Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda (Norman Luboff Choir)

Subject: Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda - Norman Luboff Choir
From: GUEST,hein
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 06:30 PM

Who can help me with the lyrics of "Dansez Calenda", performed by Norman Luboff Choir?

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5--4weOjNo

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda - Norman Luboff Choir
From: greg stephens
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 06:37 PM

I know a Cajun song called Danser Colinda, but I've no idea if this is the one you mean, as the Colinda(Calinda) is danced in several different cultures.The one I know starts

"Allons danser Colinda
Allons danser Colinda
Allons danser Colinda
Pour faire facher les vielles femmes"

Is that the one?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda - Norman Luboff Choir
From: GUEST,hein
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 06:44 PM

greg, this is not the song I mean. It should start with something like "Nous sommes dansez Calenda, nous sommes dansez calenda, shout evrybody carree carree, nous sommes dansez Calenda". I dont know the right spelling, since part of the song seems to be french.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda - Norman Luboff Choir
From: greg stephens
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 06:49 PM

sounds like another version of the same song, the words would fit the tune I know. Trouble is, the one I know is the Louisiana cajun French language version, but there other Colinda songs from various Caribbean islands as well. I'm not sure if they are all French speaking, i think some might be Spanish as well.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda - Norman Luboff Choir
From: masato sakurai
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 08:55 PM

According to The Song Index of the Enoch Pratt Free Library (Garland, 1998), "Dansez Calinda" (Traditional) is in Roger Blanchard's Chansons De La Louisiane (Paris: Heugel Et Cie, 1949).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda - Norman Luboff Choir
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 12:52 AM

AMG - All Music Guide lists a song called DANSEZ CALENDA that appeared on the Norman Luboff Choir's 1957 LP "Calypso Holiday," which has been reissued along with "Songs of Christmas" (that is, 2 LPs on one CD) as Collectables CD 6061, 1999. It is credited to "Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman [nee Keith] & Norman Luboff."

AMG also lists songs called DANSE CALINDA (recorded by Richard Hayman and by a band called Redbone—nothing to do with Leon Redbone, apparently), DANSE COLINDA (recorded by Gene Vincent), and DANSE KALINDA BA BOOM (recorded by Dr. John). All those recordings seem to be out of print.

I wasn't able to find any sound samples or lyrics.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda (Norman Luboff Choir)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 Dec 11 - 05:55 PM

The Norman Luboff Choir did indeed record a song called DANSEZ CALENDA. It's on their album "The Very Best of" (2011)—and if I'm not mistaken, the cover of that album shows a twilight photo of the cathedral in St. Paul Minnesota—which is odd, because I don't think the choir has any particular association with St. Paul, and only 2 or 3 songs out of 37 on the album seem to be religious.

Allmusic.com says the song appeared on the album "Calypso Holiday" (1957) and a couple of later collections. It gives songwriting credit to Alan Bergman, Marilyn Keith, and Norman Luboff.

Wikipedia doesn't say whether the choir still exists. Luboff died in 1987.

I viewed the album cover and listened to the recording on Spotify.

The lyrics seem to be a mixture of French and English. The English parts seem to be sung in some sort of Caribbean dialect.

I don't think I'd like to try to transcribe it, because it would be difficult, and anyway, it's not a true folk song—at least this version isn't, although it might have been derived from one.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda (Norman Luboff Choir)
From: GUEST,Bassman
Date: 25 Apr 17 - 09:11 AM

I've spent years & years trying to track down any trace of this song, which I heard as a kid in the 50's and has been running through my head ever since!
Now I've got a lead at last.
Many thanks

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda (Norman Luboff Choir)
From: GUEST,#
Date: 14 Mar 21 - 12:35 PM

https://www.jstor.org/stable/3814282?seq=1

That preview looks like it may shed some light. It's in JSTOR.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda (Norman Luboff Choir)
From: GUEST,#
Date: 14 Mar 21 - 12:37 PM

Norman Luboff Choir doing it.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5--4weOjNo

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda (Norman Luboff Choir)
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 14 Mar 21 - 08:59 PM

I might have a go at transcription if I can't find a proper set of lyrics somewhere.

The original Luboff Choir album was best known for Yellow Bird. This song was the last track on side B. Most all of the following is tourist ballyhoo:

"The program concludes with Dansez Calenda. The calenda was formerly a war dance, used to train young men in the art of stick play. There were shouts of “Carré!” (from the French “Square off!”) and players would jump in a ring formed by spectators, and grab sticks. Great skill was required in the dancing, because the sticks were of hard wood, heavily weighted, and in the excitement of the dance, such a stick could be a lethal weapon."
[William Attaway, liner notes, Calypso Holiday, Columbia, LP, CL1000, 1957]

Kalenda in general here: Lyr Req: Kalenda Rock (Mourning Song)

It's the Christmas holidays but, without context, it just means “calendar.” The song & dance forms (estampie, saltarello &c.) mentioned in the other threads predate Columbus by centuries.

