calypsonian


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ca·lyp·so

 (kə-lĭp′sō)
n. pl. ca·lyp·sos
A terrestrial orchid (Calypso bulbosa) native to northern temperate regions, having a rose-pink flower with an inflated pouchlike lip usually marked with white, purple, and yellow.
[Probably Latin Calypsō, Calypso; see Calypso1.]

Ca·lyp·so 1

 (kə-lĭp′sō)
n. Greek Mythology
A sea nymph who delayed Odysseus on her island, Ogygia, for seven years.
[Latin Calypsō, from Greek Kalupsō, from kaluptein, to conceal; see kel- in Indo-European roots.]

Ca·lyp·so 2

or ca·lyp·so (kə-lĭp′sō)
n. pl. Ca·lyp·sos or ca·lyp·sos also Ca·lyp·soes or ca·lyp·soes
A type of music that originated in the West Indies, notably in Trinidad, and is characterized by improvised lyrics on topical or broadly humorous subjects.
[Probably alteration (influenced by Calypso, in reference to the nymph's island home) of Caribbean English kaliso, variant of kariso, variant of kaiso, bravo (shout of approval for a Calypsonian's performance), Calypso music, from ka iso!, shout of encouragement with which West Indian slaves accompanied singers singing satirical songs about plantation owners and overseers, from Efik ka isu, go on (imperative form) (from ka, go, advance + isu, face, front, forward), and its Ibibio equivalent kaa iso.]
Ca·lyp·so′ni·an (kə-lĭp-sō′nē-ən, kăl′ĭp-) n.

calypsonian

(ˌkælɪpˈsəʊnɪən)
n
(Music, other) a performer or writer of calypsos
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References in periodicals archive ?
A magistrate has sentenced a 70-year-old calypsonian to four years in jail after he was found guilty of wounding his younger brother in the latest of violent acts against his siblings.
ST. VINCENT-COURT-Calypsonian jailed as magistrate sings one of his compositions
He has always felt a powerful connection to the calypsonian, seeing similarities in their role as diasporic artists, and since his introduction into the world of poetic language came from listening to calypsonians such as Kitchener on local radio.
Empire Windrush's Most Famous Passenger Lands Again in England
Indeed, Barbadian community figures such as the influential calypsonian 'The Mighty Gabby' went on to say that Sixmen's became a fundamental site of contestation more generally over what it means to be 'Barbadian'.
Assemblage, transversality and participation in the neoliberal university
Barbadian calypsonian and folk singer Anthony Feteiit, better known as "Mighty Gabby", wrote a song for Palestine which he sang for the first time last Tuesday at the Venezuelan Cultural Institute during the Palestinian Film and Arts Festival week.
Caribbean Folk Singer Mighty Gabby Sings for Palestine (VIDEO)
The opening chapter, which focuses on calypsonian Brother Valentino and reggae singer Pablo Moses, lays the foundation for a critical intervention in Caribbean politics and theory, making an important societal connection that spans the region from Jamaica to Trinidad and Tobago.
Critical Interventions in Caribbean Politics and Theory
Goldthree: Your book, London is the Place for Me, takes its title from a hit song by the Trinidadian calypsonian Aldwyn Roberts, who performed using the stage name Lord Kitchener.
Black Britons and the politics of belonging: an interview with Kennetta Hammond Perry
The genre first developed in the mid-'70s through the music of calypsonian Lord Shorty (later known as Ras Shorty I), who sought to blend calypso with the chutney sounds of the polyglot island's substantial East Indian population, creating a Trinidadian sound he called "the soul of calypso." Abbreviated to soca, the genre crystallized in the '80s, with synthesizers and drum machines approximating the sounds of brass bands and rhythm sections.
Inside Soca's roots revival
Kangkala, a calypsonian, is the narrator of Earl Lovelace's Caribbean saga.
Earl Lovelace. Is Just a Movie
I remember that growing up in Trinidad the calypsonian, like the blues singer, was regarded by my parents and grandparents as devil music.
BTW Playwrights Conference 2011
As a well-known composer and singer of calypso, a real calypsonian, not just a fella who sing other people songs, I don't expect a problem.
Is Just a Movie
Amy carried on, restless as ever, moving from one place to the other, forming women's organizations here, political organizations there, and various civic organizations everywhere it seemed, sometimes with Sam Manning, her longtime lover and an outstanding calypsonian, but always in need of money, always trying to develop schemes for making money, none of which did well.
Tony Martin, Amy Ashwood Garvey

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