tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35095201398390814852024-03-21T23:39:04.829-04:00Muriel's Treasure: Calypso ArtifactsIrwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-24066018446631054072017-02-23T12:14:00.000-05:002017-02-23T12:17:43.969-05:00Go Calypso, GoCultural appropriation of the kitschiest variety, starring the voluptuous Mamie Van Doren:<br><br>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bf-Nmc6VQU8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br><br>Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-12385605500184273862016-06-03T11:44:00.000-04:002016-06-03T11:44:00.472-04:00Muriel's Treasure, Vol. 2Now available thru <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/muriels-treasure-vol.-2-vintage/id1070828878?ls=1&app=itunes" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A69M84A" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, and everywhere else. Volumes 1, 3 and 4 also available, with more to come. Meticulously digitally remastered from vinyl—which means they ain't perfect, but they're as good as you'll find them in the absence of master tapes.<br />
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGSmLan33GpikyajUgaNEZdJNSnulXAAkkkcdqvDwSEbEmp56BF2miflgmYpz_T7eq19goI7H_TKIWPzzM_e4bWW31AgwOgiWGR0vVYWPV4BBZAYp9sObO4pCrUskAhEeRM5jpSU82WWwF/s400/MT+V2-72.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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Track list:</div>
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01 Percy Dixon - Bloodshot Eyes<o:p></o:p></div>
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02 Duke of Iron - Calypsonian Invasion<o:p></o:p></div>
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03 Lord Kitchener - The Wrecker<o:p></o:p></div>
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04 Marie Bryant - Don't Touch Me Tomato<o:p></o:p></div>
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05 Fabulous McClevertys - Landlady Want de Rent<o:p></o:p></div>
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06 Mighty Sparrow - Castro Eating Banana<o:p></o:p></div>
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07 Lord Christo - Boy Days<o:p></o:p></div>
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08 Lord Creator - Mr Rake and Scrape<o:p></o:p></div>
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09 unknown - Brown Skin Girl<o:p></o:p></div>
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10 Lord Nelson - I Got The Itch<o:p></o:p></div>
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11 Duke of Iron - Undercover Man<o:p></o:p></div>
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12 Lord Spectacular - Lazy Man<o:p></o:p></div>
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13 Mighty Gypsy - Sucker<o:p></o:p></div>
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14 Mighty Prince Galloway - Confusion Men<o:p></o:p></div>
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15 Count of Monte Cristo & Congo Bey - Run Joe<o:p></o:p></div>
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16 Sir Jablonski - More Pork<o:p></o:p></div>
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17 George Symonette - Camilla<o:p></o:p></div>
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18 Lord Creator - Race Track (mono)<o:p></o:p></div>
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19 Talbot Brothers - Atomic Nightmare<o:p></o:p></div>
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20 Tony Johnson - Linstead Market<o:p></o:p></div>
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21 Lord Invader - Reincarnation<o:p></o:p></div>
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22 Telco Orchestra - Belmont Jackass<o:p></o:p></div>
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23 Mighty Zebra - The Bedbug<o:p></o:p></div>
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24 The Sparrow - Donkey Want Water (Hold 'Em Joe)<o:p></o:p></div>
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25 Mighty Duke - Play Them<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-74067129473424010482016-06-02T10:51:00.001-04:002016-06-02T11:40:38.783-04:00The Avalanches - "Frankie Sinatra"<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="252" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SjfspM5sDIA" width="448"></iframe>
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The Great calypsonian <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rum-and-coca-cola/id356077214?ls=1&app=itunes" target="_blank">Wilmoth Houdini</a> takes uncredited vocal turns in this video by the Avalanches for their single, "Frankie Sinatra." The sampled song is "<a href="http://murielstreasure.blogspot.com/2007/04/wilmoth-houdini-late-1940s.html" target="_blank">Bobby Sox Idol</a>," which Houdini recorded in the early 1940s to celebrate the young crooner who made female hearts flutter on concert stages, over radio airwaves, and on 78 rpm platters.
