Roy Byer-HLWLO-his legacy will live on...

This photo c.1989-91 was snapped while doing research on calypso in the video archives.

'The Chief Gladiator Byer/could run de show up at culture/Anyone who knows him will say its true/he document more culture than you'-These lyrics from Jah Stone's Pic-O-de-Crop contribution c.2008-9 are in fact, as they were then, a fitting description now epitaph of the tremendous contribution of Roy Byer to the cultural continuum of Barbados Today. The 'you' to which Jah Stone referred was the NCF and while the judges of the day did not find favour with Stone's scathing indictment against them, few could deny that it was a stirring tribute to Peter Roy Byer...more affectionately known as Roy Byer -pronounced Baa-er/uh. Byer was also immortalised unwittingly in song before. Frank Sinatra's 'I did it my way' readily leaps to mind when I reminisce of the Roy Byer I knew and had a great appreciation for. He was a man who was never afraid to speak his mind to friend or foe with little fear or seeming care of repercussion. Perhaps some found this not to be his most endearing characteristic but it was a characteristic which earned him much respect and admiration-If in need of an honest opinion ask Roy Byer.

Love and Chance...
However despite his often brutal honesty Byer was a man who truly loved Calypso and the culture of Barbados and did whatever he could to preserve and develop it. He was the man who took a chance on so many a calypsonian many of whom have gone onward to much fame and acclaim-there first invitation to the stage came from Roy Byer. At his beloved Village Gate, Byer worked tirelessly with the help of others-many who would come and go with the seasons and a select few who stuck in for the long haul-to give the opportunity to  stand and be counted among these vying for the Pic-O-de-Crop to those who had no chance of doing so in a 'big tent.' These performers were without 'name' but brought fresh talent with which Byer was more concerned with harnessing for the development of the art form and took a chance on them. The results of these  ventures were often not box office successes, but rather they laid the foundations for many firsts in Calypso which can only redound to the benefit of the artform, its exponents and its fans.

Innovator...
Byer was an innovator not afraid to take chances and try new ideas, he hosted an all female tent with an exclusively female cast and also put together an all female band. Most recently he embraced the VIP-visually impaired-calypsonians and welcomed them into mainstream Crop Over activities. Though none of them made it past preliminary judging it was a special honour to see Size Two represent the Kingdom of the Super Gladiators when he guest performed during the 2014 Pic-O-de-Crop finals. Sadly, this would be Byer's last direct contribution to that contest, but surely it has opened the door for the differently-able community to come into the mainstream of Crop Over celebrations.

Of Note...
While Byer was never one to blow his own trumpet, many a trumpeter, saxophonist, trombonist, bass player, guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and drummer got their first experience of the'tent' onstage at the Village Gate. Byer's philosophy was simple 'What was the sense of producing high quality musicians annually and not give them the opportunity to expose their talents and hone their skills-The Super Gladiators tent band with ONLY TWO members over 30, won the tent band of the year for Crop Over 2014. Most of the members are 25 and under including the band leader.

HLWLO...
I could go on about Byer's forays into Calypso; The Kingdom of The Super Gladiators and underdog but 25 years on still as tenacious as ever after many a 'top dog's' demise...  his production of a 'King of Kings' competition in the 1980's which invited the top calypso talent in the world to do battle in Barbados. Rather I will end with the refrain of Jah Stone's chorus;
'I am qualified to do what I'm here to do/ ask your conscience are you qualified too'
Roy Byer qualified...May his legacy live on in many calypsos to come...Roy Byer, gone but never forgotten...HLWLO...

Separate and Distinct-Pic-O-de-Crop, Sweet Soca and Party

SO...
I missed the NCF'S meeting for Calypso stakeholders to share ideas on the improvement of Calypso competitions and the like recently held at the Queen's Park Steel Shed...let me appluad the NCF for their efforts to get the perspective of the stakeholders and interested parties as we aim to to take our national festival to the next level...while we appreciate the visitors-Nuff Bajan Yankkes included- that patronise the festival...Crop Over is we ting.

