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Glossary

Calypso:

A style of Afro-Caribbean music which originated in

Trinidad and Tobago at about the start of the 20th century.

Chantuelle:

Modern form of the griot.

Chutney:   

Chutney is an uptempo song, accompanied by dholak,

harmonium anddhantal, played in rhythms imported from

filmi, calypso or soca.

Griot: 

An African storyteller.

Indentured labourers:

Persons who came to work on the sugar plantations in theWest Indies. They agreed to work for a certain time for a wage. 

Kaiso:

A type of song which originated in West Africa.

Mardi Gras:

A celebration of costumed masqueraders copied from the French Colonists

Mores:    

Customs; traditions; ways of life

Patois:

A French Creole dialect spoken in some Caribbean Islands.

Soca:

Soca is a modern form of calypso with an up-tempo beat. There is a popular misconception that soca is a fusion of American soul music and traditional calypso. Hence the name "so-ca," soul/calypso. Though this sounds plausible,it is simply not true. Soca music originated as a fusion of calypso with Indian rhythms, thus combining the musical traditions to the two major ethnic  groups of Trinidad and Tobago. It was invented by the late Garfield Blackman (Ras Shorty I) and Cecil Hume (The Maestro).

Splendifferous:

Splendidly different; extraordinary; one of a kind

Steelpans (also known as steeldrums or pans, and sometimes collectively with musicians as a steelband) is a musical instrument and a form of music originating in Trinidad and Tobago. Steelpan musicians are called pannists.

Wine:

1. A gyration of the waist.

2. 'To wine on someone ' a) is to have the upper hand.

                                    b)to dance with someone while the waist

                                       gyrates.

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