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Extempo
Extempo (also extempo calypso) is a lyrically improvised form of calypso and is most notably practiced in Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago. It consists of performers improvising in song or in rhythmic speech on a given theme before an audience, which take turns to perform. It is inherently competitive, and success is judged by the wit and the ingenuity of the performance. It is similar in form to what has been defined as traditional African song: "a recitative or chants with a short chorus. The soloist gives the melody while a chorus sings a refrain. As the melody is given out, they turn to one another, each improvising in turn. Extempo tends to comprise topics from current events treated with mockery, ridicule and sarcasm, or with flattery or praise.” Art of extempo It is characterised either by the “single tone”, consisting of four-line stanzas or the “double tone”, which has eight-line stanzas. There are four basic melodies common to extempo: “Sans Humanite” ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lord Pretender
Lord Pretender (8 September 1917 – 22 January 2002) was the stage name of Aldric Farrell, M.O.M., H.B.M. a calypsonian vocalist born on the island of Tobago widely acknowledged to be a "master" of extempo, a lyrically improvised form of calypso music. Starting with an impromptu performance at the age of 12, his career spanned nearly seven decades until cancer of the larynx forced him to retire in the mid-1990s. In 1957, Lord Pretender won the prestigious " Calypso King" competition. Honoured by the Trinidad and Tobago government for his services to calypso in 1972, he went on to receive the island's Hummingbird Medal in 1994. Career Farrell's mother went to the United States to look for work and left him, at a young age, with his maternal grandmother in Trinidad. He made his first public performance at the age of 12 in 1929, when he delivered a self-composed calypso about the ghost of a young girl. Early appearances quickly gained Farrell popularity and earned him the mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Extempo Monarch
Extempo Monarch is the title awarded to the winner of an annual extempo competition held at the Trinidad Carnival. A number of contestants (in 2006 there were 8) compete in preliminary rounds. The Final consists of a head-to-head contest between the two most successful performers. In the preliminary rounds contestants must perform improvised calypso lyrics according to the conventions of the genre on topics drawn at random from a prepared list. In the Final round the contestants improvise on the same topic. 2006 Extempo Monarch The 2006 Final was contested by Black Sage and Sheldon John singing on the topic "Kudos To Radio Trinbago". The winner and Extempo Monarch 2006 was Sheldon John. Recent Extempo Monarchs * 2007 Joseph "Lingo" Vautor-La Placeliere * 2008 Joseph "Lingo" Vautor-La Placeliere * 2009 Joseph "Lingo" Vautor-La Placeliere * 2010 Winston “Gypsy” Peters * 2011 Sheldon John * 2012 Lady Africa (Leslie Ann Bristow) * 2013 Lady Africa (Leslie Ann Bristow) * 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calypso Music
Calypso is a style of Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from Afro-Trinidadians during the early- to mid-19th century and spread to the rest of the Caribbean Antilles by the mid-20th century. Its rhythms can be traced back to West African Kaiso and the arrival of French planters and their slaves from the French Antilles in the 18th century. It is characterized by highly rhythmic and harmonic vocals, and was historically most often sung in a French creole and led by a griot. As calypso developed, the role of the griot became known as a '' chantuelle'' and eventually, ''calypsonian''. As English replaced "patois" ( Antillean) as the dominant language, calypso migrated into English, and in so doing it attracted more attention from the government. It allowed the masses to challenge the actions of the unelected Governor and Legislative Council, and the elected town councils of Port of Spain and San Fernando. Calypso continued to play an important role in po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calypso War
Calypso War is a form of calypso music that has existed since at least the turn of the twentieth century. Originally it was sung in patois or French creole. The classic war form is an eight-line stanza, the first four lines in a minor key, then modulating into the major, and returning to the minor with the refrain "santimanite" ("sans humanité" in patois, in English "without humanity"). Calypso War emerged among the black lower-class population in Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ... after emancipation from slavery. It was a competitive and entertaining form of lyrical improvisation which saw performers attempt to outdo each other in wit and verbal skill, often to defend or boost their reputation. A War verse by Growling Tiger: :When I was a child at t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Freestyle Rap
Freestyle rap, also simply known as Freestyle, is a style of hip hop music where an artist normally improvises an unwritten verse from the head, with or without instrumental beats, in which lyrics are recited with no particular subject or structure. Kevin Fitzgerald (director), '' Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme'', Bowery, 2000.Gwendolyn D. Pough, 2004, ''Check It While I Wreck It'', UPNE, p.224Murray Forman, Mark Anthony Neil, 2004, ''That's The Joint!'', Routledge, p.196Raquel Z. Rivera, 2003, ''New York Ricans From The Hip-Hop Zone'', Palgrave Macmillan, p. 88 It is similar to other improvisational music, such as jazz, where a lead instrumentalist acts as an improviser with a supporting band providing a beat. Freestyle originally was simply verse that is free of style, written rhymes that do not follow a specific subject matter, or predetermined cadence. The newer style with the improvisation grew popular starting in the early 1990s. It is now mainly associated with hip hop. Origina ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Culture Of Trinidad And Tobago
