A thought occurred to me that I had almost forgotten.
Remember when Carnival in Trinidad used to be a two speed affair?.
Long before the DJs, we had music bands on the road, and their music was at a faster tempo than the steelbands.
Most of the big costume bands (we called them "Historical" bands) preferred the brass bands for their music, and their masqueraders "jumped up" much like they do today with the DJs.
On the other hand, if you played mas with a steelband, it would have been a military mas or a simpler costume like cowboys, lumberjacks etc.
The steelbands held a slower pace, and moving along to their beat was called "chippin". By the end of the day, most people chose "chippin" over "jumping up"
It is interesting to note that as the steelbands participation on the road declined, so did the "chippin".
Of course, the change in music tastes to the faster soca style also accelerated the disappearance of "chippin".
I remember the calls by calypsonians like Maestro and others for steelbands to pick up the tempo.
But one can not help but wonder if a more aggressive effort of the steelbands to stay involved on the road would have kept the slower steelband "chippin" style as an alternative to todays manic jumping up on the streets at carnival..
Just a thought, folks!