TWO CENTS WORTH...
My humble contribution to the discussion would have been as follows...No song taking part in the Sweet Soca or Party Monarch competitions should be allowed in the Pic-O-de Crop.
My reasoning for this is simple...
I applaud the NCF for their 1995 introduction of the Party Monarch Competition;
1.Musically, calypso and its exponents needed to be given the green light to experiment within the then burgeoning soca genre and then there was Ringbang as well...The content, tempo and performance of these songs was certainly not what was expected in the alleged Calypso Monarch contest known as Pic-O-de-Crop a name which some argue is highly problematic as it renders the purpose and content of the competition debatable...
2.Demographics change and a younger, more energetic, less subtle generation was emerging...they and their artistes-NEW TALENT-and modes of expression would be surely stifled within the confines of Pic-O-de Crop...but still, Edwin Yearwood-then dubbed 'voice of the youth' won the said Pic-O-de Crop competition with the same song he captured the inaugural Party Monarch with earlier that season...While this is true and this scenario would repeat itself with the first Sweet Soca contest, Edwin's ode to Obadele was as much a party song as it was a social commentary applauding and praising Barbados' then newest folk hero Obadele Thompson, who, like Edwin was another fine example of the talent which existed in Barbados' youth.
3.From a marketing/economic standpoint...the Party Monarch competition was the perfect solution for what the younger audience demanded and, with the emphasis on partying, must have been more appealing to younger visitors to the island as well...The perennial 20,000 strong crowd that attended Party Monarch during its heyday at the 'Calypso Bowl' on East Coast Road must have resulted in a highly profitable gate receipt.
The reasons for the introduction of the Party Monarch surely go beyond these 3 points but in my view these are the essential reasons for the creation of a Party Monarch as a separate contest to Pic-O-de Crop, despite that inclusive of Edwin's triumph, calypsonians would occasionally share a song between the two contests.
I applauded the NCF for the introduction of the Sweet Soca competition in 2009;
1.Ragga Soca as it was known hitherto in Barbados and Groovy Soca it was called in Trinidad and Tobago and elsewhere in the region had  grown in popularity with the audience-some of whom were of the first soca generation who no longer had the desire to 'wuk up' at 140 bpms...They groovier, easier on the ears  and waist with a laid back tempo  was what the audience now demanded.
2.Musically speaking, the Groovy Socas lent themselves more to experimentation and arrangement and instrumentation with a greater emphasis on melody and singability as opposed to the party soca that places great emphasis on the rhythm the ability to follow instructions and the enegery levels of both performer and audience...The interpretations of our favoutite 'sweet' socas in competition are annual reminder of the arranging and performing genius of many of our talented musicians...both established and upcoming...
3.From a marketing/economic standpoint...the Sweet Soca  competition was a needed boost to the Party Monarch competition that had begun to lose its appeal, especially with the 'older' younger crowd who would attend Sweet Soca but no longer really interested in the Party monarch.
But depsite the realization that the groovy socas were now in demand and needed to be given the opportunity to grow and stand out in competition as opposed to fighting against the uptempo socas which were sure to beat them on crowd response ...TC won the first Sweet Soca contest with Hot Sun and Riddim which captured her first Party Monarch win that same evening beating Natahlee Burke's This is What we Do into second in both conests. Surely somewhere the NCF had got it wrong allowing the same songs to be entered in both competitions...Certainly critics were entitled to argue that the Sweet Soca competition was not necessary as Ragga socas could hold their own among the uptempo party songs...this was promptly corrected the following year with the socas being limited to one competition and further limited with the imposition of a tempo limit for sweet soca which perhaps stopped the competition from being used as a second chance for their soca tune...Though that was the exception to the rule...
Another problem occurred.; artistes were given the opportunity to compete against themselves in the Sweet Soca and Party Monarch contests...while I agree it strengthens the interest in the contest and potential gate receipts and arguably performances I find this problematic as well and will discuss in depth in my next post...
My point however is simply that the NCF created new competitions to cater to the demands of changing demographics and to promote experimentation and evolution within the Calypso genre...why then do we continue to allow Sweet Soca and Party Monarch tunes to infiltrate the Pic-O-de-Crop despite boasting their own purpose made competitions...Traditional calypso perhaps more now than ever needs an impetus to continue and this policy of Anything goes for the Pic-O-De Crop wll certianly faster lead Kaiso's demise.
A Pic-O-de-Crop where emphasis returns to traditional kaiso will certainly help to keep Junior Monarch's and ointerested in Calypso...One song per competition and two orginal calypsos for the pic o compeitiion

Defining Calypso Pt.2

Wha I feel um is...

Reigning Calypso monarchs...The Might Gabby and Apollo c.2010...a year they were both crowned as Calypso monarchs Nationally and at UWI respectively.

In the previous post I utilised previous research to given insight into the origins of the Calypso as well as attempting to define it and its functions. Below I wish to offer a more technical and detailed definition of Calypso.

In my  analysis...
In my interpretation based upon existing research, theories, definitions and my own research and observations I choose to define Calypso as follows.

Calypso...

• A genre of music common throughout the English Speaking Caribbean characterised by a syncopated rhythm, call and response singing style and unique-for lack of a better term-phrasing of lyrics.
• Calypso content is often characterised by one or more of the following; topical, critical, lamenting, humorous, fantasy, celebratory, party...

Kaiso...

• Kaiso is the sub genre of Calypso which is characterised by the nature of its content being topical, critical and lamenting but can also be humourous, celebratory or fantasy
• Kaiso more specifically focuses on the delivery of topical, social and or political commentary and uses the aforesaid styles to present its content...
• Kaiso is often delivered with a slow to medium tempo, ranging from slow laboured tempos from around 69 bpms to the bouncier-often-sing along-120 bpms but cannot be strictly defined by tempo.

Soca...