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>HT: Mike Noble</i></span><br />
<br />Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-50874045180212548472016-02-03T19:39:00.002-05:002016-02-03T19:47:32.604-05:00Muriel's Treasure, Vol. 1Now available thru <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/muriels-treasure-vol.-1-vintage/id1070827770?ls=1&app=itunes" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ACI60QW" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, and everywhere else. Volumes 2, 3 and 4 also available, with more to come. Meticulously digitally remastered from vinyl—which means they ain't perfect, but they're as good as you'll find them in the absence of master tapes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwdfrAGpiV9t4wpzWRFuFlkisM6LYUxfgVwz06cHtSv4F_YCLnyFTpnUcMnqlaVQo9POUrgKLxt1QMZvl73TvyBcW57UHFgT4_SdqlQx0l4dbw4RMVt0QnGkAWLPghVcfb_xnZhlXRdKK/s1600/MT+V1-72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwdfrAGpiV9t4wpzWRFuFlkisM6LYUxfgVwz06cHtSv4F_YCLnyFTpnUcMnqlaVQo9POUrgKLxt1QMZvl73TvyBcW57UHFgT4_SdqlQx0l4dbw4RMVt0QnGkAWLPghVcfb_xnZhlXRdKK/s400/MT+V1-72.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Track list:</div>
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01 Lord Kitchener - Muriel And De Bug<br />
02 The Lion - Trinidad, Land Of Calypso<br />
03 Mighty Sparrow - The Slave<br />
04 Duke & the Jamaica 5 - Bloodshot Eyes<br />
05 Wilmoth Houdini - Bobby Sox Idol<br />
06 George Symonette - Coconut Water, Rum And Gin<br />
07 McClevertys - Don't Blame It On Elvis<br />
08 Duke of Iron - Fifty Cents<br />
09 Mighty Zebra - Man Smart, Woman Smarter<br />
10 Duke & the Jamaica 5 - Hungry Woman<br />
11 Lili Verona - Massa Johnny<br />
12 Duke of Iron - The Music Lesson<br />
13 Duke Errol & the Lords - Mama Look'a Boo Boo<br />
14 Lord Brynner - Hang Them High<br />
15 Lord Kitchener - Smoke A Cigarette<br />
16 Count Lasher & Williams - Mufradite<br />
17 Talbot Bros - Too Much Rock & Roll<br />
18 Duke Errol & the Lords - Shame And Scandal<br />
19 Mighty Dougla - Split Me In Two<br />
20 Mighty Zebra - We Like Ike<br />
21 Duke Errol - Back To Back and Belly To Belly<br />
22 Lord Christo - Trip To Mars<br />
23 Two Gun Smokey - Vacation<br />
24 Nap Hepburn - The River<br />
25 Mike Alexander & the Pott Steelers - You Are My Sunshine<br />
<br />Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-63033132084459883632016-01-09T09:40:00.003-05:002016-01-09T09:40:46.547-05:00We can do it!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg609eIq8-_SATMrDV1RS2SWtgK9Zo4nw79aUcPcFkKQ3aINACP6LmM3dN2T2cM3zR-4R7KU3jOvL7qo323TIN5ZY2Y7-j4kTtvxKMvby-8FVX3Pv1rEbBGhop5AjQl68wa0xC8Q80ZcEGQ/s1600/RumGreat-72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg609eIq8-_SATMrDV1RS2SWtgK9Zo4nw79aUcPcFkKQ3aINACP6LmM3dN2T2cM3zR-4R7KU3jOvL7qo323TIN5ZY2Y7-j4kTtvxKMvby-8FVX3Pv1rEbBGhop5AjQl68wa0xC8Q80ZcEGQ/s400/RumGreat-72.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-61352115906303511662010-05-11T14:07:00.017-04:002010-05-11T19:03:16.590-04:00Calypsos for Adam and Eve<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEANB42ev6p0e930AMEyFzuoQxz7_A2p6pZ4JHjirMUhtOPSdPC9xNY_gVd7YfGBaWNtHatp_P7-_hEv2UhaNB8zHwttI-Kpz-b1XiGiEvZUN73P_jpXaq9SKCl9_-HJVkS-WYzD_Rq6n7/s1600/Calypsos+for+Adam+%26+Eve-72.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 390px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEANB42ev6p0e930AMEyFzuoQxz7_A2p6pZ4JHjirMUhtOPSdPC9xNY_gVd7YfGBaWNtHatp_P7-_hEv2UhaNB8zHwttI-Kpz-b1XiGiEvZUN73P_jpXaq9SKCl9_-HJVkS-WYzD_Rq6n7/s400/Calypsos+for+Adam+%26+Eve-72.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470082696355098098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">This vivacious tropical cover for the Monogram label (disc: Kalypso Records Ltd., Jamaica) appears to be the handiwork of the same uncredited artist who illustrated Ritmo's </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://murielstreasure.blogspot.com/2007/05/calypsos-from-jamaica-lp.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Calypsos from Jamaica</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">The above 7" EP features tracks by the Duke of Iron ("Big Bamboo"), Lord Kitchener ("Big Toe"), the Four Deuces ("Lemme Go Emelda"), and Sir George Brown ("He Like It, She Like It"). The A-sides, with Kitch and Duke of Iron, are classic Trinidad calypso, while the artists on side B reflect the Jamaican mento variant. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">We would appreciate any information about the illustrator, whose style is audacious and singular.</span></div><div><br /></div>Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-59687198733958351572009-11-25T10:39:00.011-05:002010-05-11T19:06:24.222-04:00The Day Van Dyke Parks Went Calypso<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK8j52TQKqjurx4EgCXtP2Y-mDMw3s8ubOnmF9ZmJp2zTfyT5Hx-RTmT5edZUABYaS2tOUfq8IbcMttO1O-JTDN_OxlZUAjCSWlP1Aem2lGCJLouoh7_16ldYflCZYhM751RXFk6GBxKY9/s1600/Feature33.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK8j52TQKqjurx4EgCXtP2Y-mDMw3s8ubOnmF9ZmJp2zTfyT5Hx-RTmT5edZUABYaS2tOUfq8IbcMttO1O-JTDN_OxlZUAjCSWlP1Aem2lGCJLouoh7_16ldYflCZYhM751RXFk6GBxKY9/s320/Feature33.