| Music of the Anglophone Caribbean | ||||
| Genres | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional music | ||||
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Themusic ofTurks and Caicos Islands is best known for itsripsaw music. It is accompanied by an array of instruments, includingmaracas,triangles,box guitar,conga drums, goat and cowskin drums,accordion,concertina and, most prominently and uniquely, thecarpenter saw.
The saw is scraped with a metal object, such as a screwdriver, to produce a unique sound; this is calledripping the saw.[1] The use of the saw (which is the origin of the termripsaw) is of uncertain origin, but may be in imitation of the Dominican and Haitianguiro or traditional African instruments such as theshekere anddjembe.
A closely related style calledrake and scrape is known in theBahamas, closely associated withCat Island, the home of many Turks and Caicos islanders, who moved there looking for work in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Many Bahamian musicians are from the islands, includingThe Cooling Waters,Sly Roker,Bradley Dean,Marvin Handfield,Perry Delancy, andLeo Jones. Many of these expatriates have since returned to Turks and Caicos, bringing with them Bahamianjunkanoo music.[2]
Modern ripsaw pioneers include Tell and the Rakooneers and Lovey Forbes, who created a new style called combina in the early 1980s, using genres from across the Caribbean and the US as inspiration; these includedjazz,calypso,soca andreggae.[3]
The organisationTUCA helps to promote Turks and Caicos folk music and dance. The Turks and Caicos Music and Poetry Festival is a major annual event, attracting such artists as (in 2004)Chaka Khan,Maxi Priest,Boyz II Men,Joe, Shocking Vibes Band, TCI All Star Band and Blakout Crew.[4][5] The first First Annual Turks & Caicos Ripsaw Festival was held in 2003.[2]