• Soca is the sub genre of Calypso which is characterised by the nature of its content being celebratory and party oriented-especially in recent times-but are often topical, and employ fantasy and humour
• Soca more specifically focuses on the delivery of party and dance floor anthems and since the early 90's has often been characterized lyrically by instructions given to its listeners to; jump,wave,wine, grind, juck, wuk,pooch back etc, 

• It's lyrics are often highly sexualised focusing on the interaction of its female and male listeners  in their physical interpretation of the songs. 
• The 'rum' culture of the caribbean is also usually heavily endorsed in the content of these songs as well.
• Soca is often delivered from around a groovy 100 bpms to a frenetic pulsating,140-160 bpms and syncopation of the rhythm is key. The uptempo nature of Soca emphasises its dance-ability.                                                                                                                                                                         

The above represents a very basic, somewhat limited preliminary analysis of the genre of Calypso.The major points I wish to emphasise here however, are;

1. syncopation of the rhythm and call and response phrasing/nature of the vocal delivery
2. Identifying Kaiso- characterised by its commentary on social and political issues and its generally slower tempo -as a sub genre of Calypso
3. Identifying Soca -characterised by its emphasis on partying and celebration and its generally medium to fast tempo and resultant dance appeal as a sub genre of Calypso.

The grasping of these definitions will assist in the understanding of my further analysis and observations of Calypso in Barbados and the region.

Defining Calypso Pt.1

Wha um really is...

Album cover featuring some pioneers of the Calypso...humour is already evident-third from left

What is Calypso and what is not? This can be a challenging question to answer. In the excerpt below I intend to share my findings from a previous study to explore the origin  and  assist in defining the art form of Calypso. These findings should be kept in mind for part two of this post which will attempt to offer more technical and detailed definitions of the art form based on my own research, observation, analysis and conclusions.

The following is an edited excerpt from the draft of Chapter 2 of my undergraduate B.A  thesis.        

Power to the People: Calypso and the development of mass Political Consciousness In Post - Independent Barbados 

The most widely accepted view of the origin of the term for the music now known simultaneously as calypso or kaiso is explained by Warner as follows: “The West African (Hausa) term “kaiso, itself a corruption of “kaito” an expression similar to “bravo”… this derivation finds the most favour and has also survived alongside its derivation calypso.”[1] According to Warner, this origin was endorsed by the knowledgeable pioneer calypsonian and calypso scholar Raymond Quevedo sobriquet Atiila the Hun. The offering of praise for a good performance of calypso still manifests itself in shouts of “kaiso! kaiso!” from appreciative audiences in a contemporary context. This Warner explains by the contemporary use of the term kaiso to identify “genuine” calypsos. “There has been in some circles a favouring of the term kaisonian to designate one who sings “genuine calypsos, as opposed to calypsonian for the run -of -the -mill.”[2] What is most important to note here, is that whatever the , the terms kaiso and calypso are largely used interchangeably and shall be so used throughout this study. There are a few other explanations offered for the origins of the term calypso such as the dismissed connection the Greek goddess of the same name. These theories are not necessary to consider in this study. We shall however attempt to define the calypso and its function.

The calypso has a variety of functions some of which it performs simultaneously. Perhaps the best definition of the calypso comes from the calypsonians themselves. The first four lines of David Rudder’s 1987 composition ‘Calypso Music’ should give us a good idea of the diversity of the functions of calypso:

It is a living vibration

Rooted deep within my Caribbean belly

Lyrics to make a politician cringe

Or turn a woman’s body into jelly [3]

Rudder’s calypso obviously does not detail all the functions of the calypso but in true calypso fashion sums up the varying themes expressed in calypso by reducing it to its extremes, in this case political protest and festivity. This trend we shall observe throughout this study. It is without doubt that it is entirely possible to identify the functions of calypso by stringing lines of various calypsos together. Such a novel experiment however, will not be attempted here. That is said to say that the calypso is quite capable of speaking for itself.

Legendary calypsonian Alric Farrel sobriquet The Lord Pretender, linked the functions of the West Indian calypso with the roles performed by the West African Griot. This is not unlike our findings between the African Oral tradition, folk music and the calypso in the previous chapter. Pretender’s observation further strengthens this connection. According to Pretender, the calypsonian “ he saw as men who had followed the African griot tradition of praise singing, storytelling and documenting the history of his people…gave praises where due and derided those who opposed the values that the society held dear.”[4]

---

[1] Keith Warner, Kaiso: The Trinidad Calypso a study of the calypso as oral literature. Washington D.C: Three Continents Press.1982.8

[2] Keith Warner, Kaiso: The Trinidad Calypso a study of the calypso as oral literature. Washington D.C: Three Continents Press.1982.8

[3] David Rudder, ‘Calypso Music’

[4] Hollis, Liverpool. From The Horse’s Mouth: Stories of the History and Development of the Calypso. Port of Spain: Juba Publications,2003.94

Who de cat like he lick! Scene 2.