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408067363112586994" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><a href="http://www.crawdaddy.com/index.php/2009/11/19/the-day-van-dyke-parks-went-calypso/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Crawdaddy magazine</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> (Nov 19): "Parks is generally a well-mannered and affable Southern-born gent with a mildly mischievous streak. A one-time child prodigy on clarinet, he’s often mentioned in tandem with his Southern California work with Beach Boy Brian Wilson, who was reportedly too tripped-out to continue their </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Smile</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">-era collaborations. A formidable freethinker and raconteur of psychedelic dimensions himself, you can hear the Parks imprint, curly-cuing through 'Heroes and Villains' and 'Sail On, Sailor.' ... Rarely at a loss for bookings as a composer, arranger, musician, and producer (Parks would go on to work with artists from Harry Nilsson and Ringo Starr to Joanna Newsom and Rufus Wainwright), ... he juggled sessions by psychedelic bands as well as singer-songwriters Randy Newman and Phil Ochs. It was following the critical success of his first solo work, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Song Cycle</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">in 1968 and the oil spill in ’69, that Parks began in earnest his pursuit of the music of the West Indies—specifically calypso and ... steel pan."</span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">HT: Jeff Winner</span></span></span></div>Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-574238044512503872009-05-09T11:24:00.007-04:002009-05-09T13:34:22.307-04:00Pillow Fight (Lord Kitchener)Domestic violence on YouTube:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meV1LvzkAX8" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aJPozkkn2z6MOid4RfR8xPlOCqzKKEQ9hQUqI_9hxA3F_PlXnmOdHokW3NVcOosklysprv441X7dZ5zZg6suT9dBOLMsOfemmheviuc80M_NP0oITFf8qV4UKkpGLT0dCfqK13lFUauN/s400/Pillow_fight.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333846967086210322" border="0" /></a>No guns, no knives, no fists—just a weapon whose use was chronicled by Monty Python's take on the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSe38dzJYkY" target="_blank">Spanish Inquisition</a>.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >HT: Lane Steinberg</span>Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-47759398172777224892008-04-14T10:20:00.004-04:002008-04-14T10:24:24.418-04:00Tomatoes, touchingBob Marley's mom recounts her young son's discovery of songs about fruit:<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iTWU6EiCazI&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iTWU6EiCazI&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);font-size:85%;" >HT: Thelma</span>Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-54616566070079952412008-02-02T10:28:00.000-05:002008-02-02T20:37:28.700-05:00Nobody but she husband<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgclNPGYppa8JcPYGJ_MfVPqvGqpYHyf1f7vkke5qfUtlMGzzIV7n3Dkl7Q3FikvkpiPRhKJOzs6lVzptv8qd-km1p8RCmJlrkEtYjgdH8M4UCWNwzfhqGDDzYtzN9A7TqgIZ9x_PuIp3uk/s1600-h/frying+pan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgclNPGYppa8JcPYGJ_MfVPqvGqpYHyf1f7vkke5qfUtlMGzzIV7n3Dkl7Q3FikvkpiPRhKJOzs6lVzptv8qd-km1p8RCmJlrkEtYjgdH8M4UCWNwzfhqGDDzYtzN9A7TqgIZ9x_PuIp3uk/s200/frying+pan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162409238118712178" border="0" /></a><br />"Murder is nothing to brag about"—unless it sells a half-million records. <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,933584,00.html?promoid=googlep" target="_blank">TIME</a> magazine fêtes calypsonian <a href="http://murielstreasure.blogspot.com/2007/04/wilmoth-houdini-late-1940s.html" target="_blank">Wilmoth Houdini</a>, August 26, 1946.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >HT: <a href="http://www.wfmu.org/Playlists/Doug/" target="_blank">Doug Schulkind</a></span>Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-37679062114305584642008-01-22T15:29:00.000-05:002016-03-27T13:25:14.053-04:00True, Man, True<span>Somebody has to play Cleopatra. Why not <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANvMAyXuQpI" target="_blank">Mary Tyler Moore</a>?<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANvMAyXuQpI" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqiVbm_gM11EXPVV4-cJz9-VLkJGYf2rE6cqZ4PllzJUBJoPFvMl4FKh-L0KdHHOPkj7biScWc2Y2QYYtBCoYax0-3jU07-PmuwSBKfUOdJ_8bZrZ1Q-5N9TtRZFJJkcZp4yzGvZ2riGW/s400/TMT.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162483253290124162" border="0" /></a>Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-90295115762092064862007-12-19T10:33:00.000-05:002007-12-19T11:28:15.623-05:00Calypso girl<object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Xk1_ERAR8Pk&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Xk1_ERAR8Pk&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:85%;" >HT: Michelle Shaw</span>Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-13038408177556902112007-12-17T12:13:00.000-05:002016-03-27T13:32:50.940-04:00Liar!Claims he's "never eaten white meat yet."<br><br>
