Return-Path: <[log in to unmask]>
Received: from rly-yc01.mx.aol.com (rly-yc01.mail.aol.com [172.18.149.33])
by air-yc04.mail.aol.com (v67_b1.21) with ESMTP; Tue, 01 Feb 2000
19:14:16 -0500
Received: from cwj-serv01.cwjamaica.com (cwj-serv01.cwjamaica.com
[208.11.45.6]) by rly-yc01.mx.aol.com (v67_b1.21) with ESMTP; Tue, 01
Feb 2000 19:13:52 -0500
Received: from sgill ([208.11.47.35]) by cwj-serv01.cwjamaica.com
(Post.Office MTA v3.5.2 release 221 ID# 0-57632U50000L50000S0V35)
with SMTP id com; Tue, 1 Feb 2000 18:51:38 -0500
Message-ID: <006801bf6d10$ec6af4c0$232f0bd0@sgill>
From: [log in to unmask] (Sonia Gill)
To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;@aol.com;>
Subject: Fw: MUSIC-COSTA RICA: CALYPSO TRADITION ATTRACTS A ...
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 18:48:08 -0500
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="----=_NextPart_000_000F_01BF6CE4.E1D5ED20"
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2615.200
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2615.200
------=_NextPart_000_000F_01BF6CE4.E1D5ED20
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>>>SAN JOSE, (Jul. 2) IPS - Calypso, a rhythm originating in the Caribbean
>>>Basin during the era of African slavery, had been limited in Costa Rica
>to
>>>the coastal Limon province until a musician recently brought it to the
>>>capital's recording studios.
>>> Over the last two decades, Manuel Monestel, a sociologist and
>musician,
>>>has forged the "Cantoamerica" project, a group specializing in Latin
>>>American music that experiments with and develops Afro-Caribbean and
>urban
>>>rhythms. He has recently turned his attention to calypso.
>>> Monestel is a believer that calypso is an important expression of a
>>>culture that has been marginalized from Costa Rica's daily life - the
>>>culture of the Caribbean black community.
>>> This Central American country has built its official history around
>its
>>>central valley, which is less than six percent of the entire country,
but
>>>it is where nearly half of its 3.5 million inhabitants live. Frequently,
>>>the cultural wealth of the rest of the nation is forgotten.
>>> "Calypso is more than just a rhythm -- its words reflect the life of
>>>the society, they satirize it, criticise it, love it and also laugh at
it
>>>-- it is common for calypso to contain a lot of humor," Monestel told
>IPS.
>>>
>>> It is thought that composers of calypsos -- or "calypsonians" -- are
>>>the direct descendants of black musicians known as "chantuelles," who
>>>during the slave era, spread news among the Caribbean population.
>>> With their guitars slung on their shoulders, these minstrels sang and
>>>informed people about all kinds of things -- from rebellions to jokes.
>>>They were the chroniclers of their time.
>>> There is no authoritative explanation for the origin of the music's
>>>name, but it evokes the goddess Calypso, a character in Homer's Odyssey
>>>who keeps the hero on her island for seven years.
>>> In the Caribbean islands, calypso is known as "kaiso," and has such a
>>>strong influence over the public that it has reportedly affected the
>>>outcomes of national elections.
>>> "Calypso is the raw material for many rhythms that are popular now,"
>>>said Oscar Sequeira from his seat under a palm tree in Limon's central
>>>park -- a massive man wearing a white guayabera (a Caribbean shirt) and
a
>>>straw hat.
>>> Sequeira is a music instructor at a school in Limon, but he is also
>the
>>>leader of "Caribbean Calypso," one of the best known musical groups of
>the
>>>genre in the Costa Rican Caribbean.
>>> After the colonial era, calypso spread throughout the Antilles and,
>>>thanks to traveling festivals, it became very popular in places such as
>>>Trinidad and Tobago, where it still maintains its social force.
>>> This rhythm arrived in countries like Costa Rica thanks to the
>>>migration of people from the Antilles, where it began to take on the
>local
>>>flavor.
>>> Calypso is sung, usually in creole English, and recounts the joys and
>>>misfortunes of the banana plantations, and the romances of the people,
as
>>>well as making social criticisms.
>>> Calypso is an art form in which the performers made their black
public
>>>laugh in the face of the social ills they suffered.