An anonymous calypsonian...is to the tent what Cinderella was to the house...her Stepsisters held shares

The Big Yard...
Here is where shareholderism is at its peak...selection to do battle in this Big Yard can be guaranteed to a shareholder even in a year when his material is ordinary at best...crowd response plays a bag...biggie...big role here-i almost said something true-here. With highly shareholderised shareholders the mere mention of the name is enough to illicit similar, crowd response of a hard working, crowd pleasing no name performer. Having reached the final with substandard calypsos...the shareholder makes up for his scarcity, often with camouflage tactics which may come across as impressive-or desperate-such as introducing a new song-which will never be seen or heard beyond that performance...lyrics probably being forgotten by the performer themselves during or before the presentation ceremony - that will give the judges an excuse for giving said shareholder an often undeserved high position-even a crown-that would not have been possible if they had performed the  two songs which brought them there, which were publicly acknowledged not to be strong enough to give them a serious chance at landing a  place in the...

Top Four...
This is often the domain of the most shareholderlific shareholder calypsonians with fourth being the default position of a defending monarch who does not place second. A defending monarch placing lower down the order was clearly not significantly shareholderified and can have their reign called into question or be deemed as lucky that a specific shareholder was absent when they won...on the contrary they may actually have simply been/had the best on that particular occasion despite there lack of shareholderocity. A single calypso crown is a clear sign of lack of shareholderishness. 

The top four is often reserved for the;

1. Shareholders who failed to impress in their performance but their shareholderocity disallows them placing fifth or below in any competition...
2. Shareholders who have less shareholderocity than other shareholders in said competition...
3. Calypsonians who were actually good enough for the win but due to their lack of having experienced shareholderfication will not be given their due or...
4. A young and or female calypsonian performing well and being given token representation to appease the 'unfair  because dem is a woman /dem is a youngster' comment from the audience they impressed... or simlarly a young and or female competitor who was actually good enough to win the crown but failed to do so due to a lack of shareholderishness or the presence of highly shareholderified shareholders who it would be unfathomable for them to defeat...
5. The in your face, too controversial, straight talking, often authentic calypso spouting calypsonian's calypsonian, who despite consistency often unmatched by shareholders, will never win the crown as a result of their political incorrectness and inability to call a spade a shovel...deemed as a public relations risk not fit for national representation as a result and therefore never considered for shareholderisation despite their undeniable talent of composing and rendering authentic calypso

The Crown...

Finally the most sharholderified shareholder can win the crown in inexplicable circumstances such as;

1. Forgetting/mumbling/repeating lyrics or entire verses.
2. Returning after a multiyear absence from competition-which is good for ticket sales.
3. Being given the chance to perform their song for a second time after some unexpected often fortuitous technical glitch/Abandonment of a competition they could not win.
4. Gaining a quarter of a point or less over  their opponent who erstwhile had clearly won the competition.
5. Performing a song pundits deemed to be a genre other than calypso.
6. Performing a soca made popular often by winning a previous competition that same year.
7. Performing calypsos deemed to be unoriginal or too familiar with respect to melody-warmed over from the year before and the one before that etc.-or unoriginal lyrics borrowed from other songs more akin to karaoke than calypso performance
8. Having earned a knickname which instantly gives you maximum points in the highest scoring criteria...

If uh sweet uh sweet!

Who de cat like he lick! Scene 1.

'Mavis say/ this year she expect to see/ Crop Over without Controversy/ well that is like this band without de brass/I does gotta laff '-Mr.Dale, Therapy c. 2005

If your name isn't called in 3 tries they have  no idea!

Controversy...
To all those who are complaining that those of us still complaining about Crop Over and its myriad competitions aint gonna change anything guess what...that is part of the festival due to the nature of competitions and frankly debate, discussion is healthy and confession is good for the soul. That said in my next few posts I will explain a few of my key concepts regarding Calypso in Barbados and elsewhere...remember these are my interpretations feel free to agree or agree to disagree. Some are research  and analysis based and some are my own hypotheses based upon observation and hearsay. Tonite being a funny day I TACKLE THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL....

SHAREHOLDERISM...
The term shareholder with reference to someone other than an actual individual owning or 'holding' shares in a company is not a concept I claim to have created and is certainly not unique to Barbados far less calypso competitions...thus why I have opted to coin the term shareholderism-and a few others-to refer specifically to the perceived favour bestowed upon some calypsonians -and bandleaders- when they enter National competitions in Barbados.

No Sport...
To draw a reference from the sporting arena...a shareholder may be an outstanding and often longstanding athlete in their chosen discipline. As a result their selection in a team though not merited on then current performance is to be expected and tolerated none the less, regardless of the existence of brighter talent or better options. They are also expected to enjoy extended lenience and often benefit-sometimes to inexplicable proportions-from refereeing/umpiring decisions or matters which require arbitration from the sports governing body or senior officials, often at the expense of less favoured teams or players. This leads to an air of invincibility around these athletes which is often endorsed by a gullible, unsuspecting or not interested enough public. Anyone, usually opponents or those with the gift of objectivity who 'blows the whistle on any preferential treatment given to the 'shareholders' are labelled as envious, bad minded, jealous and or bitter. In truth these persons may experience some of the aforementioned feelings and often refrain from comment on shareholderism for fear of public ridicule whether or not they have made a fair observation or not.The results of this silence can be extremely dangerous as refusing to call a spade just that, can be used against that whistle blower if  later a similar claim is made. As a result the whistle blower can be denied is due when it is deserved or the shareholder may receive unwarranted acclaim

