Trinidad and Tobago has made an immense contribution to regional and international music with calypso, the steel pan, soca and more. But unfortunately, we have not done enough to support these local artists and inventors by buying legal copies of their music, from which they might actually garner some income. Instead, via illicit music downloading …
Category: music
The Making of a Steel Pan | Discover Trinidad & Tobago
Originally written for and published in the 2008 edition of Discover Trinidad & Tobago travel guide The steel pan (it’s really a bit of a faux pas to call it a steel drum!) is one of Trinidad’s proudest exports. It distinguishes itself by being the only acoustic, non-electric instrument invented in the 20th century, and one incubated right …
Continue reading The Making of a Steel Pan | Discover Trinidad & Tobago
Inscription of hope…
I wanted to share this with everyone... It's a piece the Youth Chorale performed at Marionettes' last concert. In these times, I think the message rings and sings as truly as ever... Quoting from a Russian folk tune, composer Z. Randall Stroope arranged a stunning choral and instrumental piece called "INSCRIPTION OF HOPE". Based on …
Moforibale Esu
As this calendar year draws to a close, it's a time for reflection on and remembrance of years past, and for resolutions about the year ahead. It's a time when many of us think about what the future may hold, and try to prepare ourselves to make the best decisions possible, to (as Oprah might …
On “Artiste” & “Master Artist”
I'll start with "artiste", because its senseless use is far more tangible to me, while I entertain that there may be some sort of rationale for the employment of the term "master artist" that I have not yet encountered. Let's start at the beginning. Trinis have this thing where anybody who is a performer of …
Ella Andall — Say My Name…
It's a helluva thing. I just finished writing about Ella Andall for the latest issue of Caribbean Beat. That article was an expression of exactly ten years of awe and admiration for this cultural icon, which began with this very same Carnival and Calypso season in 1997. So this video (as I hope against hope …
SoCa = Wha?
I get nervous about our global village when it comes to "third world" nations. Imperialism of any kind, being from a region that was just so recently colonised (and in parts, still is), makes me very uneasy. I worry for our region and others, whose cultures and artforms can be exoticised, misrepresented, and ultimately, diluted …
Ella Andall’s Earth Music | Caribbean Beat
Originally written for and published in Caribbean Beat magazine in 2007 It’s Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day in Trinidad, but instead of taking a day off, Ella Andall is doing what she always does—singing. It’s a 90-minute drive from her home in Arima to the southern town of Rio Claro, where Andall is slated to sing. She’s …
Caroline Taylor 