Cariso

Cariso

Cariso is a kind of Trinidadian folk music, and an important ancestor of calypso music. The word may come from carieto, a Carib word that means joyous song. Cariso used satirical and insulting lyrics, and is related to the picong tradition. Cariso singers, called chantwells, sang primarily in French creole. Cariso is also Virgin Islander folk song.

Contents

Definition of a Chantwell

The ‘Chantwell’ is another incarnation of the African ‘Griot’ tradition. On the Caribbean plantations African ‘Griots’ became ‘Chantwells’ preserving the tribe’s history and traditions orally. They would sing to contemporary and mythical heroes and to the Gods. They would also preserve the complex oral traditions of West Africa with songs of derision, praise, satire, and lament. At first the Chantwells were mostly women because the males were targeted for destruction on the plantation. On Emancipation the tradition continued and the Chantwells would sing call and response chants called ‘lavways’ lionizing and cheering on champion stickfighters. This form of music gradually evolved into the modern Calypso. As the country became urbanized Chantwells became more and more a male function but the portfolio remains the same. The Chantwell is the Call- the tribe and the audience is the Response.

Rapso Music-in the Cariso Tradition

Rapso music is itself an evolution of the ‘chantwell’ or ‘griot’ tradition of African music in the diaspora. It is called ‘the poetry of Calypso’ and ‘the Power of the Word in the rhythm of the Word’. Rapso is the poetic ‘rap’ form of Trinbagonian music- the next evolutionary step of Calypso and Soca. It also has origins in the ‘oral tradition’ elements of the performances of traditional masquerade characters in the Trinidad Carnival.

Traditional Masquerade characters like the Midnight Robber, the Pierrot Grenade, and the Wild Indians each have particular forms of poetic and musical speeches that echoed ancient African masking and poetic traditions. Rapso borrowed many of the rhythmic and performance elements of these forms.

The first wave of Rapso music occurred in the late 1960s with the invention of Rapso by its pioneer Lancelot Kebu Layne. The second wave occurred in the late 1970s and mushroomed in the early 80s with the work of Brother Resistance and the Network Rhythm Band alongside other artists like Brother Cetewayo and Brother Book. This wave mainstreamed Rapso music in the musical equation of Trinidad and Tobago and World Music.

The 3rd wave of Rapso occurred with the advent of young groups such as Kindred and Homefront in the early 1990s. They were part of a musical movement entitled the ‘Kiskadee Karavan’ which was led by millionaire Robert Amar who invested his money in the unleashing of the young musical genius of Trinidad and Tobago. The Karavan revolutionised Trinidad’s music by taking ‘traditional’ forms like the Rapso and giving it modern production and promotional methods to take the music to stadiums in the native Trinidad and Tobago. This opportunity uncovered many talents on the ground, and was able to create a series of anthemic musical singles. The song ‘This Trini could Flow’ by super-group Kindred took Rapso into the 21st century and firmly entrenched the music as a form comparable to hip-hop and dancehall.


see also

References

  • ProudFlesh
  • Sheehy, Daniel E. (1999). "The Virgin Islands". Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Volume Two: South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Routledge. pp. 968–974. ISBN 0-8153-1865-0. 


Stub icon This article about a music genre is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.