Pic-who-ya -want...
In Barbados Calypso competitions are invariably shrouded in controversy...of course everyone has their favourites and disagreements are to be expected especially when attempting to objectively judge the very subjective that is performance art...but it seems more often than not, someone is included and someone is left out which seems to defy all logic...When this occurs shareholderism can be the cause.The calypsonian in question need not be a shareholder themselves but maybe a member of a shareholderised 'big tent'-more on this later-akin to being a new member of Manchester United FC benefiting from the Club's shareholderism and thereby undergoing temporary shareholerisation themselves. In Bajan calypso this is a common occurrence at the semi-finals...

Pic-wha-ya-feel
Another example of this might be the selection of a person or persons performing material seemingly outside of the genre of calypso and having no penalty affixed despite non shareholderified performers having attempted similar stunts prior but without similar success.These songs often make it all the way to the finals of the competition especially if the performers is sufficiently popular to create a spectacle-and sell tickets even if the song is not calypso-could be a soca sounding sweet or a poor attempt at calypso...but that is why the competition which makes no explicit reference to calypso can be pejoratively-some argue accurately-referred to as Pick-who-ya-like...

Ah Feeling Ah Feeling

Imani whining up in de Bacchanal Road at Pan Pun de Sand-photocredit-nationnews.com

What If...

Mega Monday on Soca Sunday perfromed by Santuary during the Sweet Soca competition he tied with Imani for 2nd in the Road March-photo credit-facebook/BajeIntl Inc

If there were a song which captured the experience and spectacle of Kadooment... I would say it was Sanctuary with Mega Monday...If there were a song that captured the experience of crossing the stage and hitting the road in costume Imani and Bacchanal Road definitely...If there is a  song, however, that captured the spirit-pun intended- of Crop Over whether cruising the high seas or  liming or partying at Bushy Park, Farley Hill  Spring Garden or  it was Lead Pipe and Saddis Ah Feeling...


Congratulations to...
 Lead Pipe and Saddis Road March winners for Crop Over 2014 whose Ah Feeling Tune of the Crop- the most popular on the road for Kadooment Day.
Their alter egos Porgie and Murda who also tied for 1st place with Giddyup for the Jam Tune most popular tune on Foreday Morning with Gorg's Meh Rum

Porgie and Murda as Lead Pipe and Saddis on the road photo credit-nationnews.com

Picks of de Crop

Karaoke is clearly the most popular form of entertainment among bajans as King I Web illustrates...photo credit barbadostoday.bb

The Judges decision is questionable...
I should hope to arrange an interview with Dr. Agard chief judge for this year's Pic-o-de-Crop competition. After this is should be able to answer the following questions for myself and all and sundry who read this blog. 

1. If judging of a song is done during and completed immediately after a performance, and said results are immediately collected from each judge-with no deliberation- and placed in a sealed envelope bearing the name of the performer, should that not be immediately passed to the auditor for tabulation?
2. Based on the latter premise of the former question, would this not mean that the only score to be tallied would be that of the final performer after he or she has performed?
3.  Based on the latter premise of the former question, should results then be available within 20 minutes maximum of the ending of the competition?

I am not being facetious here, I honestly want that aspect of the judging explained to me...the others maybe too shareholderised-past tense verb of shareholderism, to be explored in a later post-for my irrational kaiso brain to comprehend.

It would appear to me, based on my own observations that the longer the results take to emerge...the more inexplicable they become...often leaving a greater part of the audience wondering if the judges had been watching some other competition besides the one we had all seen. Last night's show ended according to my timepiece ended at 3 minutes past 12 with results emerging at around 12 minutes to one...if my math serves me correct that is 45 minutes taken to tally scores from professional auditors...of course they must recount etc. for surety...but based on my earlier questions...seems a bit long, my Q and A with Dr. Agard is a must.

My Picks...

My expected top three before the final based on a combination of semi-final performances, anticipation of the defending monarchs charisma and presence and judgements of the past suggested to me that Ian Webster would retain 1st,with Crystal Cummings Beckles a closer 2nd than last year and Blood still not knowing how to win in 3rd. After viewing the competition, based on their performances and judgements of the past-you done know agendas operate for and against various calypsonians-my top three was almost unchanged but I thought Blood had bested the monarch. Ian Webster's Still My Home intentionally sombre and reflective I can appreciate, came directly before Blood's Hold on together which was essentially more of the same but packaged more optimistically and solution oriented...I thought this song lyrically, performance wise and also based on crowd response and that dramatic ending did it better. The question would be, had Webster scored highly enough in his Karaoke Song compared to Blood to still hold on to the title.I f crowd response was anything to go by-he absolutely flattened Kensington with big people running bout like dem was inna playpark-he certainly had, I had my own reservations about how the constructing choruses using unoriginal melodies and lyrics would impact his scorecard, so Blood whose I don't know how to Win was no frills and well executed was in with a shout especially since Webster's voice started to crack in his latter performance.

