Gwo ka
Encyclopedia
Gwo ka is both a family of hand drum
s and the music created with them, which is a major part of Guadeloupean folk music
. There are seven rhythms in gwo ka, which are embellished by the drummers. Different sizes of drums establish the foundation and its flourishes, with the largest, the boula
, playing the central rhythm and the smaller, markeur (or maké) drums embellishes upon it and interplays with the dancers, audience or singer. Gwo ka singing usually guttural, nasal and rough, though it can also be bright and smooth, and is accompanied by uplifting and complex harmonies and melodies. There are also dances that tell folk stories that are accompanied by the gwo ka drums.
Rural Guadeloupans still use gwo ka drums in communal experiences called lewoz
es; this is the most traditional manifestation of gwo ka in modern Guadeloupe. Gwo ka is also played at Carnival and other celebrations. A modernized and popularized form of gwo ka is well-known on the islands; it is known as gwo ka moderne.
Zouk-UK: Gwo Ka In The Heart of The City
Example of Gwo Ka in the street of Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe
This musical genre is characterised by an African typology:
- repetitive form
- improvisation
- physical movements linked to music
- a response between a soloist and choir
- a syncopation weak times
Gwo-ka, is a quadruple entity: dance, music, instrument, song.
The Lewoz is the war rhythm and use to give rhythm the attacks against the plantations but was also an incantatory dance.
The Kaladja symbolise the struggle in love.
The Pagenbel is the cane cutting dance.
The Toumblak, like the Kaladja, deals with the love theme, belly dance, fertility dance.
The Grage accompanies the agricultural work.
The Roulé is the "creole waltz" to charm and mimick the whites.
The Mindé would be the last rhythm that arrived in the islands with the "Congos" under contract after the abolition. It symbolises the carnival, collective celebration.
drums and chime
s to electric bass guitar
. At root, however, these styles all use the same fundamental seven rhythms as folk gwo ka. Zouk legends Kassav' played an important role in the modernization of gwo ka, giving urban credibility to a style that was seen as backward and unsophisticated; they initially played in a gro ka format, using songs from the gwo ka Carnival tradition of mas a St. Jean and even placing an homage to traditionalist drumming legend Velo on their earlier albums.
Gwo ka moderne artists include Pakala Percussion, Van Lévé and Poukoutan'n, alongside more pop-influenced musicians like Marcel Magnat and Ti Celeste, while Gerard Hubert and others have fused gwo ka with zouk. The most famous modern gwo ka performer, however, is William Flessel, whose Message Ka in 1994 became an international hit.
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s and the music created with them, which is a major part of Guadeloupean folk music
Music of Guadeloupe
The music of Guadeloupe encompasses a large popular music industry, which gained in international renown after the success of zouk music in the later 20th century. Zouk's popularity was particularly intense in France, where the genre became an important symbol of identity for Guadeloupe and...
. There are seven rhythms in gwo ka, which are embellished by the drummers. Different sizes of drums establish the foundation and its flourishes, with the largest, the boula
Boula (music)
The word boula can refer to at least four different drums played in the Caribbean music area.The Guadeloupan boula is a hand drum, similar to the tambou bèlè, and is used in gwo ka and special occasions likes wakes, wrestling matches and Carnival celebrations...
, playing the central rhythm and the smaller, markeur (or maké) drums embellishes upon it and interplays with the dancers, audience or singer. Gwo ka singing usually guttural, nasal and rough, though it can also be bright and smooth, and is accompanied by uplifting and complex harmonies and melodies. There are also dances that tell folk stories that are accompanied by the gwo ka drums.
Rural Guadeloupans still use gwo ka drums in communal experiences called lewoz
Lewoz
Lewoz are the traditional rural musical performances in Martinique and Guadeloupe, as opposed to the modernized gwo ka moderne....
es; this is the most traditional manifestation of gwo ka in modern Guadeloupe. Gwo ka is also played at Carnival and other celebrations. A modernized and popularized form of gwo ka is well-known on the islands; it is known as gwo ka moderne.
Zouk-UK: Gwo Ka In The Heart of The City
Example of Gwo Ka in the street of Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe
Origins
The origin of Gwo Ka goes back to slavery time in the 18th Century. Musical research show that the instrument can find its roots in the drums and songs in the West African countries (Guinea gulf, Congo...)From the diverse music and dance of their homelands, the slaves eleborated a communication tool, a new form of art just as the creole language: the Gwo Ka.This musical genre is characterised by an African typology:
- repetitive form
- improvisation
- physical movements linked to music
- a response between a soloist and choir
- a syncopation weak times
Gwo-ka, is a quadruple entity: dance, music, instrument, song.
Gwo Ka: the rhythms
The influences (lifesyle and musical genre) of the "master" fusioned with this base to create the 7 rhythms or dances: the Lewoz, the Mindé, the Kaladja, the Grage, the Roulé, the Granjanbel and the Toumblak.The Lewoz is the war rhythm and use to give rhythm the attacks against the plantations but was also an incantatory dance.
The Kaladja symbolise the struggle in love.
The Pagenbel is the cane cutting dance.
The Toumblak, like the Kaladja, deals with the love theme, belly dance, fertility dance.
The Grage accompanies the agricultural work.
The Roulé is the "creole waltz" to charm and mimick the whites.
The Mindé would be the last rhythm that arrived in the islands with the "Congos" under contract after the abolition. It symbolises the carnival, collective celebration.
Gwo Ka: the dance
“Gwo-ka is a dance of improvisation by excellence, a dance of the instinct, of the moment. (…) Gwo-ka, dance of resistance, of resilience and adaptation: Dance of Life”Gwo ka moderne
A more modernized version of gwo ka is gwo ka moderne, which adds new instruments ranging from conga or djembeDjembe
A djembe also known as jembe, jenbe, djbobimbe, jymbe, yembe, or jimbay, or sanbanyi in Susu; is a skin-covered drum meant played with bare hands....
drums and chime
Tubular bell
Tubular bells are musical instruments in the percussion family. Each bell is a metal tube, 30–38 mm in diameter, tuned by altering its length. Its standard range is from C4-F5, though many professional instruments reach G5 . Tubular bells are often replaced by studio chimes, which are a smaller...
s to electric bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. At root, however, these styles all use the same fundamental seven rhythms as folk gwo ka. Zouk legends Kassav' played an important role in the modernization of gwo ka, giving urban credibility to a style that was seen as backward and unsophisticated; they initially played in a gro ka format, using songs from the gwo ka Carnival tradition of mas a St. Jean and even placing an homage to traditionalist drumming legend Velo on their earlier albums.
Gwo ka moderne artists include Pakala Percussion, Van Lévé and Poukoutan'n, alongside more pop-influenced musicians like Marcel Magnat and Ti Celeste, while Gerard Hubert and others have fused gwo ka with zouk. The most famous modern gwo ka performer, however, is William Flessel, whose Message Ka in 1994 became an international hit.