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a5zWruGDqo0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-42614606756907456722007-09-15T17:05:00.000-04:002007-09-19T17:18:53.573-04:00Bloodshot Eyes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52TcziODNISo-jxI_LjSdfKhf54qq86cZGyukWULkWUVni7ZupOBTb2OmOwo0lRIFHAoXvRcky9FTscvAWQpoINQBqeaMhpdbvYsAUKNAvEkxYeOCrnkDgjlvid0NSnXkNnw0x6ucEu-H/s1600-h/housebuilding-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52TcziODNISo-jxI_LjSdfKhf54qq86cZGyukWULkWUVni7ZupOBTb2OmOwo0lRIFHAoXvRcky9FTscvAWQpoINQBqeaMhpdbvYsAUKNAvEkxYeOCrnkDgjlvid0NSnXkNnw0x6ucEu-H/s400/housebuilding-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112026887761990754" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.wfmu.org/irwin/muriels_treasure/" target="_blank">Muriel's Treasure</a> will not be returning to the WFMU airwaves this Fall. The host (who is not actually named Muriel) has been concentrating on <a href="http://www.jimflora.com/" target="_blank">this</a> project and <a href="http://raymondscott.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">that</a>.<br /><br />Doesn't mean the Treasure won't return in 2008. <span style="font-style: italic;">Calypso is Dead! Long Live Calypso!</span><br /><br />In the meantime, <a href="http://wfmu.org/podcast" target="_blank">podcasts</a> of previous <a href="http://wfmu.org/playlists/MZ" target="_blank">broadcasts</a> continue.Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-64681331156386806342007-07-15T23:43:00.000-04:002007-09-19T17:06:59.270-04:00David Stone Martin does Calypso<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37AZB00iyh1E181vaUw2uLjEuGA509zcTHvZizr3e2dgRxr7dsPWm-OLrKDrZbOl2TTWnqpSF56g7bLhcNtlZY2HsZQuqRGl0bn_JvZPAQYrJqcMwXyhwBpdXjP4Be76p4EDNJ2g2DGEJ/s1600-h/Calypso+78+set-72.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37AZB00iyh1E181vaUw2uLjEuGA509zcTHvZizr3e2dgRxr7dsPWm-OLrKDrZbOl2TTWnqpSF56g7bLhcNtlZY2HsZQuqRGl0bn_JvZPAQYrJqcMwXyhwBpdXjP4Be76p4EDNJ2g2DGEJ/s400/Calypso+78+set-72.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083924904276634578" border="0" /></a>Disc Records 78 rpm CALYPSO album with cover illustration by the legendary <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.vinylrevival.com/likewow/vol2/martin.html" target="_blank">David Stone Martin</a> (1913-1993), whose work adorns hundreds of 1940s and 1950s <a href="http://lpcoverlover.com/category/david-stone-martin/" target="_blank">jazz, blues, folk, and ethnic records</a>.<br /><br />In the early 1940s, the Chicago-born and -bred Martin befriended artist <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ben Shahn</span>, whose <a href="http://images.google.com/images?um=1&tab=wi&hl=en&q=%22Ben%20shahn%22" target="_blank">work</a> proved inspirational. Martin got started in album cover design in 1944 when his friend, pianist <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Lou Williams</span>, persuaded her label to hire Martin to illustrate her next release. The company honcho, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Moses Asch</span>, was so impressed by Martin's virtuosity that he hired him as art director.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAIYCJK3kmCcqBf2tNXF6l6aCVKSg9KTc9SLa42fkJqwiwpg2IgZIwDFOzV_adtbpvOn-ut7jZSJOLjyzwn_XqS-NOdhKSnLIkNSubZIDTUScnQaFTrhRAKvtVYYSjFa3GmxKFSBsOyKR/s1600-h/Calypso+78+set-illo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAIYCJK3kmCcqBf2tNXF6l6aCVKSg9KTc9SLa42fkJqwiwpg2IgZIwDFOzV_adtbpvOn-ut7jZSJOLjyzwn_XqS-NOdhKSnLIkNSubZIDTUScnQaFTrhRAKvtVYYSjFa3GmxKFSBsOyKR/s400/Calypso+78+set-illo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083925063190424546" border="0" /></a><br />In the 1950s, Martin's <a href="http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Strasse/8599/dsm.html" target="_blank">moody figure studies</a> for <span style="font-weight: bold;">Norgran, Clef, Verve,</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mercury</span> practically defined the <span style="font-weight: bold;">illustrated jazz LP cover</span> (in a manner far different than, say, <a href="http://www.jimflora.com/gallery/albums/index.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jim Flora</span></a>). Eric Kohler, who reprinted over a dozen classic Martin LPs in his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Groove-Vintage-Record-Graphics-1940-1960/dp/0811821218/" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">In The Groove: Vintage Record Graphics 1940-1960</span></a>, observed: "Many of Martin's covers did not have an actual image of the recording artist, but rather an abstract image that might recall the feeling of the music."<br /><br />A book of his work, <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Jazz Graphics: David Stone Martin</span>, was published in Japan in 1991. It is, sadly, out of print and hard to find. Martin's <a href="http://oscartoons.blogspot.com/2006/05/david-stone-martin.html" target="_blank">vital, cosmopolitan line art</a> deserves renewed circulation.