The culture of Trinidad and Tobago reflects the influence of Indian-South Asian, African, Indigenous, European, Chinese, North American, Latino, and Arab cultures. The histories of Trinidad and Tobago are different. There are differences in the cultural influences which have shaped each island. Trinidad and Tobago is an English-speaking country with strong links to the United Kingdom. Historical membership in the British Empire left a major influence on the country, including the differences of the English language and the popularity of the two top sports in the country, football, and cricket. Festivals Carnival The most influential single cultural factor in Trinidad and Tobago is Carnival, brought to Trinidad by France, French settlers from Martinique in the later part of the 18th century. Originally the celebration was confined to the elite, but it was imitated and adapted by their African slaves and, after the Abolitionism in the United Kingdom, abolition of slavery in 18 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trinidad And Tobago Styles Of Music
Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean. With an area of , it is also the fifth-largest in the Caribbean. Name The original name for the island in the Arawakan languages was which meant "Land of the Hummingbird". Christopher Columbus renamed it ('The Island of the Trinity'), fulfilling a vow he had made before setting out on his third voyage. This has since been shortened to ''Trinidad''. Indo-Trinidadians called the island चीनीदत्त , 𑂒𑂲𑂢𑂲𑂠𑂞𑂹𑂞 , , ''Chinidat'' or ''Chinidad'' in Trinidadian Hindustani which translated to the land of sugar. The usage of the term goes back to the 19th century when recruiters from India would call the island ''Chinidat'' as a way of luring workers into indentureship. On Tuesday, 31 Jul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trinidad Express
The ''Trinidad and Tobago Express'', better known as ''Daily Express'' (and the weekend editions ''Saturday Express'' and ''Sunday Express''), is one of three daily newspapers in Trinidad and Tobago. The ''Daily Express'' as per its masthead is published by the Caribbean Communications Network (CCN) and is headquartered on Independence Square in Port of Spain. The newspaper commenced operations on 6 June 1967. The website for the ''Trinidad and Tobago Express'' was first registered in 1997 and launched subsequently very soon thereafter. The ''Express'' newspaper is the second-oldest of the daily Trinidad and Tobago newspapers. Online presence The ''Trinidad and Tobago Express'' news website, then known as the Internet Express, grew quickly into one of the top visited websites about Trinidad and Tobago. With up to 10,000 hits per day, the website has become one of the online centrepieces of CCN. Originally online as ''express.co.tt'' in 1996, it later acquired the address ''trin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gypsy (calypsonian)
Winston Edward Peters (born 20 October 1952), also known by his sobriquet Gypsy, is a Trinidad and Tobago politician and calypsonian who served as Trinidad and Tobago's Minister of Community Development in the People's Partnership Coalition led by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Peters also served as Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism from 27 May 2010 to 22 June 2012. Peters was born in Mayaro, where he now serves as the M.P. for that constituency ( Mayaro) and has been serving since 2007 and also between 1995 and 2002 for the United National Congress (UNC). He is also a former U.S. Marine. He is famous for his calypsos "Sinking Ship" and "Little Black Boy", and is recognised for winning over seven Extempo titles. Peters' election to Parliament in 2000 was challenged by the People's National Movement (PNM). On nomination day, the PNM raised the issue that Peters and William Chaitan (UNC candidate for the Pointe-à-Pierre seat) were ineligible to stand for election o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brother Resistance
Lutalo Masimba (24 October 1954 – 13 July 2021), born Roy Lewis and known professionally as Brother Resistance, was a rhythm poet and musician from Trinidad and Tobago. He died on 13 July 2021, after being diagnosed with cancer. Background and career Born in 1954 as Roy Lewis in East Dry River, Laventille, Trinidad and Tobago, he began writing poetry in primary school, and went on to study at Queen's Royal College. He was influenced by Trinidad's 1970 Black Power movement to become conscious of his African identity, and he would eventually change his name to Lutalo Masimba in 1982, in order to better reflect his heritage. He assumed the soubriquet "Brother Resistance" when he began performing and chanting his poetry at school. He went on to further studies at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, graduating with a B.Sc. degree in Social Sciences with History in 1980. Brother Resistance became, together with Brother Shortman, the lead singer of the Network Riddi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
African-American Culture
African-American culture, also known as Black American culture or Black culture in American English, refers to the cultural expressions of African Americans, either as part of or distinct from mainstream American culture. African-American/Black-American culture has been influential on American and global worldwide culture as a whole. Black-American/African American culture primarily refers to the distinct cultural expressions, traditions, and contributions of people who are descendants of those enslaved in the United States, as well as free people of color who lived in the country before 1865. This culture is rooted in a specific ethnic group and is separate from the cultures of more recent melanated (dark-skinned) immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean, or Afro-Latinos. African American culture is not simply defined by race or historical struggle but is deeply rooted in shared practices, identity, and community. African American culture encompasses many aspects, including Bla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Dozens
The Dozens is a game played between two contestants in which the participants insult each other until one of them gives up. Common in African American communities, the Dozens is almost exclusively played in front of an audience, who encourage the participants to reply with increasingly severe insults in order to heighten the tension and consequently make the contest more interesting to watch. Comments in the game may focus on the opposite player's intelligence, appearance, competency, social status, and financial situation. Disparaging remarks about the other player's family members are common, especially regarding their mother. Commentary is often related to sexual issues, and this version of the game is referred to as the "Dirty Dozens".Chimezie, Amuzie (June 1976). "The Dozens: An African-Heritage Theory", ''Journal of Black Studies'', Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 401–420. According to sociologist Harry Lefever and journalist John Leland, the game is played almost entirely by Afric ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
