Let’s do a bit of time traveling this month on Groovalizacion and let’s go back to mid-20th century in the Caribbean. In company of Andy Narell’s steel drums and the anecdotes of the singer Relator, we explore the streets of 1950s Puerto España during the golden age of calypso. This musical style, born more than a hundred years ago in Trinidad and Tobago, is given a second life thanks to this album of classics originally composed by Lord Kitchener. The legendary singer-songwriter modernized this rhythm by taking in new musical elements assimilated during his 17-year stay in London. Since then, calypso has kept developing, mixing at times with soul, funk, rock, chutney music of Indian influence, reggae or dancehall. And it is thanks to this album, released in 2009 and called "University of Calypso", that the most characteristic and popular genre of Trinidad and Tobago is now rediscovering its true essence.
Andy Narell is a musician from New York living in France and who, a few years ago, fell for the fresh and sparkling sound of steel drum music to become one of its best interpreters although he is seen as an opportunist by some. Alongside him is William Harris aka Relator, who lends his voice to tell stories inspired by the everyday life and packed with puns and sarcasm. On the long list of guests, giving the album a touch of latin-jazz, we find Cuban musician Paquito D’Rivera playing the sax and the clarinet and Argentinean pianist Dario Eskenazi. This is a fantastic journey through what traditional Caribbean music does best while avoiding the clichés of many compilations for tourists.
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