Crystal Cummings Beckles had delivered, but for some strange reason her first half offering Enough is Enough which dealt with the topical violence against women issue the best of any calypso this season was not as impactful as it was at the semis or arguably Headliner's judging night, I cant explain it but it just lacked oomph. On the strength of those aforementioned performances...Queen Rita coming home could have forshadowed the crowning of a new queen. Her transormation of Another View into a defense of Mia Mottley was admirable and vaguely reminiscent of TC stating Dame Billie's case in Woman in Front. Her 'good night ladies' however was enough is enough, the woman agenda was overdone.

Kaiso, Kaiso...

Based on performances and my own observations and interpretations of calypso and competition...Announcer The Man they Love to Hate won my first half. I think he should have left AC for his Second Song and stuck with party politics...for many, myself included the verse about AC knowing the second song would share more licks was unnecessary and weakened that offering by straying off topic. The entertainment value however, of Ronnie's sharp wit, and lyrical prowess was unmatched on the night -I am also a fan of the unapologetic Cro Cro as well. Kid Site his first time at a final for sometime was in good form and had two songs each strong enough on its own. His performances were vintage Kid Site-circa 3peat-but his diction suffered a lot especially in his second performance. Site needs to fix this now obvious problem which is seriously affecting his ability to effectively render a calypso. That said he was still in my top 5 at the end of the night as was Miguel. On his first time at the big yard Miguel ignored all the politics and jibes and gave to nearly flawless rendition of his calypsos. For me Miguel's strong point was his rendition, I found Gun Town to be musically unsuited to the lyrical content but his presentation was on point here too. Lobbying for a Jury I liked more and showed his improving ability to phrase and not just sing calypso well but was a bit dry and some parts of the story development did not work for me-which extra-regional jury member would know 10 calypsos before 1982? That aside he was good enough for my top 5 or a close 6th but maybe he was sixth, who knows? 

This announcing only the top 5 is suitable for Junior Monarch but unnecessary and insulting to paying patrons at this level and gives room for more inexplicable irregularities and speculation in the results. That said I had Blood at 1. Webster 2. Announcer 3/4. Crystal 3/4. Kid Site 5.

AC/Fan Breeze...

I was not impressed by AC in either performance even though Calypso MP as are all of AC's performances well rendered and the presentation though he was too much of the set for me worked well. The song Calypso MP could have been more of an ode to calypso without any attempts to mention politics or respond to Announcer in which he was below par. Below par is what I and a significant number of patrons must have thought of AC's seemingly hurriedly put together Tribute to Fans -or whatever it was called-as they began walking out after realising no improvement after verse 1. The song's repetitive lyrics and video presentation with pictures of fans seemingly at a concert in Europe based on their hue surrounded by the word fans in bold print with exaggerated exclamation marks interchanged with pictures of fireworks cemented in my mind that this was Adrian Clarke's begging song. It would appear based on his shocking second place finish that the AC has some fans among the judges -or tabulators or whoever manipulates the final results...

Kaiso Sweet, Sweet, Sweet...

I  am sorry I had no place for Biggie in this competition period but as expected he rendered well and makes excellent use of his dancers and props which are a necessity in soca competitions but there was no way I placed him before guys that rendered genuine calypso on the night. I missed Mikey and Classic in the first half but I like Turn Up the Love but having missed it at semis too, Iv'e never seen it performed live so decline further comment beyond saying it is certainly not a traditional calypso and I dislike the use of sampling and certain types of synthesizer instrumentation in this type of calypso. That said I think his presentation of Time for We was too Broadway and must have offended purists with its strong latin overtones, costuming and choreography included-not the same as Ole Ashe. Classic was okay in the repetitive Freundel Nose which I hope does not usher in a trend of abandoning band choruses in calypsos-I do not like it at all. On that note Adonijah who always has great classic brassy calypsos, strong lyrics and silky smooth rendition would have made my final before a few mentioned in this paragraph. Serenader I may have swapped with Classic whose Outta Wuk was similarly repetitive and upbeat like Freundel Knows-I did that on purpose-and I would have love to see the presentation for Fine Ants on de Pork, it would have been Crispy...lol!

The Judges decision is final...

It is what it is Announcer, Kid Site, Miguel and Blood must feel hard done, Biggie and AC should be pleasantly surprised but it is what it is.

That said all of the songs and performances were fairly well planned and executed but some better than others...congrats to the King Ian Webster!

Meh Rum...Rules the Party

Gorg, the 2014 Party Monarch of Barbados during his winning routine...HAAAAAAA!!!
photo credit barbadostoday.bb

Aftermath...
Making my way out of  Bushy Park about half hour after the thrilling conclusion of Soca Royale, I run into Gorg the man who emerges the biggest winner along with Biggie Irie-against such competition this is no lean feat...lol-winning the Party Monarch with apparent ease after years of struggling to even reach the final. My posse and I gave my heartiest congratulations to the new king with much conch shell blowing and loud repeated chants of Aye..Aye etc. Gorg while seemingly thankful for the impromptu coronation...didn't seem fazed...at all.