>>> For example, the Limonese calypsonian Papa Tun, as he is known,
>>>composed this humorous calypso about a malaria epidemic:
>>> "Zancudo, zancudo, no me piques mas/no quiero malaria/no quiero
>>>morir/no me piques mas/no me piques mas/no me piques mas."
>>> (Mosquito, mosquito, don't bite me anymore/I don't want malaria/ I
>>>don't want to die/don't bite me anymore/don't bite me anymore/ don't
bite
>>>me anymore.)
>>> Through its musical "rescue work," Cantoamerica has joined forces
with
>>>the one of the region's most respected calypsonians, an 80-year-old
black
>>>man who lives in the town of Cahuita in Limon province. His name is
>Walter
>>>Ferguson, but he is better known as Mister Gavitt.
>>> Gavitt sings about the little things -- life's details -- but he has
>>>also created calypsos with strong social meaning. In one of them, called
>>>"Retribution," he clearly captures the differences among social classes
>>>and their consequences. This is just a fragment:
>>> "Retribution/I want to sing it loud and clear/retribution/I want the
>>>people to hear/Pushing people's children in the gutter/And you are
living
>>>in luxury/Every day you got your bread and butter/And then you practice
>>>hypocrisy."
>>> Mister Gavitt continues composing and he sends his work to Monestel
in
>>>San Jose, where the musician has been performing Gavitt's work with his
>>>band.
>>> Monestel's newest project is to write a book about calypso, and his
>>>seventh Cantoamerica recording is expected to be ready for release this
>>>August, which will be appropriately named "Calypsonians."
>>> The disk includes 10 songs (nine by Ferguson and one by Monestel),
>>>which Monestel hopes will be a tribute to all calypso composers in the
>>>region.
>>>
>>>. . . The Electronic Evergreen, courtesy of GEM Radio Network
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
------=_NextPart_000_000F_01BF6CE4.E1D5ED20
Content-Type: text/html; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV> </DIV>>>>SAN JOSE, (Jul. 2) IPS - Calypso, a rhythm=20
originating in the Caribbean<BR>>>>Basin during the era of=20
African slavery, had been limited in Costa=20
Rica<BR>>to<BR>>>>the coastal Limon province until a musician&nb=
sp;=20
recently brought it to the<BR>>>>capital's recording=20
studios.<BR>>>> Over the last two decades, Manuel Mones=
tel,=20
a sociologist and<BR>>musician,<BR>>>>has forged the "Cantoameri=
ca"=20
project, a group specializing in Latin<BR>>>>American music t=
hat=20
experiments with and develops Afro-Caribbean=20
and<BR>>urban<BR>>>>rhythms. He has recently turned his=20
attention to calypso.<BR>>>> Monestel is a believer tha=
t=20
calypso is an important expression of a<BR>>>>culture that ha=
s=20
been marginalized from Costa Rica's daily life -=20
the<BR>>>>culture of the Caribbean black=20
community.<BR>>>> This Central American country has bui=
lt=20
its official history around<BR>>its<BR>>>>central valley, which=20=
is=20
less than six percent of the entire country,<BR>but<BR>>>>it=20=
is=20
where nearly half of its 3.5 million inhabitants live.=20
Frequently,<BR>>>>the cultural wealth of the rest of the nation=20
is forgotten.<BR>>>> "Calypso is more than just a=
=20
rhythm -- its words reflect the life of<BR>>>>the society, th=
ey=20
satirize it, criticise it, love it and also laugh=20
at<BR>it<BR>>>>-- it is common for calypso to contain a lot of=20
humor," Monestel=20
told<BR>>IPS.<BR>>>><BR>>>> It is thought t=
hat=20
composers of calypsos -- or "calypsonians" -- are<BR>>>>the=20
direct descendants of black musicians known as "chantuelles,"=20
who<BR>>>>during the slave era, spread news among the Caribbe=
an=20
population.<BR>>>> With their guitars slung on their=20
shoulders, these minstrels sang and<BR>>>>informed people abo=
ut=20
all kinds of things -- from rebellions to jokes.<BR>>>>They w=
ere=20
