.