<br /><br />The calypso album above contains three sides by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Lord Invader</span> ("Tied-Tongue Baby," Yankee Dollar in Trinidad," and "New York Subway") and three by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Lord Beginner</span> ("Shake Around," "Nora, the War is Over," and "Always Marry a Pretty Woman").Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-69134295159349144022007-07-05T23:22:00.001-04:002010-05-11T19:09:41.236-04:00Look Out, There's a Monster Coming<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HeEFxgktVg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJFoi_xQQSgmRdd5ohCN3nUYATjIRnv1brvIkBRPDcKn09UpULJOuz2B7RGFX66cY7IkdPL6eU8pMJuJatRp6Du_OcVYFAn728mHAqz1sTmeI7OmX0piiasJToxgtu-zFEFn0cXqy0Fgp/s400/Monster-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099508735070506898" border="0" /></a>On the 2007 <a href="http://wfmu.org/playlists/MZ" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Muriel's Treasure</span></a> WFMU marathon CD, entitled <a href="https://www.wfmu.org/marathon/premiums.php" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">More Bedbugs</span></a>, there's an unlisted 26th bonus track. Several recipients of the compilation have inquired about the mystery calypso. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HeEFxgktVg" target="_blank">This</a> isn't a clue; it's the answer. Not the <span style="font-weight: bold;">worst</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> calypso</span> ever, nor the funniest. Not the most improbable — The Muppets recorded "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAZihmoE8-s" target="_blank">Pig Calypso</a>" — but perhaps the most <span style="font-weight: bold;">ethnically unhinged</span>. All hail, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivian_Stanshall" target="_blank">Victor Anthony Stanshall</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Inspiration: Ben Jackson</span></span>Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-60394983252136269582007-06-22T00:24:00.001-04:002007-06-22T01:27:05.761-04:00The Grotesque Dummy (El Monigote)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzO8mDQZW5uhreR9oQ1aPzTpr_P3Inl6UxP1CbAZN8hzCnrc3vR0IijOF6Oql0PEL4OAf9MGN_jbfCn6eK_TR1qQzvGC6cbV5jQoBYh1EpC8200pjIRL8RvhgxSj9EQlniynUnwTPy7GZS/s1600-h/Grotesque+Dummy-72.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzO8mDQZW5uhreR9oQ1aPzTpr_P3Inl6UxP1CbAZN8hzCnrc3vR0IijOF6Oql0PEL4OAf9MGN_jbfCn6eK_TR1qQzvGC6cbV5jQoBYh1EpC8200pjIRL8RvhgxSj9EQlniynUnwTPy7GZS/s400/Grotesque+Dummy-72.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078740036992095938" border="0" /></a>William Smith sent a 1958 paperback entitled <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inkvision/42909617/" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Folk Songs of the Caribbean</span></a>, collected by Jim Morse, published by Bantam. Along with a preface by noted songwriter <a href="http://www.calypsoworld.org/noflash/artists-06.htm" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lord Burgess</span></a> (Irving Burgie), the book contains lyrics to songs from Trinidad, Haiti, Jamaica, Honduras, Guatemala, and elsewhere in the tropical climes. I'm not familiar with many of these titles—it's not a calypso compendium, though works from Trinidad and Jamaica predominate, including such favorites as "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Linstead Market</span>," "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Gin and Cocoanut Water</span>," and "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Out de Fire</span>." Then there's this: "<span style="font-weight: bold;">The Grotesque Dummy</span>," from Venezuela. <span style="font-style: italic;">Macabre! </span>Would love to hear a recording, if anyone's got one. Elsewise, here's the lyrics and chords—make your own version.Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-57500570593269611822007-06-18T10:36:00.000-04:002007-06-18T11:26:14.875-04:00Muriel launches podcast!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YhnKV4PxfcrFYqii88dEoXxOJ_RgXw3tnvgscPyuWfYbzVP-ff3dQEsgueG6ntfdhpo9jN5IzaA3LXHGSfXrrdr3WfMRhOuYdtwB6JTV1Twhgi0ynfALt6M_9Og53SC8DdLFMETsXCPJ/s1600-h/Kitch1950s.1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YhnKV4PxfcrFYqii88dEoXxOJ_RgXw3tnvgscPyuWfYbzVP-ff3dQEsgueG6ntfdhpo9jN5IzaA3LXHGSfXrrdr3WfMRhOuYdtwB6JTV1Twhgi0ynfALt6M_9Og53SC8DdLFMETsXCPJ/s320/Kitch1950s.1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077415146955462322" border="0" /></a>As <a href="http://murielstreasure.blogspot.com/2007/06/muriels-treasure-on-wfmu.html" target="_blank">previously noted</a>, Muriel is taking a summer respite from the WFMU schedule, relaxing at her bungalow with <span style="font-weight: bold;">rum-based remedies</span> while hunting for <a href="http://murielstreasure.blogspot.com/2007/05/big-bamboo.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Bamboo</span></a>. She expects to return to the airwaves in the Autumn.