the chroniclers of their time.<BR>>>> There is no=20
authoritative explanation for the origin of the music's<BR>>>>name,=
but=20
it evokes the goddess Calypso, a character in Homer's =20
Odyssey<BR>>>>who keeps the hero on her island for seven=20
years.<BR>>>> In the Caribbean islands, calypso is know=
n as=20
"kaiso," and has such a<BR>>>>strong influence over the publi=
c=20
that it has reportedly affected the<BR>>>>outcomes of nationa=
l=20
elections.<BR>>>> "Calypso is the raw material for many=
=20
rhythms that are popular now,"<BR>>>>said Oscar Sequeira from=
his=20
seat under a palm tree in Limon's central<BR>>>>park -- a mas=
sive=20
man wearing a white guayabera (a Caribbean shirt)=20
and<BR>a<BR>>>>straw hat.<BR>>>> Sequeira is a=
=20
music instructor at a school in Limon, but he is=20
also<BR>>the<BR>>>>leader of "Caribbean Calypso," one of the bes=
t=20
known musical groups of<BR>>the<BR>>>>genre in the Costa R=
ican=20
Caribbean.<BR>>>> After the colonial era, calypso sprea=
d=20
throughout the Antilles and,<BR>>>>thanks to traveling festivals, i=
t=20
became very popular in places such as<BR>>>>Trinidad and Toba=
go,=20
where it still maintains its social force.<BR>>>> =
=20
This rhythm arrived in countries like Costa Rica thanks to=20
the<BR>>>>migration of people from the Antilles, where it began to=20=
take=20
on the<BR>>local<BR>>>>flavor.<BR>>>> =
=20
Calypso is sung, usually in creole English, and recounts the joys =20
and<BR>>>>misfortunes of the banana plantations, and the romances o=
f=20
the people,<BR>as<BR>>>>well as making social=20
criticisms.<BR>>>> Calypso is an art form in which the=20
performers made their black<BR>public<BR>>>>laugh in the face of th=
e=20
social ills they suffered.<BR>>>> For example, the Limo=
nese=20
calypsonian Papa Tun, as he is known,<BR>>>>composed this humorous=20
calypso about a malaria epidemic:<BR>>>> "Zancudo, zanc=
udo,=20
no me piques mas/no quiero malaria/no quiero<BR>>>>morir/no me piqu=
es=20
mas/no me piques mas/no me piques mas."<BR>>>> (Mosquit=
o,=20
mosquito, don't bite me anymore/I don't want malaria/ =20
I<BR>>>>don't want to die/don't bite me anymore/don't bite me=20
anymore/ don't<BR>bite<BR>>>>me=20
anymore.)<BR>>>> Through its musical "rescue work,"=20
Cantoamerica has joined forces<BR>with<BR>>>>the one of the region'=
s=20
most respected calypsonians, an 80-year-old<BR>black<BR>>>>ma=
n=20
who lives in the town of Cahuita in Limon province. His name=20
is<BR>>Walter<BR>>>>Ferguson, but he is better known as Mi=
ster=20
Gavitt.<BR>>>> Gavitt sings about the little things --=20
life's details -- but he has<BR>>>>also created calypsos with=
=20
strong social meaning. In one of them,=20
called<BR>>>>"Retribution," he clearly captures the differences&nbs=
p;=20
among social classes<BR>>>>and their consequences. This is just a&n=
bsp;=20
fragment:<BR>>>> "Retribution/I want to sing it loud an=
d=20
clear/retribution/I want the<BR>>>>people to hear/Pushing=20
people's children in the gutter/And you are<BR>living<BR>>>>i=
n=20
luxury/Every day you got your bread and butter/And then you=20
practice<BR>>>>hypocrisy."<BR>>>> Mister Gavit=
t=20
continues composing and he sends his work to Monestel<BR>in<BR>>>>S=
an=20
Jose, where the musician has been performing Gavitt's work with=20
his<BR>>>>band.<BR>>>> Monestel's newest proje=
ct=20
is to write a book about calypso, and his<BR>>>>seventh=20
Cantoamerica recording is expected to be ready for release=20
this<BR>>>>August, which will be appropriately named =20
"Calypsonians."<BR>>>> The disk includes 10 songs (nine=
by=20
Ferguson and one by Monestel),<BR>>>>which Monestel hopes will be a=
=20
tribute to all calypso composers in =20
the<BR>>>>region.<BR>>>><BR>>>>. . . The Electron=
ic=20
Evergreen, courtesy of GEM Radio=20
Network<BR>>>><BR>>><BR>>><BR>>><BR>><BR></BOD=
Y></HTML>
------=_NextPart_000_000F_01BF6CE4.E1D5ED20--
