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We will explore the genres of music influenced by traditional Caribbean culture and reflect on the movements, political and personal struggles of the diaspora and how they have manifested themselves in Caribbean music forms. Music is an essential part of Caribbean lives and culture and has influenced the region politically […]

Welcome!

Earl King Interview Earl King is a long-time Caribbean musician and steel-pan player residing in Brooklyn, New York. Born on the island of Trinidad, he was exposed at an early age to the music of the steel pan, at a time when it was still heavily stigmatized and frowned upon. […]

Interviews with Caribbean Musicians in NYC

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Reggae is a genre of music that originated in the 1960s in Jamaica that has roots in ska, an earlier genre of Jamaican music, and American jazz. It is often recognizable from its heavy four-beat rhythm on the bass guitar, electric guitar, and drums. Traditionally, reggae was seen as an […]

Reggae

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The Steel Pan Instrument The earliest steel pans were made of steel garbage cans salvaged by poor young Trinidadians trying to find new ways to make music during Carnival season. However, during and after WWII, 55-gallon steel oil drums became the standard for making the instrument. According to Peter Seeger, […]

Steel Pan

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  Background Chutney music, originating in Guyana and Trinidad, has its roots in Indian Bhojpuri folk music that was brought by Indo-Caribbean indentured servants in the 19th century and other Caribbean genres such as calypso and soca. Originally, chutney lyrics were typically religious and it was played with the harmonium […]

Chutney Music