February 19, 2024

Caribbean Folk Music Volume One

Ethnic Folkways Library – FE 4533
Compiled and with Notes by Harold Courlander

Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Box Set
Country: Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela
Released: 1960
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, World
[Tracklist]
A1 Trulla de Navidad (Christmas Rush) (02:05)
A2 Baquine (03:18)
A3 Arada Dance (02:23)
A4 Kumina Dance (02:12)
A5 Heel and Toe Polka (01:27)
A6 So Them Bad Minded (Calypso) (02:10)
B1 Stickman (Calypso) (02:15)
B2 Old Calypso (02:55)
B3 Bele Dance Song (00:56)
B4 Seven Step (03:03)
B5 Bamboula Dance (01:16)
B6 Lapli Tombe (01:22)
B7 Down into the Village Sammy Rider (02:44)
C1 One Bright Summer Morning (02:25)
C2 Song to Chango (02:42)
C3 Balile (Give Him Room) (03:54)
C4 Fignole (05:43)
C5 Nous Allons Dodo (01:34)
C6 Soir, Un (02:10)
D1 Afeduani (02:39)
D2 Serenade (03:10)
D3 Ba Anansi (Brother Anansi) (03:17)
D4 Mazurka (02:51)
D5 Vals Guadaloupienne (01:06)
D6 Aura Waltz (03:10)
D7 Corrido de Pancho Villa (03:22)
[Credits]
Producer and Liner Notes: Harold Courlander, Production Director: Moses Asch
[Notes]
Whether purely instrumental or with a chorus, each of these recordings manages to capture the spirit of the English, Spanish, and French speaking Caribbean. Many of the recordings are of dance music as music and dance are commonly linked in Caribbean cultures. Representing fifteen countries this collection speaks to the vibrant nature of the West Indies where even a song like "Nous Allons Dodo" or "We're Going to Sleep" is anything short of a lullaby.

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