ADVANCING THE CALYPSO ART-FORM

ADVANCING THE CALYPSO ART-FORM

Contributed by Native Sons Productions -
Jerry Dice Richardson & Leroy (Bro. Lee) Richardson



Calypso has to be the most popular musical art-form in the world. For it is abundantly clear that any uninitiated individual, whether in the media or on the streets, feels that he/she is qualified to critique calypso, however baseless the criticism.
It is most intriguing that our arm-chair pundits in the media and on the streets hardly have anything to say about soca, reggae, steel band music, cadence, jazz, hip-hop or R&B. Like calypso, these are musical art-forms too. However, every nit-wit Tom, Dick, Harry and Jane is an authority on Calypso or ‘Kaiso’.
Let us be brazen enough to presume though that these ‘analysts’ have the furtherance of calypso at heart; and, in so doing, they are outwardly expressing that inward commitment to the preservation and promotion of the calypso art-form. In that regard, I wish to urge, rather strongly, that the commentaries, criticisms and compliments made on calypso by our radio and television talk show hosts and commentators be based strictly on the Judging Criteria. For the expectation is that those commentaries are designed to be constructive and educational.
Our commentators need to put an end to such emotive and useless ‘assessments’ as ‘good lyrics’, ‘nice music’ and ‘great performance’.
If, therefore, any commentator wishes to comment with some credibility on the lyrical value of a calypso, for example, then he/she MUST focus on the extent to which the words that are sung, as well as the verses and the choruses formed by those words clearly support the theme of the calypso. That commentator must be in a position, also, to point to the use, if any, of double entendre, irony, pun, play on words, the use and quality of rhyme, the marriage between lyrics and melody and unusual/unique treatment of the theme or topic.
Similarly, any commentator who is desirous of advising or educating the public about the utility of music in the delivery of a calypso MUST be able to demonstrate in no uncertain terms that he/she clearly understands the following imperatives
Marriage between lyrics and melody, especially in terms of meter and phrasing
The melodious appeal of the verses, the chorus or choruses, and the band interlude
The melody and its capturing of the mood of the theme
The relationship between the arrangement and the mood of the theme and the extent to which said arrangement complements the rendition
The back-up vocals and the extent to which they enhance the arrangement
Another critical element of the delivery and portrayal of the calypso that a vast number of our ‘experts’ seem to gloss over is performance which ought not, for one moment, to be confused with or sacrificed for theatrics or gimmickry. We must emphasise that calypsos are sung. They are not poems. Calypsonians MUST, first and foremost, demonstrate that they have the ability and capacity to sing melodiously in key and at a comfortable range. Calypsonians must be able, therefore, to use their voices to effectively interpret and communicate the theme of the rendition. Our commentators have a duty to point out these things.
Further, and still on the issue of performance, our analysts need to assess and comment on the use of the following to effectively convey the theme: - (a) clarity of diction, (b) proper pronunciation, (c) body, hands and feet, (c) facial expression, (d)dress, (e) the stage, (f) the microphone, (g) the props, the stagehands, the dancers.
In essence then our writers and our calypsonians must be intimately and fully familiar with the every criterion contained in the Judging Criteria.
Equally, each of our judges must be in a position to clearly demonstrate clear comprehension of said Criteria. By extension, each judge has an obligation to juxtapose scores per criterion with lucid comments on the relationship between the rendition and each criterion.
Let us continue to have debates, discussions, seminars and workshops, during the off-season, on what are the ingredients of good calypso. Let’s have forums in which our calypsonians can look together at the 2008 Calypso Finals, for example, and critique one another’s performance in keeping with the criteria. In this manner, we will all be in a position to assist one another in continuously improving the Anguillian product, with its own home-grown uniqueness, thereby rendering it comparable with top class calypso coming from other parts of the world.