The art form known as calypso evolved from the ancient African oral traditions of storytelling and over time, the "chantuelle" aka "griot" or storyteller became the "calypsonian". The rise and popularity of calypso did not occur overnight, but spanned the first half of the 20th Century (1914-1956) and was heralded locally through the masterful works of Atilla the Hun, Lord Invader, the Roaring Lion and later, The Mighty Sparrow. Internationally, groundbreaking releases from The Andrews Sisters ("Rum and Coca Cola") and Harry Belafonte "Banana Boat Song ("Day-O")" also propelled the genre into global consciousness.

In commemoration of our 50th year of independence as a nation and the 65th anniversary of the Holy Name Convent Past Pupils Association, the acts for this year's edition of "Vintage Fuh So" were specially chosen in order to highlight the evolution of the calypso art form.

"The theme is 'De Early Works'," said Association President, Lisa Burkett. "We really wanted to show how much the genre has evolved over time, while still showcasing the impact and influence of the early contributions, so we've asked each act to perform a few of their favourite classic calypsoes, in addition to their own material."

In 1956, The Mighty Sparrow burst onto the scene and took the calypso world by storm with his legendary hit "Jean and Dinah". This song ushered in a new era of politically charged calypso. This politicised form of calypso, allying itself with the People's National Movement (PNM) party, facilitated Trinidad's independence from Britain in 1962. Since then, socially and politically conscious calypso has had a major influence on many of Trinidad's most important social and political movements.

Calypso is the voice of social conscience. However, not all calypsoes are socially conscious: calypso has always had its risqué side too. In fact, some of the most popular songs were those which contained strong sexual undertones and connotations, but were couched in a socially acceptable format in a style known as the "double entendre". A double entendre consists of a phrase or a figure of speech, which is used so that it can be understood in two ways, one of which is usually sexual or slighting. The words mean "double understanding" in French.

The 1970s saw a decline in the popularity of calypso due to external musical influences. Jamaican reggae made its presence known, as did disco and R&B from the US. Musical fusions were bound to happen. As a result, the 1970s gave birth to a more up-tempo, less socially-conscious version of calypso called "soca".

While calypso is the voice of social conscience, Soca is usually party music. Rapso, which boasts of calypso-style lyrics and rhythms also emerged and became popular. Other styles such as soca-chutney, ragga soca and ringbang give listeners even more musical choices, but at the root of them all is the ancient African art of storytelling: which utilises both rhythm and rhyme and still captivates audiences to this day.

Tickets for "Vintage Fuh So 7" cost $275 and are available now at Queen's Hall Box Office in St Ann's and from HNCPPA Committee members. Interested parties can call 681-5335 or 687-9250, or e-mail hncpastpupils@gmail.com for more information.