The Art of Extempo
One of calypso's great traditions is extempo, or improvising songs, "and that's taken a couple of different forms," said Funk. "In the ‘50s, and even in the ‘40s, two singers would trade insults, and that continues in the tents every night, three or four singers exchanging verses. A different type of that occurred with tourists. A segment of calypsonians would sing for tourists. Panther did that in the ‘50s, going out to the boats and at the popular tourist spots. They had a set series of verses they could use. A mark of a good extempo singer was a marker of a good calypsonian. Pretender was the best of his generation. In the last decade there's been a revival of extempo singing, and the modern masters are current Trinidad and Tobago Government Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism Winston Peters known as the Gypsy, Sheldon John, Lady Africa, Contender, Lingo, Black Sage and Short Pants to name just a few. Every year there's a competition.
The competitors open an envelope, and inside is a topic, and each contestant has to do four verses. Some fall flat some nights. Gypsy is consistently great.
The competitors open an envelope, and inside is a topic, and each contestant has to do four verses. Some fall flat some nights. Gypsy is consistently great.
