Travels with My Trombone: A Caribbean Journey [Hardcover]

Henry Shukman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 18, 1992

From the siesta to fiesta, the lifeblood of the Caribbean is in the rhythms of the salsa, calypso and zouk. The author of this book left London for Trinidad seeking to tap some of this bravura by joining a salsa band - the heart of the islands - and this book tells of his experiences. Caught in the exhilaration of carnival in Port of Spain, jamming with a police band in Grenada, witness to the thunderous drumming in the invocation of the god Shango in Trinidad and learning an unfamiliar style of zouk for a one-night stand in Dominica, Shukman's quest to share the musical roots of the people of the islands uncovered a world of powerful eroticism, ritual and mysticism. And on the mainland, the then travel-hardened Shukman was hurled into another world of carnival in the Colombian salsa capital Cali, sang the vallenato in the plaza of the northern town of La Gloria and was awoken in Cartegena to the nightmare of being falsely arrested as a supsected drug trafficker.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At age 27, amateur trombonist Shukman ( Sons of the Moon ) left his native England for the Caribbean, which had captivated him on a trip eight years earlier. Three weeks before the height of Carnival--Trinidad's Mardi Gras celebration--he was hird to play in a soca (soul-calypso) band called the Blue Ventures. The job became his ticket to all-night parties packed with revelers and fueled by sexual energy and rum; his feverish prose aptly conveys the heated climate, as well as his own elation and overwhelming fatigue. When Lent began, Shukman went to Grenada, Guadeloupe and Dominica to play reggae, zouk (the music of the French Caribbean) and more calypso. Later, he made his way to mainland Colombia for salsa and folk music, but tension haunted his visit, which ended with his wrongful arrest on a drug charge. A continuous soundtrack seems to accompany every adventure here: Shukman joins local outfits for gigs or casual jam sessions, and frequently passes shops and taxis blasting tropical music. Buoyed by sensual imagery, this vibrant travelogue presents a potpourri of islands and musical styles.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Trombone in hand, the intrepid Shukman travels to the islands of the Caribbean, the birthplace of soca and calypso, and to countries on the South American mainland. His mission? To seek out musicians, jam with them, and discover the mysteries beneath music, considered by many to be the world's most sensual and erotic. As Shukman shuttles from island to mainland, his growing feel for the pulsing rhythms is evident. Though his encounters with the locals reveal much about their lives and music, much remains hidden. Shukman's observations are not limited to music: indeed, his thoughts on the natural environment and the local culture are most interesting. Recommended for music and Caribbean collections.
- Kevin M. Roddy, Univ. of Hawai ' i Lib., Hilo
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; 1St Edition edition (June 18, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0002157403
• ISBN-13: 978-0002157407
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,664,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating, wonderful book., March 18, 2001

By 

Brendan Detzner for Badgrammar.tripod.com (Beloit, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Travels With My Trombone (Hardcover)

Travels with My Trombone describes Shukman's odyssey through the Carribbean playing trombone with various groups. The best thing about the book is that it is not a traditional travelogue. Anybody reading this book will learn about the cultures and music of the areas that Shukman travels through, but the real value here comes from the skill with which Shukman reveals not only his knowledge and experience, but his confusion and bewilderment. Reading the book is to share in the sensation of being overwhelmed by the sheer difference of the world in which the author immersed himself. It's like dreaming with your eyes open. The fact that you'll be compelled to go spend your rent money on world music after you finish is just an extra bonus.

The end of the road to nowhere- Bad Grammar. Badgrammar.tripod.com.

4.0 out of 5 stars A musical Caribbean tour of the islands., August 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Travels With My Trombone (Hardcover)

Mr. Shukman started playing Latin music in his native England following a trip to South America. A classical historian by education and musician by avocation, Shukman was drawn to the Caribbean by a desire to learn more of island styles of music and to play with local bands during the Carnival season. He carried names of contacts provided by a Caribbean-born leader of Homer's Odyssey, a steel band based in London. Starting in Trinidad, one contact leads to another as Shukman journeys from island to island, gig to gig and eventually to South America. He masters different musical genres (jing ping, soca, zouk) and experiences true island life through his close association with local musicians. The only this missing from this armchair adventure is a sound track!