<br /><br />However, because she knows how important <span style="font-weight: bold;">vintage calypso</span>, soca, pan, and mento are to you, she is offering two new ways to hear <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Classic Muriel</span>: via <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://wfmu.org/podcast" target="_blank">podcasts</a> and streaming <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://wfmu.org/playlists/MZ" target="_blank">WFMU archives</a>.<br /><br />All one-hour installments of Muriel's Treasure (72 total) are being edited from Irwin's three-hour <a href="http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/ic" target="_blank">free-form program</a> for your listening pleasure in these two formats. Twice a week <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">(starting today) </span>new <a href="http://wfmu.org/podcast" target="_blank">podcasts</a> will be automatically delivered to your computer and/or mp3 player. As each podcast is sent out, that program (and playlist) will be added to the <a href="http://wfmu.org/playlists/MZ" target="_blank">WFMU archives</a> for eternal good listening.<br /><br />Now you can hear all your favorites -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sparrow, Kitchie, Invader, Atilla, King Radio, Duke of Iron, Houdini</span> and their impertinent brethren -- at your convenience.Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-90514328024288152622007-06-09T00:42:00.000-04:002007-06-08T01:33:32.430-04:00Congo Man (Mighty Sparrow)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmkxM5O7CnyY8d_ggbMgJ1_NPLlhHayxQDj-LOn4IpvFdkMhzOwZ0YwGWkqYMQuh9qgOfR9zafnnQ7aWNEv9ddcnUA7NwvqJpvTxqlFzHez7F5DY5Hs-t7Vve_dSLKNhgzXwVUsOFQkMa/s1600-h/sparrow-congoman.2-72.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmkxM5O7CnyY8d_ggbMgJ1_NPLlhHayxQDj-LOn4IpvFdkMhzOwZ0YwGWkqYMQuh9qgOfR9zafnnQ7aWNEv9ddcnUA7NwvqJpvTxqlFzHez7F5DY5Hs-t7Vve_dSLKNhgzXwVUsOFQkMa/s400/sparrow-congoman.2-72.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068328640828197138" border="0" /></a>National Records (LP 5050), 1965. Sparrow recorded the title track (a paean to cannibalism—white meat, in particular) at least <a href="http://www.calypsoarchives.co.uk/maindirectory/Mighty%20Sparrow.html" target="_blank">three times</a>. Each version is singularly spectacular, and each is punctuated by Sparrow's demonic laughter that seems to imply, "Pass the salt."Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-19887091410370499352007-06-04T10:23:00.000-04:002007-06-18T10:52:32.275-04:00Muriel's Treasure on WFMU<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRmwsxWr5tbGx9DpvUBZjQIXpHeKWWNA-How6Za3hy7UUTYy6-zQ3h3GNb0WwZnKfpq0iMRlGBgxhNswZizPWofDd0uicHntXhxbpv95yO7lJogHJgVJdphh3HpTOW_WFTWiJiTXFh7OD/s1600-h/drum.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRmwsxWr5tbGx9DpvUBZjQIXpHeKWWNA-How6Za3hy7UUTYy6-zQ3h3GNb0WwZnKfpq0iMRlGBgxhNswZizPWofDd0uicHntXhxbpv95yO7lJogHJgVJdphh3HpTOW_WFTWiJiTXFh7OD/s320/drum.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071539639983065634" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.wfmu.org/irwin/muriels_treasure/index.html" target="_blank"><span>Muriel's Treasure</span></a> is on <span style="font-weight: bold;">summer hiatus</span> from the WFMU schedule. Muriel hopes to return to the airwaves with her <span style="font-weight: bold;">tantalizing treasure</span> in the Fall.<br /><br />In the next few weeks, WFMU will start offering all prior 72 episodes of <span>MT</span> as <a href="http://podcast.wfmu.org/" target="_blank">podcasts</a>, with <span style="font-weight: bold;">twice-weekly installments</span>. (As of this writing, WFMU is dealing with a <a href="http://www.wfmu.org/" target="_blank">server crash</a> that disabled the station's archives and interrupted podcasting; we'll post anew when the problem has been fixed.)<br /><br />In addition, we'll soon have all <span>MT</span> hours extracted from my three-hour <a href="http://wfmu.org/playlists/IC" target="_blank">free-form show</a> and posted as separate programs in the WFMU archives with <a href="http://wfmu.org/playlists/MZ" target="_blank">playlists</a>. These will be added one-by-one in conjunction with each podcast.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDfM7wE6bjUtK1WqGgGA2AZfTUH3YIlsvMo4Imc39vpg_eO7r7OB5fKamynx7k-Byf5TwMBFxYzi16c6qqecXhhRn9d3nGOi6E0-4OCY_mZB4SG89ZjcdVDShmZ7LuyOMuVyNU9kyNwOy/s1600-h/BigBamboo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDfM7wE6bjUtK1WqGgGA2AZfTUH3YIlsvMo4Imc39vpg_eO7r7OB5fKamynx7k-Byf5TwMBFxYzi16c6qqecXhhRn9d3nGOi6E0-4OCY_mZB4SG89ZjcdVDShmZ7LuyOMuVyNU9kyNwOy/s320/BigBamboo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071539493954177554" border="0" /></a>We're in editing mode at present. As soon as the archives are posted and the podcast is launched, we'll beat you with a <span style="font-weight: bold;">kalenda stick</span> as a reminder. It won't hurt.<br /><br />The blog will continue, as ever, with regular irregularity thru the summer.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br />UPDATE JUNE 8</span>: <span style="font-style: italic;">WFMU server restored. Muriel's archives and podcasts start Monday June 18.<br /></span>Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-64941831575921891482007-05-31T16:06:00.003-04:002014-06-04T13:34:31.392-04:00Sir Galba<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-OUEVBdi1-MuF5V8XsW0jurWv3Jrjl2NbYeZAiMQ3cUHCRGSsNVp2lsT1FXzyQKZMsTVw5RkpJt7ZDEC2MqwB_AqE5WEeqF0bOzcqmPvHcw9jbfVHppgELE_SITjzm7pfNWLv6FMZqrB/s1600-h/Small+Island+MS+Galba.