Bermuda Music and Dance

 

This tiny Atlantic island Bermuda is highly enriched with traditional music and dances.     However, Bermuda music is often treated as part of the Caribbean music. Why?    This is because this island had long been an overseas territory of the United Kingdom and hardly had any musical origin of its own.    Caribbean islands are not too far away either. So Bermuda music ended up having a significant Caribbean influence.

 

 

It was Eddie Demello who took the main initiative of bringing Bermuda music to a new high. Eddie, who was born in 1937 in Azores, Portugal, came to Bermuda when he was just 11 years old. In 2004, he went on to get Bermuda Arts Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his tremendous contribution to Bermuda’s music and art. 

What did he do?     Demello introduced singers from different countries and of different hues like classical, fado, jazz and calypso, to enrich Bermuda music.    He was instrumental in bringing to Bermuda some of the famous musical talents like Ray Charles and Amalia Rodrigues.    Also, his Edmar records became an all time hit in Bermuda.

Some of the biggest names in Bermuda music who went on to achieve great international success includes Heather Nova as a pop singer and Collie Buddz for Reggae hits, in the US and the UK. 

 

Traditional Bermuda music 

 

There are essentially four types of traditional Bermuda music. Go through the links below to know more about a specific Bermuda music and dance tradition. 

 

1. Bermuda folk music that includes  

Gombey: Bermuda Gombey music and dance is the mixture of British, West African and indigenous new-world cultures. Find out more about Gombeys dance and music. 

 

Bagpipe: Bagpipe music was brought to Bermuda by the Scottish and Irish soldiers between the 18th and 20th centuries. 

 

2. Choirs: Choir is a popular traditional music in Bermuda. In many local churches, this is a long established tradition.    3. Calypso Music: The Talbot Brothers were the first to bring Calypso music to Bermuda. They were the first major calypsonians of the island.

 

4. Steelpan Music: After 2nd World War, Steelpan music originated from Trinidad and was introduced to Bermuda in 1950s mainly by the Esso Steel Band. 

 

Over the years many music schools have come up in the island. Visit Bermuda Music Schools to know more. 

 

Bermuda Music Festival 

 

Annual Bermuda music festival, formerly known as the Bermuda Jazz Festival, is held in October. This is a great opportunity to spend nights full of incredible music from some of the best musical talents from all over the world.  

 

Visit Bermuda Music Festival to find out how this grand music festival is celebrated over four unforgettable nights in the island. 

 

2009 Bermuda Music Festival 

2009 Bermuda Music Festival would be held at the Kings Wharf Dockyard between October 29th to 31st. Quincy Jones and Ne Yo are the star highlights in 2009. 

 

2008 Bermuda Music Festival 

The 2008 Bermuda Music Festival showcased performance of the Whispers, Solange, Lyfe Jennings, Beyonce, Collie Buddz, Ub40, Aaron Neville and Alicia Keys. 

 

 

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