Caribbean Party (CD)
See item in our catalogue
Description
Experience the infectious, hip-shaking rhythms of Zouk, Soca and Reggae! Join us on a Caribbean cruise to Martinique, Barbados, Haiti and Jamaica. This happy, upbeat CD will keep you moving with the mix of sounds and instruments of the Caribbean.
The Caribbean is home to a string of tourism-friendly island nations and some of the world’s most amazing music. Along with lush vegetation, sugar-sand beaches, and spicy food, each island is defined by its local sound, which remains fairly consistent whether the lyrics deal with partying, courtship, or social protest. This set is devoted to dance-oriented Haitian compas, Jamaican reggae, zouk from the French Antilles, and Trinidadian calypso’s faster and more rhythmically intense descendant, soca (from SOul-CAlypso).
1. L’Histoire Du Zouk – Kali
2. Chale Lanmou – Tabou Combo
3. Serjyo – Bago
4. Pump Me Up – Krosfyah
5. Ice Cream – Coalishun
6. Roots, Rock Reggae – Bunny Wailer
7. Pa Fe Mwen La Pen – Eric Virgal
8. Chayew Ale – Patsy Geremy
9. Dokte – Ralph Thamar
10. Don’t Touch My Tempo – Arrow
Cultural notes
Caribbean Instruments
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- Bongos are drums made from wood and animal skins. These drums were first used in La Plena and are still currently used in many form of Musíca Latina.
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- A buleador is a large drum used in La Bomba made of wood and animal skin.
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- Cájones are boxes that Cubans used to sit on and create rhythms. In the past they used various objects and surfaces that can be found in the household that was available.
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- Claves and palitos are a pair of short pieces of wood struck to produce a clicking rhythm.
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- Congos are a longer form of bongos and are also made from wood and animal skin. These drums are still currently used in many form of Latin music, such as la plena, rumba, salsa, and mambo.
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- The cuarto was adapted by the six-stringed guitar brought to the Caribbean by the Spaniards during colonization. The cuarto was used in La Plena and is still currently used in many form of Musíca Latina.
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- A güiro is a gourd, a hollow, dried shell of a fruit, carved with ridges. It is usually played a stick that is stroked up and down the carved side.
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- Two drums mounted on a stand. The shells are usually made from some kind of metal. Above the drums, a Timbalero, one who plays the Timbales, will have one or two cowbells and a wood block. Timbales are played with two sticks.
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- Panderetas are short drums that resemble what is now known as tamberines. These were used in La Plena
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- Panderos are small frame drums, and were very diverse in terms of its usage.
Caribbean music genres are diverse. They are each syntheses of African, European, Indian and Indigenous influences, largely created by descendants of African slaves, along with contributions from other communities, such as Indo-Caribbean music. Caribbean is also related to Central American and South American music.
Commas: Compas or kompa, is a dance music style in Haiti with African roots. Compas is the main music of many countries such as Dominica and the French Antilles, etc.
Reggae: Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. Stylistically, reggae incorporates some of the musical elements of rhythm and blues, jazz, mento (a celebratory, rural folk form that served its largely rural audience as dance music and an alternative to the hymns and adapted chanteys of local church singing), calypso, and also draws influence from traditional African folk rhythms. One of the most easily recognizable elements is offbeat rhythms; staccato chords played by a guitar or piano (or both) on the offbeats of the measure.
Zouk: Zouk is a musical style originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. Very rapid in tempo, the style lost ground in the 1980s due to the strong presence of Compas and kadans, the main music of the French Antilles. Today, zouk is the French Antilles compas (Kompa), also called zouk-love.
Soca: Soca music (or the “Soul Of Calypso”) is a genre of music that originated within a marginalized subculture in Trinidad and Tobago in the early 1970s, and developed into a range of styles by the 1980s and later. Soca was initially developed in the early 1970s in an effort to revive traditional calypso, the popularity of which had been flagging amongst younger generations in Trinidad by the start of the 1970s due to the rise in popularity of reggae from Jamaica and soul and funk from USA. Soca is an offshoot of kaiso/calypso, with influences from chutney, cadence, funk and soul.
Suggested activities
Music and Movement
- Borrow a range of instruments used in Caribbean music, such as the guiro, claves and bongo. Provide these instruments for the children to experiment with while they listen to the songs on this CD.
- Old MacDonald Had a Band – This version is sung to the tune of the original, except instead of animals, he has instruments. Divide your class into groups with each one playing a different instrument (.i.e. tambourines, sticks, drums, triangles, etc.)
- If You’re Happy and You Know It – Replace body movements with instruments. (i. e. play your drum, tap your sticks, shake your maraca, etc.)
- Include a basket of movement props such as scarves, ribbons and feathers
- Set up a listening station with CD’s from different cultures and encourage children to play along with the songs
Art & Craft:
- Create your own instruments or ‘Junk Orchestra’ using loose parts and recycled items.
External Links
Related items in our catalogue
Instruments
- Borrow from our diverse range of guiros
- drum
- claves
- cowbell
- agogo bells
- Cabasa
The research for this resource was made possible through a grant from the Central Coast Council.