Calypso conference and exhibition in NY

A public conference about "Calypso in New York and Atlantic World" will be held in Brooklyn, NY this saturday (October 30, 2004). The organiser of the conference, the Institute for Studies in American Music and the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, will bring together leading calypso scholars and artists to explore the multifaceted history and aesthetics of calypso from the early twentieth century to the present.

Ray Funk, Les Slater and Dr. Hollis "Chalkdust" Liverpool, just to name a few, will talk about the history of Calypso in NY and future trends.

In the course of the twentieth century, mass media, migration, military service and tourism transformed Trinidadian calypso into a major form of popular music that was performed in countries throughout the Americas, Europe and Africa. The Roaring Lion, Lord Kitchener, Sir Lancelot, Harry Belafonte and numerous other artists interpreted calypso for new audiences and achieved international profiles. New York, with its large Caribbean community and extensive entertainment industry, became a center for the performance and dissemination of calypso.

Related Exhibitions:
- Calypso Music in Postwar America
Brooklyn College Library, 4 October, 2004 - 17 December, 2004
- Calypso: A World Music, available online

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