Tune Req: Kalenda Maia
Saturnalia
Koliada
Colinda

Afaik, it has no Sub-Saharan African cognates, then or now.


RE: Allons Danser Colinda
“Colinda,” on the other hand, is a Creole or Cajun woman's name (pretty figure.) Kó is corp, Latin for “body;” plus linda, modern Spanish for pretty.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda (Norman Luboff Choir)
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 14 Mar 21 - 09:37 PM

Dropped the last link: Lyr Req: Allons Danser Colinda (Cajun)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda (Norman Luboff Choir)
From: leeneia
Date: 15 Mar 21 - 11:36 AM

A long time ago, I went to the Virgin Islands, and the guidebook said that the language used English, French and African words. This may apply to most of the Caribbean. So transcribing this song by listening to it may present a real challenge.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda (Norman Luboff Choir)
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 16 Mar 21 - 08:03 AM

“...English, French and African words...”

“RE: Lyr Req: African songs
Mrrzy: "African" covers a whole lot of territory...”

There are a probably a thousand+ sub-Saharan African languages.

The Caribbean basics are Spanish, French, English and Dutch, in that order. The two official Creoles are drawn from them.

But Air France pilots landing in the French State of Martinique, or anywhere in Africa, conduct their business in controlled natural English… say again?

Aviation English
Seaspeak
Simplified Technical English

No matter where you are, or are from, you “make your manners” in English. It's been that way since before WWII. It was French before then. It was a mess before they took over.

The song transcription challenge is with the Yank pop choral French. It's not really Caribbean or European.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda (Norman Luboff Choir)
From: GUEST,Sean O'Shea
Date: 16 Mar 21 - 09:20 AM

Sorry,my last post only appeared as a title.
Have heard this verse;
Ce n'est pas tout le monde qui connait,
Ce n'est pas tout le monde qui connait.
Tout le monde qui danse le connait,
Tout le monde qui danse le connait.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dansez Calenda (Norman Luboff Choir)
From: GUEST,Paul Annis
Date: 07 Jun 25 - 10:49 AM

Although the song first appeared on the Norman Luboff Choir LP Calypso Holiday in 1957, I know it from the 1959 Norman Luboff Choir LP Songs of the Caribbean, which my mother bought as a Christmas or birthday present for my father in the early 1960s. I was never aware of the 1957 disc until now, but having looked up the details on Discogs, I see that each of the two albums has 12 songs, and 8 of the songs are on both discs. Dansez Calenda is the last song on both albums.

The English lyrics for this song and most of the others on both of the albums are credited to Marilyn Keith and Alan Jay Bergman, well-known lyricists who were married to each other.

Both albums are available on YouTube for anyone who wants to listen to them.

I have the original album Songs of the Caribbean, and transcribed all the lyrics for my own interest. I append the full lyrics for Dansez Calenda. As someone else pointed out, "Carré!" means "Square off!" in French. I will also remark that "tambo" is from the French word "tambour", meaning a drum, and a "flambeau" is a torch. The first line means "We are going to dance the calenda".

Nous allons danser calenda
Nous allons danser calenda
Shout everybody carré carré
Nous allons danser calenda

Nous allons danser calenda
Nous allons danser calenda
Shout everybody carré carré
Nous allons danser calenda

Jump in the ring, dance around by the light of the flambeau
Of the flambeau
Pick up the stick, make them beat to the beat of the tambo
Of the tambo
Faster! faster! Make the stick go, don't miss a beat
Faster! faster! Make the stick go, dance round the beat

Nous allons danser calenda
Nous allons danser calenda
Shout everybody carré carré
Nous allons danser calenda

Nous allons danser calenda
Nous allons danser calenda
Shout everybody carré carré
Nous allons danser calenda

Them in the ring, hit stick to the beat of the bongo,
Of the bongo
Jump up and down, move around and around and around go
Round around go
Faster! faster! Make the stick go, don't miss a beat
Faster! faster! Make the stick go, dance round the beat

Nous allons danser calenda
Nous allons danser calenda
Shout everybody carré carré
Nous allons danser calenda

Nous allons danser calenda
Nous allons danser calenda
Shout everybody carré carré
Nous allons danser calenda

Nous allons danser calenda
Nous allons danser calenda
Shout everybody carré carré
Nous allons danser calenda

Nous allons danser calenda
Nous allons danser calenda
Shout everybody carré carré
Nous allons danser calenda