Jose Juan: sings “St. Vincent Carnival” in preliminary judging, for Vincy Mas, of Dynamite Calypso Tent in Brooklyn in June 2023.
Picture by Nelson A. King
In detailing his calypso odyssey, Vincentian calypsonian Jose Juan says his love for the artwork kind started throughout his early life.
“I then started my calypso journey in 1977, taking part in pan for Starlift Metal Orchestra,” Jose Juan, a member of the Brooklyn-based Dynamite Calypso Tent, the lone Vincentian calypso tent in North America, informed Caribbean Life, referring to the perennial panorama champions in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“Throughout my time taking part in pan, I developed a relationship with the well-known Tannie Peters, who then piqued my curiosity in performing calypso,” added Jose Juan, whose actual identify is Ramon Diaz. “We had so many conversations about calypso historical past and origin, and our shared love and admiration for the Mighty Sparrow.”
He stated Peters wrote his first calypso, “Tomorrow”, for efficiency within the Calypso Classroom tent, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, led by the late Professor.
“The music had an affect within the competitors however didn’t make it to the Large Yard,” stated Jose Juan, stating that his journey within the calypso world had “ups and downs.”
“I fondly bear in mind my first years with the Calypso Classroom and the affect that I had,” he added. “I used to be very excited and seemed ahead to what the following years would supply me.
“Nevertheless, I used to be knowledgeable that I wanted to audition to carry out for the following 12 months, and I used to be upset that they required me to take action once more,” Jose Juan continued. “It was a tough determination, however I refused and went on to hitch one other tent.”
In the course of the subsequent few years, Jose Juan stated he sang with the Calypso Theater, led by Calypsonian Vibrating Scates “and surrounded by different nice artists, together with Exposer, Duster, Toiler, and others too quite a few to say.
“They had been a few of the nice experiences that helped and formed my calypso growth,” he stated.
Afterwards, Jose Juan stated he “joined forces” with Actuality, Black Messager, De Dale and Pilling Pollard in beginning a brand new calypso tent, Renegade.
Jose Juan credited the late, fashionable Vincentian radio broadcaster and calypso lover Ferrand “Randy D” Dopwell in altering his stage identify.
“I used to be performing beneath the identify Juan Jose, and he informed me this identify doesn’t sound fairly proper,” Jose Juan stated. “He then launched me that evening as ‘Jose Juan’; and, to my nice shock, the identify caught. And I used to be even nicknamed the Chinese language Calypsonian.”
On migrating to New York in 1990, he stated his involvement in singing calypso “solely deepened,” serving to to kind the Dynamite Calypso Tent.
Jose Juan stated he additionally participated in Baltimore and Miami calypso competitions.
He stated his various calypso accomplishments embrace: A number of finals in Sesame Flyers’ Brooklyn competitions; third place within the 2018 New Track Competitors (Vincy Mas); Semifinal within the 2019 Ragga Soca (Vincy Mas); Closing in 2023 Ragga Soca (Vincy Mas); and Semifinal within the 2023 Calypso Monarch (Vincy Mas).
However Jose Juan stated his most memorable accomplishments had been when he lastly made his Large Yard look in 2019 Ragga Soca, performing “Throw It All Away,” and made it to the Ragga Soca finals with “Till Ah Moist” and semifinals within the 2023 Calypso Monarch.
As well as, Jose Juan stated he has been “lucky and fairly proud” of a number of recordings and hits he’s made over time, together with: “I Miss You,” “Worldwide Airport,” “Bat However Don’t Rating,” “Mr. Pan Man,” “Mas Lengthy In the past,” and “Step Up.”
In addition to Peters, he complimented Megail Rayes, Janet Allen, Adrian Bailey and Cherry Ince – writers, arrangers and producers – for serving to to boost his calypso profession.
“With my music, I’m at all times striving to take care of the best high quality requirements, no matter whether or not I make it to the Large Yard or not,” he stated. “That is my private motto.
“I proceed to be a member (of) and carry out with the Dynamite Calypso Tent,” he added. “At this time, I’m nonetheless motivated and trying to sooner or later be on the high of this artwork kind.”
