Calypso Band 107/407C
Founded in 1986 by Dr. Eugene Novotney, the Cal Poly Humboldt Calypso Band was the first ensemble of its kind in the entire California State University system. The Cal Poly Humboldt Calypso Band is a 100% acoustic group comprised of an orchestra of steel drums, or more accurately, steelpans. The steelpan, or "pan" as it is called in the Caribbean, is a highly developed instrument formed from a raw 55-gallon oil barrel. The barrel is hammered, measured, etched, tempered, and then fine-tuned by an expert craftsman. Through the use of single, double, and multiple combinations of barrels of different depths, the full symphonic range of instrumentation is reproduced.
The Cal Poly Humboldt Calypso Band prides itself in maintaining an accurate and authentic connection to the roots of the steelband movement and the innovative musicians of Trinidad & Tobago, the island nation that created and developed this unique percussion phenomenon. Many of the Cal Poly Humboldt Calypso Bands’ steelpans were built by Clifford Alexis, a Trinidad native living in the United States. The band is dedicated to the performance of traditional and contemporary music from the Caribbean, Africa, Brazil, and the United States.
The indigenous “Calypso” and “Soca” music performed by the Cal Poly Humboldt Calypso Band represents the true voice of steelband music in the Caribbean, and steelband arrangements from Trinidad & Tobago greatly influence the group's repertoire and instrumentation. Over its twenty-five years of existence, the Cal Poly Humboldt Calypso Band has developed a relationship with some of Trinidad & Tobago’s most important steelband composers, most notably Ray Holman & Len “Boogsie” Sharpe, who have written many of the arrangements and original scores that the group performs. Some alumni of the group have traveled to the West Indies, where they performed in the National Panorama Competition during Trinidad’s famous Carnival celebration, and performed in some of the best steelbands in the world. Other alumni have gone on to lead steelbands in communities, in public schools, at colleges and universities, and professionally throughout the United States.
The Cal Poly Humboldt Calypso Band meets weekly as a class in the Department of Music, and is open to both music majors and non-majors alike. In addition to the Cal Poly Humboldt Calypso Band’s regular performances at Cal Poly Humboldt and throughout Northern California, the Calypso Band has undertaken tours to San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Sacramento, Stockton, Fresno, Bakersfield, Berkeley, Oakland, Long Beach, Los Angeles, San Diego, Eugene, OR, and Seattle, WA.
Video of the Cal Poly Humboldt Calypso Band performing “Pan in Unity” with special guest soloist from Trinidad & Tobago, Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe
Video of the Cal Poly Humboldt Calypso Band performing “Bazodee” by Ray Holman with special guest soloists from Trinidad & Tobago, Josanne Francis and Liam Teague
Video of the Cal Poly Humboldt Calypso Band performing “Misbehave” by Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe
Promotional Video of the Cal Poly Humboldt Calypso Band: "30 Years of HSU Calypso Band"
