Whither Kaiso? Points for consideration

CALYPSO, KAISO IF you prefer, is a genre steeped in tradition. That has been part of both the gender’s strength and also ironically, its limitation. When one holds on too feverishly to what has always existed you stop moving forward; you become stuck in time.This has been the same fate which limited the development of the steel pan when pan tuners stuck jealously to their own designs to the detriment of the standardisation of the instrument with all that implied.

But in calypso, we saw what happened since a performer and writer named Garfield Blackman, sobriquet Lord Shorty, jumped out in front of most calypsonians and began to “change the musical structure” to “make it super sweeter” as he sang. He declared “it’s a new generation, endless vibration, Right on”. And right ahead he and the traditional art form which was known as Kaiso moved.

Then Kaiso became Soca which years later, gave further birth to two children: Power Soca and Groovy Soca/Ragga Soca, depending on who you talk to. And the production of dance music bloomed.We have seen Soca artistes headline at Madison Square Garden and even Lincoln Center in NewYork.

But a great part of our annual carnival festivals is the element of competition and competing for the coveted Monarchy. And here is where it begins to get interesting.

In the competition for the Kaiso Monarchy we are accustomed to seeing individuals competing for “de crown”. But in the area of Ragga Soca and Power Soca in the SVG variant we have been presented with a relatively new phenomenon of duos competing and, in fact, as occurred last year actually winning the Power Soca category.

This has spurned a new interrogative. If the two members comprising the duo, having won the Monarchy together, decide to compete as individuals in the new year’s competition, do they both get a bye so they compete as two defenders for the crown automatically? We believe that the Carnival Development Corporation has not yet ruled on that.

But this week we pose another question to the CDC. Since two persons have competed for one Monarch’s title and that is accepted in Soca, would the CDC accept two persons, or for that matter three or more singers entering the Calypso Monarch competition? And we suggest if not, then why not?

We present this question for debate within the calypso fraternity. And we propose further, are we not limiting the development of the calypso art form if we insist that a calypso monarch has to be a single person? Are we also not limiting the potential harmonious delivery we can achieve from a duet or quartet delivering a well penned calypso?

So as we contemplate the issue stated earlier of joint monarchs competing separately as two monarchs, is it not time for us to contemplate the further development of the possibilities which lie ahead for Kaiso?

Progress and change are constant but, are we ready to make that next move?