Action...
It was this same relaxed easy going approach with which, Gorg dressed in what his grandmother approved as ' half decent'-jacket,straw hat, flip flops and baggies included - took the Party Monarch competition and turned it on its head. It was a short skit,no more than 2 minutes, Just four or five dancers, DJ Hardware and a bicycle?That was all it took for the laid back, self proclaimed Mr.Sexy to endear himself to the judges and the audience on hand at Bushy Park.

Build up...
Fact of the matter is that, from the time the song hit the airwaves early in the season it grew and grew until it became apart of the collective consciousness of Barbadians appealing to persons from all age ranges and all walks of life, ignoring the existence of any such myths as the  generation gap or a gender divide . This rum shop anthem with its simple lyrics and catchy sing along melody had already endeared itself to the nation. All Gorgy Worgy was left to do was render the song and that he did in a no frills to the point performance.

Wasn't My Winner...
I'll admit this, he wasn't my winner. The song, at just a shade over 130bpms-a requirement for Party Monarch these days-featured no:

• big brass licks,except for 'the horn section/but not really the horn section, '
• jump and wave, no extensive list of instructions to move the crowd, 
• seemingly steroid enhanced gyration routine by the performer, 
• elaborate choreography executed by an army of dancers camouflaged in a kaleidoscope of colour
• onslaught of confetti, assault of fireworks or other pyrotechnics,
• superhero movie inspired outfit, not even a pair of now necessary for soca artistes-even at night-pair of huge sunglasses....

 So How did he win?
I was most impressed by the now expected high energy performances of defending champions Soka Kartel with Turn Around, Mikey's hype but familiar feeling No Shame,Ian Webster and Khiomal's thriller of a presentation with Terror, Kirk Brown's pulsating  Energy and big props to first timer in Party Monarch but former -beating Apollo into second place- 2012 UWI Calypso Monarch Shaquille who's Release looked and sounded the part...fireworks and all.

Another Crown? 
But still Gorg won.When myself said Yow...who would have won if not Gorg, self had no answer to give. How did he do it? The song did. It connected with Barbadians better than any other song in the competition and the laid back but straight forward Gorg realized a solid performance, for which he must be credited, was all that was needed to explode the hills of Bushy Park into a national chorus...'Oh, ohh/oh, ohh/I got my Rum.' 
As this tune approaches folk song status Meh Rum could also rule the Road...Time will tell!

The Sweet Soca Conundrum

Biggie Irie performing Pankatang at the 2014 Sweet Soca Finals dressed for the top spot...he is no longer the best man but the bridegroom-photo credit-barbadostoday.bb

Congratulations to... 
Biggie Irie on winning his first Sweet Soca competition in Barbados but Sanctuary with Mega Monday was my winner, which in my opinion the strongest sweet soca concept and lyrics wise. His 'highway overload' idea can be applied to any Caribbean Carnival culture in or outside the region. This song needs to be heard on Eastern Parkway in a few weeks time and cross the Savannah next year. Sanctuary must be commended for putting together a great performance on his first showing among the big boys as he is more known for his writing talents. Alas crowd response was on the criteria and  neither performer, performance nor song -from a man many thought was Trinidadian and many more have but a vague idea of what he looks like-were able to match the presence of the Red Plastic Bag's Roller Coaster  or Biggie Irie's  Pankatang arguably the most infectious song of the season next to Lead Pipe and Saddis' Ah Feeling which I expect to take the Road March but time will tell.

Enter Conundrum...
Biggie Irie one of the island's sweetest voices and a veteran performer remains the only non Trinidadian to capture the coveted Groovy Soca Monarch title the Trinidadian equivalent and predecessor of the Sweet Soca competition. I point out competition because healthy debate can be had about which island was first to develop the genre of slower groovier soca known outside of competition in Barbados for many years as Ragga soca. Such debate might be an exercise in futility but I can think of quite a few songs from the early 90's which would have been Sweet Soca title contenders. Adrian Clarke's Nice Time springs to mind but I digress.
Yes, Biggie in the absence of a Sweet Soca competition in Barbados took a sweet groovy ragga soca to Trinidad and Tobago and infected everyone with the chorus Nah going home. Despite this success abroad and a string of consistent hits and strong performances at home Biggie was unable to capture the coveted Sweet Soca crown as Miss TC took the first two crowns with Hot Sun and Riddim and Whole Day, followed by the stalwart Red Plastic Bag Once Upon a Wine Mikey's We Loose  and veteran Blood piping him at the line in 2013 with Can't Wait a.k.a King of the Stage. The latter competition Biggie was the expected victor with the infectious Need ah Riddim but despite a fantastic performance was out performed by Blood whose costume changes and addition of Sax man Arturo Tappin to the performance took him over the edge, plus his was the refrain everyone sang as Crop Over 2013 came to a close 'Ah can't wait for Crop Over/Carnival to come again.' Thus up until this year Biggie stood as proof to the biblical saying 'a prophet is honoured everywhere except in his own country among his own kin.'