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-OUEVBdi1-MuF5V8XsW0jurWv3Jrjl2NbYeZAiMQ3cUHCRGSsNVp2lsT1FXzyQKZMsTVw5RkpJt7ZDEC2MqwB_AqE5WEeqF0bOzcqmPvHcw9jbfVHppgELE_SITjzm7pfNWLv6FMZqrB/s400/Small+Island+MS+Galba.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069334444859509122" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Small Island Pride, King (Mighty) Sparrow, Sir Galba (mid-1950s)</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><p>London-based Kate Blenman is great-grand niece of Sir Galba, a Trinidad calypsonian who reigned briefly in the late 1940s and early 1950s, but led a troubled life. Kate discovered one of his songs on a <span style="font-style: italic;">Muriel's Treasure</span> <a href="http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/23280" target="_blank">playlist</a>, and wrote that despite years of searching, she had never been able to find any of Galba's music. She explained about her great-grand uncle:<br /><br /></p><blockquote>Most of the information I have was obtained from <a href="http://www.search.co.tt/trinidad/rayfunk/" target="_blank">Ray Funk</a>, a <a href="http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/kaiso.htm" target="_blank">kaiso researcher</a>. Galba's real name was George Brindsley McSween, and he made his recording debut in 1946 with "Hooligan Hide Yourself" and "Put the Knife on the Shelf." In 1949 he recorded "Calypsonian from Toco" and "Residents of Nowhere Square." He was crowned Calypso King of 1952 at the Young Brigade with "Man in the Garden Hiding" out of the Victory tent. That same year he stabbed someone in a nightclub. He sang "I Don't Want Any Women Police in Trinidad" and won second place in an intercolonial calypso contest for Princess Margaret in 1955, singing "The Queen at Montego Bay." He also recorded three singles for the Sagomes label. He died September 18, 1957, at the age of 38, by committing suicide after stabbing his girlfriend.</blockquote><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirt_s7ox9acPItx3fYQM0tNXANfGWAtWnvYDodL0R6lvPT-Ud9Mp7RCky2s-DKIVpnLhnqny2j3KtVaqCUMlVs2RRc8kP4NwZVveWMHtiVEhcQWRpLjSBlb4y0TckFD46IfgLuYJqUH4bT/s1600-h/sir_galba_SG138.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirt_s7ox9acPItx3fYQM0tNXANfGWAtWnvYDodL0R6lvPT-Ud9Mp7RCky2s-DKIVpnLhnqny2j3KtVaqCUMlVs2RRc8kP4NwZVveWMHtiVEhcQWRpLjSBlb4y0TckFD46IfgLuYJqUH4bT/s200/sir_galba_SG138.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069398113454705074" border="0" /></a>"Too Many Fires" is the only recording I've heard by Galba. An mp3 transfer from an original 78 (Sagomes 138-27) was provided by friend and Optigan savant <a href="http://www.optigan.com/" target="_blank">Pea Hicks</a>, who does all manner of <a href="http://www.optigan.com/ars.html" target="_blank">audio restoration</a>. It can be heard <a href="http://wfmu.org/listen.ram?show=22670&starttime=2:18:19" target="_blank">here</a> (about 20 seconds in).<br /></p><br /><p>Update (5 May 09): Hear Sir Galba's "<a href="http://irwin.wfmu.org/music/Bajan-Diplomat.mp3" target="_blank">Bajan Diplomat</a>," a Vitadisc 45 courtesy listener John Hill (with thanks to Don Brockway for the mp3 conversion).</p>Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-36850466097156434422007-05-25T22:52:00.000-04:002007-05-25T12:57:01.904-04:00It's The Rhythm We Want<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3AfGCuAt5mi5OMSOUmb8EwihMDopvv7_4P1FGa-mDQ3I0SAW7PBW-GkbJAZapfp3BNKAJL9f7x7-5-3eUZ-1D53t1oBY6Jy-SA2L9ixuFkJ26qWkTt5JZ1oI1uQhotEkJ4KEL1yIRAV0/s1600-h/WIR.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3AfGCuAt5mi5OMSOUmb8EwihMDopvv7_4P1FGa-mDQ3I0SAW7PBW-GkbJAZapfp3BNKAJL9f7x7-5-3eUZ-1D53t1oBY6Jy-SA2L9ixuFkJ26qWkTt5JZ1oI1uQhotEkJ4KEL1yIRAV0/s400/WIR.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068333373882157346" border="0"></a>It's pricey—anywhere from <a href="http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-Music-Games/Various-Artists-West-Indian-Rhythm-Trinidad-Calypsos/2392496/product.html?fp=F&cid=97280" target="_blank">$196.06</a> to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/West-Indian-Rhythm-Various-Artists/dp/B000GQML8M" target="_blank">$305.99</a>. Lifting it could dislocate your vertebrae. In today's media-saturated, sensory overloaded world, no one will have time to absorb it all.<br /><br />But you must buy it. <font style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Now.</font><br /><br /><a href="http://www.bear-family.de/tabel1/product/bcd16623_e.htm" target="_blank"><font style="font-style: italic;">West Indian Rhythm</font></a>, released in 2006 by the obsessives at <a href="http://www.bear-family.de/indexframes/index_english.htm" target="_blank">Bear Family Records</a>, is one of the best collections of classic calypso ever commercially released. Hyperbole? Forget it — there's nothing comparatively close. You want <font style="font-weight: bold;">deep cuts</font>? Start here.