ETIENNE CHARLES
CARNIVAL: THE SOUND OF A PEOPLE (Research)
My friend the Honorable Ray Funk is a distinguished musicologist and also a popular figure in Trinidad where he goes annually to participate in Carnival. He has written widely on the traditions of Trinidadian music, even hosting a TV show there, and of course he gets dressed up for the costume part of the festivities, known as Mas. He was a big hit as a "Midnight Robber" which caused hilarity among his friends who know he is also a judge in the state of Alaska. Etienne Charles, who hails from Trinidad, studied trumpet at the prestigious Juilliard school in New York. On a trip home he was taken with Jab Molassie masquers, vengeful demons who spatter one another with blue paint as they cavort. It's a reaction to the centuries of cruelty practiced against slaves, some of whom were even boiled in molasses. He uses their biscuit-tin percussion and frantic yelling as the backing to his lead off piece on this compelling disc. Singular carnival characters like Dame Lorraine and Moko Jumbie are also feted in his lyrical playing. You'd think trumpeters would be keen to avoid straying into the Miles Davis sound, but Charles jumps right in even adding a distinctive Fender Rhodes electric piano (James Francies) to suggest the cool era Miles with Herbie Hancock on Bitches Brew. It's a pleasant jazz album, the irksome steel pan, so beloved of Hizzoner Funk, only intrudes late on.
KOBO TOWN
JUMBIE IN THE JUKEBOX (Cumbancha CD25)
Now for something completely different. Trinidad is famous for having created calypso music, a kind of troubadour newscast (which of course has traditions going back to pre-literate societies). In Trinidad it has become an historical form with Kaiso, a more rap-like entity, replacing it. But people remember Lord Kitchener, Roaring Lion, Arrow, Mighty Sparrow and other Calypsonians and, more importantly, still quote their lyrics. Kobo Town delivers the news in an updated style, with pointed references like "Three cheers America / I hear how allyuh catch a dictator / Gone down in a hole to catch a mouse / While a rat livin' large in the white house." The music is modern with thumping bass, dub effects, interjected guitar licks, but it has not succumbed to the excesses of modern Caribbean music and makes a wonderful counterpoint to the message. We're even treated to jawbone and bass clarinet in the spread of musical styles. The jumbie of the title is a spirit, like a bogeyman, who has inhabited the old records, and the singer/composer Drew Gonsalves cast a wide net for inspiration, including an adaptation of "The Dark Night of the Soul," by the 16th century Spanish mystic Juan de la Cruz. "The Trial of Henry Marshall" has a "Peanut Vendor" reference for those of you who collect them. The final cut "Tick tock goes the clock," is a mini-epic and is included "on the assumption that every album needs to finish off with a long-winded apocalyptic diatribe peppered with muted trombones and allusions to dead English poets. T S Eliot, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Derek Walcott, Linton Kwesi Johnson and the Book of Revelations crash together in the lines of this song." It's eclectic and the best kind of folk music: a fresh departure for an historic form.
BLACK TRUTH RHYTHM BAND
IFETAYO (Soundway CD033P)
Not exactly a novelty, this is an unusual disc revived from 1976. It sounds like Afro Funk with a twist. The twist being that the band was from Trinidad and instead of being into James Brown and American soul and funk they were clearly listening to the motherland. In fact the lead singer, Oluko Imo went on to record with Fela and Egypt 80. Kalimba, steel pan and flute compensate for the lousy synth that sneaks in now and then and tries to date it. You can tell they are Trinidadian from a few of the calypso-like beats that pop up, adding an interesting flavor to their sound. The last cut "Umbala" is the stand out. The original LP was pretty short so there's an added bonus track "Imo."
CALYPSO DREAMS (MAJOR & MINOR PRODUCTIONS on DVD)
(Directed by Geoffrey Dunn)
This is a documentary film about Calypso told in the Calypsonians' own words, with wonderful performance excerpts. From Lord Kitchener singing "London is the place for me" as he steps off the boat in 1952 to the global hit of "Hot Hot Hot" by Arrow in the 1980s, Calypso has been the pulse of Trinidad, the news, the scandal, the wit of a nation. Presented here are reminiscences, clips and performances by the legendary, the infamous and the obscure: the Mighty Sparrow, Lord Pretender, Black Stalin, Relator, Scrunter and many others. Some of the classic calypsos are performed by the duo Regeneration Now who are a delight to watch. Harry Belafonte is called to account for ripping off the music and defends himself rather pathetically by saying, It's true, I never could be a real Calypsonian, I never sang in the tents, etc, and further claims the title "King of Calypso" was thrust on him by a record company.
David Rudder, who is himself associated with Soca more than Calypso, provides commentary: "A Calypso is everyman's opinion," he says. The film shows the love of language and lyric, warm humour and risqué riposte that is the mark of the art form. For all that the world loves reggae, you don't hear (regular) people quoting reggae lyrics much, or commenting on them as relevant. People worship Bob Marley but what did he say? Other than "Redemption Song" his lyrics are puerile rubbish. Even he, himself, on his deathbed said "What is Jah Jah? -- It sounds like baby talk!" The Caribbean had the English education system until independence, so the Calypsonians depicted in this film had the benefit of loquacious and articulate teachers and words like "soubriquet," "extemporaneous" and "bachannalian," which are not part of everyday vocabulary in America, are commonly used in Port of Spain. Like the troubadour tradition of old Europe, Calypso lyrics tell the news even when it is old news. This film exudes joy and is the definitive account of this musical form.
