Kaiso! which means "go on!" or "bravo!" is a five-minute auditory and visual timescape tracing the musical journey of kaiso to calypso to the birth of the steelpan in the 1930s and soca in the 1970s.
Through a montage of archival footage and chronological medley of 22 layered tracks, Kaiso! builds toward a closing tribute to the tradition's carriers, ending with a movie style credit roll naming over 130 known calypsonians, whose presence and perseverance shared the spirit of Trinidad and the Caribbean across the world.
Kaiso! which means "go on!" or "bravo!" is a five-minute auditory and visual timescape tracing the musical journey of kaiso to calypso to the birth of the steelpan in the 1930s and soca in the 1970s.
Through a montage of archival footage and chronological medley of 22 layered tracks, Kaiso! builds toward a closing tribute to the tradition's carriers, ending with a movie style credit roll naming over 130 known calypsonians, whose presence and perseverance shared the spirit of Trinidad and the Caribbean across the world.
Rooted in chantwell and call-and-response vocals, witty satire, political commentary, social resistance, mockery, freestyle, and double entendre, kaiso is a sound and style carried from West Africa and rebirthed in Trinidad between the 16th and 21st centuries during multiple periods of colonization and post-emancipation.
Known for its signature style of off-beat syncopation and polyrhythms, kaiso reflects over 500 years of African diasporic and Afro-Caribbean tradition, continuity, survival, rebellion, joy, and celebration. The traditions of kaiso paved the way for calypso to later become the voice of Trinidad Carnival by the early 20th century.
Rooted in chantwell and call-and-response vocals, witty satire, political commentary, social resistance, mockery, freestyle, and double entendre, kaiso is a sound and style carried from West Africa and rebirthed in Trinidad between the 16th and 21st centuries during multiple periods of colonization and post-emancipation.
Known for its signature style of off-beat syncopation and polyrhythms, kaiso reflects over 500 years of African diasporic and Afro-Caribbean tradition, continuity, survival, rebellion, joy, and celebration. The traditions of kaiso paved the way for calypso to later become the voice of Trinidad Carnival by the early 20th century.
Press Play to listen a 5 minute chronological audio journey of kaiso to early Calypso featuring edited audio clips from Lovey's Trinidad String Band, Henry Julian, Sam Manning, Roaring Lion, Growling Tiger, Lord Invader, Lord Kitchener, Mighty Sparrow, Lord Creator, Lord Shorty, Lady Trinidad and David Runner.
This work is a non-commercial, transformative archival montage created for research and cultural presentation.