Calypso Awakening from the Emory Cook Collection
byVarious Artists - Smithsonian Folkways
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Avg: 4.0 (29 ratings)
- Date Released: September 26, 2000
- Genre: International
- Style: Caribbean
- Label: Smithsonian Folkways
Trinidad Carnival in all its glory.
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We Say...
Calypso was the sound of Carnival and Trinidad, and this glorious live recording by Emory Cook captures a Calypso tent in full swing; you feel you're part of the audience, laughing, sweating, and enjoying the elaborate wordplay of the songs. And there's some rare talent on display, with people like Lord Melody and Mighty Sparrow, two of the genre's towering figures. It becomes especially interesting when they indulge in a picong, or contest, extemporizing calypsos to score off each other. It's glorious stuff, with its roots in West Africa. But that's not all. There's also some wonderful steel band playing (the other hallmark of Trinidad's Carnival), yet there's no doubt that it's the singing that's the centerpiece here. There's topical material ("Federation"), wicked humor ("Booboo Man") and more sophistication in the arrangements than you might expect, with a full band often chiming in. This is Trinidad Carnival in all its glory.
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They Say...
These 21 live and studio tracks were recorded in Trinidad and released on Emory Cook's Cook label between 1956 and 1962. In comparison with some other calypso recordings from the mid-20th century (including a few on Smithsonian Folkways, which issued this collection), this has an advantage in that it's a compilation, not a single-artist anthology, guaranteeing some diversity, particularly in the arrangements. As it happens, calypso notables Lord Melody and Mighty Sparrow are responsible for about half the selections, even singing together on "Picong Duel." However, you also get sides by Wrangler, King Fighter, Commander, Small Island Pride, the John Buddy Williams Band, and an unidentified steel band. The backing is occasionally minimal -- just an acoustic guitar, bass, and maracas for Small Island Pride's "Taxi Driver," for instance, and an audio verite recording of a pan being tuned. It's the small band sides by the likes of Lord Melody and Mighty Sparrow, though, that have the most danceable charm, with their light jazz overlays. Lord Melody's "Turn Back, Melody" even bears a distant relation to early ska music, with its rudimentary electric guitar, honking sax, and insistent beat, while the sparring between him and Mighty Sparrow on their duet of course is in the verbal tradition that has led to rap music. All told, this disc could still use some more variety, but it's unceasingly playful, good-natured stuff, sometimes cloaking some critical lyrics about crime, income tax, colonialism, and inflation.
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| 01. |  |
Saturday Night Blowout
|
3:31 |
|
| 02. | |
Carnival Celebration
|
2:21 |
|
| 03. | |
Booboo Man (Mama, Look at Bubu)
|
4:22 |
|
| 04. | |
Federation
|
2:41 |
|
| 05. | |
No, Doctor No
|
3:02 |
|
| 06. | |
Taxi Driver
|
3:28 |
|
| 07. |
Tuning of a Picong
|
0:42 |
|
|
| 08. | |
Yankees Gone
|
2:25 |
|
| 09. | |
Yankees Gone
|
1:48 |
|
| 10. | |
Picong Duel
|
4:26 |
|
| 11. | |
Cowboy Sparrow
|
3:25 |
|
| 12. | |
Reply to Melody
|
3:55 |
|
| 13. | |
Carnival Proclamation
|
2:44 |
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| 14. | |
Paye
|
4:12 |
|
| 15. | |
Turn Back, Melody
|
4:15 |
|
| 16. | |
Teresa
|
4:48 |
|
| 17. | |
Come Go, Calcutta
|
3:07 |
|
| 18. | |
No Crime, No Law
|
2:52 |
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| 19. | |
He No Dead Yet
|
3:23 |
|
| 20. | |
Bongo Man
|
2:49 |
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| 21. | |
Neighbor Jacqueline
|
3:07 |
|
21 Total Tracks, 67:23 Total Length
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Credits
- Kevin Burke - Photography // Kevin Burke - Photography // Kevin Burke - Photography // Kevin Burke - Photography // Kevin Burke - Photography // Lord Melody - Performer // Mighty Sparrow - Performer // Mighty Sparrow - Performer // Mighty Sparrow - Performer // Jack Towers - Disc Transfers // Anthony Seeger - Production Supervisor // Pete Reiniger - Mastering // Kenneth Bilby - Composer // Kenneth Bilby - Annotation // Mary Monseur - Production Coordination // Carla Borden - Editorial Assistant // Peter Seitel - Editorial Assistant // D.A. Sonneborn - Production Supervisor
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