Conundrum Continuum 
The Connundrum does not end here however as Biggie has entered Pankatang and Get Over a duet sung with upcoming songstress Imani which was reserve for the Sweet Soca final for the Pic-o-de-Crop where the latter was sung solo. History would show that Miss TC was unsuccesful at the Pic-o-de-Crop with Hot Sun and Riddum which strangely enough won not only the inaugural Sweet Soca but the Party Monarch-a competition in which the groovier ragga socas were said to be at a disadvantage to the uptempo pulsating party numbers...more on this in another post-that year making it a double monarch but the biggest loser on the Pic-o-de-Crop stage. Blood attempted the same last year when he took the King of the Stage to Pic-o-de-Crop to partner his social commentary. He fared better than TC emerging in the top four but still no cigar. So as one of my now embattled former history teacher's Rev.Charles Morris would say 'History does not repeat itself , People repeat history' and Biggie is set to do just that. The differences with Biggie and the aforementioned however  are Biggie's lack of experience in this competition as both TC and Blood were both perennial finalists, plus Biggie makes no pretenses of being a kaisonian armed with two sweet socas. Admittedly he tried that route last year when Need ah Riddim accompanied by a Mighty Gabby penned commentary took him to Pic-o-de-Crop semis but a missed cue in the latter saw him out of the contest. Biggie has learned from that experience and has instead this year brought the two sweet socas that took him to the crown and reserve for their rightful competition. Outspoken calypso critic Admiral maintains ad nauseam that despite the rules of the Pic-o-de-Crop do not state that it is 'Calypso' competition explicitly, that it is implicitly understood. I, never surprised by a decision in an NCF competition unless it favours the underdog-Still surprised Popsicle was allowed to win-think otherwise. Now only 'time will tell' as we await Friday's Pic-o-de-Crop, The conundrum continues...

Welcome

Apollo

Welcome to Apollo Kaiso, the blog of two Calypso enthusiasts sharing the same body. I imagine that requires some explanation; 

Well, The Apollo sometimes known as Mighty Apollo is a young Barbadian calypsonian with a traditionalist outlook in his approach to the artform. He has been the Calypso Monarch at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus in 2010 and 2013 placing 2nd in 2009,2011, and 2012. He has judged in the preliminary stage of the Pic o de Crop competition (Barbados' National Calypso Competition) with the Kingdom of the Super Gladiators Calypso Tent since 2009 but has failed to advance to the semi-final or final stages of competition. Yet Apollo remains true to calypso by injecting wit, humour, irony and stinging sarcasm in creating calypsos which deal with social and political issues.

Andre Layne

Andre Layne is a graduate of the University of the West Indies with a Bachelor's Degree in History with Literature (Upper 2nd Class Hons.). His undergraduate thesis 'Power to the People: Calypso and the development of mass Political Consciousness In Post - Independent Barbados' means that Layne is also an avid calypso researcher. Layne is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in History with a continuing focus on the Calypso and other cultural and entertainment activities. 
Thus the calypsonian and the calypso researcher share the same personage. Certainly this represents the rule rather than the exception as this was also the case with pioneer calypsonian and calypso historian Raymond Quevedo a.k.a Atilla the Hun author of Atilla's Kaiso and Trinidad and Tobago's most winning Calypso Monarch the Mighty Chalkdust whose alter ego Dr.Hollis Liverpool is-like myself a school teacher by profession and historian by training - author of numerous books on Calypso and Carnival. 
From time to time Quevedo and Liverpool's names will emerge in the articles written on this blog as will the names Louis Regis, Keith Warner and Gordon Rohlehr all of whom have undertook significant research and writing on the Calypso in Trinidad and Tobago. Herein lies part f the problem this blog hopes to address. Calypso research and scholarly publications have remained quite limited in Barbados save for the efforts of  a few. Namely, the reverred former Director of Culture and inaugurator of the Festival Band Elombe Mottley who may be credited with the 'nationalisation of calypso' and U.W.I Cave Hill's head librarian Elizabeth Watson with her discographies on 10 time Calypso monarch Red Plastic Bag and 2 time winner and perrenial favourite John King. A handful of theses also exist on Calypso in Barbados-mine included-which remain unpublished and relatively unknown and inaccessible. 
Thus, this blog aims to remove central ideas and others from my thesis and future theses from the archives at the University onto the worldwide web where they can foster healthy informed discussions on the state of Calypso in Barbados.It is hoped that this blog can be used as a resource by calypso researchers, calypso fans, commentators and calypsonians alike in creating a better understanding of our artform. Having said that this blog does not claim to be the authority on Calypso in Barbados but rather presents perspectives based on observations and but not always scholarly research. That being said some articles may seem very wordy and academic while others will be, well the opposite.
Without further ado, WELCOME