Leona

Leona walks out of Stardom Calypso Queen Show

The many persons who patronized the Stardom Tent Queen Show on Wednesday night were left deeply dissatisfied when 2014 calypso sensation LeonaLeona, walked out of the Sisserou Hotel venue without performing.

Master of ceremonies, Alex Bruno, announced to the crowd that Leona, who is a member of the Showdown Mas Camp Tent, decided not to perform at the Stardom event after her request to be accompanied by her own musicians was turned down by the Tent’s organizers.

Read More »Leona walks out of Stardom Calypso Queen Show

Pat Aaron

Pat Aaron (facebook piece)

Pat AaronWell another Saturday morning for the Mas Camp assassins. I have always found that fellers who cannot even blow a whistle in the right key, because they have access to the radio by proxy, always see themselves the experts of calypso. They can listen to a piece of a song once and judge the song.

Read More »Pat Aaron (facebook piece)

Political bickering threatening Dominica’s calypso

Alex BrunoA cultural activist who has been involved in the calypso industry in Dominica for over twenty years has identified the infiltration of partisan politics in the art form as a major threat.

Alex Bruno, who has also served on the executive of the Dominica Calypso Association for ten years, said in an interview with Dominica Vibes that calypso is getting its “fair share” of political infiltration.

“I’m not going to accuse any side; red, green, blue, yellow or pink, but it would take a blind man or woman not to see that the party politics bickering is finding its way in calypso…I’m not sure where it is coming from but it’s coming and it’s there”.

Read More »Political bickering threatening Dominica’s calypso

Calypso Drift

An excerpt from Steinberg Henry’s “Calypso Drift.”

The following is an excerpt from Steinberg Henry’s “Calypso Drift.” In this excerpt, author and broadcaster Alex Bruno speaks with June “Sandy” Soanes – a 2007 conversation. Here goes —

… I read a marvelous morning, even one bearing signs of an erotic linguistic unfolding on radio. Its spoken language continued to amuse me.

Read More »An excerpt from Steinberg Henry’s “Calypso Drift.”

Dominica Calypso

Calypso History

Dominica CalypsoIn the sixties, calypso and steelband music became very popular and indeed replaced lapo kabwit and chanté mas as the music of carnival, particularly in the capital Roseau. Many of the traditional songs were performed in the new calypso beat. Calypsonians and calypso monarch competitions emerged and became extremely popular. Steelbands emerged all around the country. Read More »Calypso History