Customer Reviews

Calypso Breakaway 1927-1941

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We play this CD in a restaurant where I work. We usually play a lot of jazz, some Latin music, and now old style Calypso. This music reminds me of thirties style jazz artists, but with island style. The lyrics are fun, the music is gently rythmic and playful...think of a quieter version of "Day-O" in the movie Beetle Juice.--Makes you wanna shimmy.

Picture you are in the 1930's. A seaplane takes off in the water in a harbor as you watch the sun go down. Vintage saling ships and merchant steam boats bob in the water. The warm evening breeze blows palm leaves and the smell of afro-carribean cooking mingles with flowering bouganvilla and hibiscus. You are sitting in a restaurant as ceiling fans stir cigar smoke and the background sounds of a calypso band play for your enjoyment. Tourism hasn't exploited this island yet and you realize just how far away from home you actually are.

These recordings will take you to this time and place.

The calypso music of the 1930s and 40s was a music of a different era. It creates images of a Jamacia that is long gone, a legendary and lost time. Anyone interested in the Calypso music of the 30s and 40s should start with this compilation. It has all the big players of the genre, such as Lord Beginner, Atilla the Hun, and Lion (who contributes my favorite track on the entire compilation "Love Thy Neighbor"). The music itself is unique and accesible at the same time, making for an incredibly fresh listening. The truth remains that this was a seminal period in music history, and this is an excellent portrait of the musical genre. A great introduction to the genre (some company needs to produce a box set of this stuff).