<br /><br />The historic collection contains all but one of the 268 performances recorded by New York engineers of Decca Records on field trips to Trinidad in 1938, '39, and '40. (Yes, one track is AWOL. Don't think the producers of this album didn't search exhaustively for it.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UxF2YAuqJNiqdPL43ASmymZCZqi_nlEIZkvq8JmiOnQhJkUDY1Vmp6usQjGT8ghQlkaGrknWsESbmmAjqI7lfHCkasXCxqoes_28MXyTaeRoNur1kh6pds3wk3yknim8VarkQt-rpNe7/s1600-h/Calypso+quartet+WIR-2.72.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UxF2YAuqJNiqdPL43ASmymZCZqi_nlEIZkvq8JmiOnQhJkUDY1Vmp6usQjGT8ghQlkaGrknWsESbmmAjqI7lfHCkasXCxqoes_28MXyTaeRoNur1kh6pds3wk3yknim8VarkQt-rpNe7/s320/Calypso+quartet+WIR-2.72.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068344326048762194" border="0"></a>Besides ten CDs of music — 267 rare recordings, impeccably remastered — <font style="font-style: italic;">West Indian Rhythm</font> comes packaged with a 316-page hardcover book that contains so much essential and authoritative information, is so beautifully designed and so dedicatedly researched, that it's a bargain at any price. Colorfully written essays chronicle the history of the genre and the artists who developed it. There's a glossary of calypso terms; lyrics transcribed for every track; photos; hundreds of illustrations; news clippings; bios of the singers and entrepreneurs; discographies. The CDs include a dozen or so previously unreleased — that is, <font style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">censored </font>— songs. The only thing they didn't include is a bottle of <a href="http://www.thedailyration.com/" target="_blank">rum</a>.<br /><br />All performances were recorded in <font style="font-weight: bold;">one take</font>. Decca didn't return in 1941 or thereafter, so you've got the history of pre-World War II Trinidad calypso preserved in amber. Legends like <a href="http://www.calypsoworld.org/noflash/artists-19.htm" target="_blank">Atilla the Hun</a>, Cyril Monrose, <a href="http://www.calypsoworld.org/noflash/artists-13.htm" target="_blank">Lord Invader</a>, Tiger, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roaring_Lion" target="_blank">Lion</a>, Growler, and <a href="http://www.calypsoworld.org/noflash/artists-21.htm" target="_blank">King Radio</a>. Forgotten footnotes like Codallo's Top Hatters, Joe Coggins, and Lord Ziegfield. A dozen songs about Hitler, and countless syncopated chronicles of unfaithful wives, drunken louts, lecherous old men, and municipal scandals.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidU87roGDXOrDicQ73rWNe4hEMn_oBRDmfUw5nPT2ZX1cAUEifBc9atR2ubCiXL6se59FXrcr8CCaQnwREZhdkW3ScVmm_ErTqkznF9THdQgVvP9WWPcq_7d9ERR6cRPnSktaMZyYW1aL3/s1600-h/Calypso+quartet+WIR-1.72.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidU87roGDXOrDicQ73rWNe4hEMn_oBRDmfUw5nPT2ZX1cAUEifBc9atR2ubCiXL6se59FXrcr8CCaQnwREZhdkW3ScVmm_ErTqkznF9THdQgVvP9WWPcq_7d9ERR6cRPnSktaMZyYW1aL3/s320/Calypso+quartet+WIR-1.72.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068344515027323234" border="0"></a>If you needed any further convincing about the integrity of this package, the name <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_K._Spottswood" target="_blank">Dick Spottswood</a> appears prominently in the credits as Reissue Co-Producer. 'Nuff said.<br /><font size="2"><font style="font-style: italic;"><br /></font></font><br />"These compelling performances personify calypso at its best," writes Spottswood. "Mostly sung in English, they represent a sophisticated world-view unique to the small population of a remote Caribbean island. Popular music in England and North America at the time was largely escapist, designed for social dancing and romantic fantasy. Calypso ignored those tendencies, replacing romanticism with scepticism, and mindlessness with content. The calypso chantwell [singing storyteller] observed events at home and abroad with informed incredulity, readily pronouncing humorous judgments that nonetheless ranged from troubled acceptance to outright contempt."<br /><br />Be good to yourself. Splurge. It will take you a year to get through this box and you'll continue listening for the rest of your life.<br /><font size="2"><font style="font-style: italic;"><br /></font></font><font size="2"><font style="font-style: italic;">Center photo L to R: King Radio, Beginner, Executor, Tiger, 1939<br /></font></font><font size="2"><font style="font-style: italic;">Bottom photo L to R: Lord Invader, the Growler, Atilla the Hun, Lion, February 1943</font></font><br /><br /><font size="2"><font style="font-style: italic;"></font></font>Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-65250575592147046462007-05-22T11:22:00.000-04:002007-05-24T23:00:39.029-04:00Wilmoth Houdini on 365 Days Project<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuzbN4vpW1rzx1CyPFCHoCY1H9oUU-571t2chwely8moXL5KLG-g-JvzIfbrtMYKjlb4GY5xevZDBK3H9GYjMveaNM1iSOleDcDl_TMIdaVvA5o1qtkHf3-ZSPLQuQCXNwtpXn3pr-Dv-/s1600-h/HoudiniDecca.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuzbN4vpW1rzx1CyPFCHoCY1H9oUU-571t2chwely8moXL5KLG-g-JvzIfbrtMYKjlb4GY5xevZDBK3H9GYjMveaNM1iSOleDcDl_TMIdaVvA5o1qtkHf3-ZSPLQuQCXNwtpXn3pr-Dv-/s400/HoudiniDecca.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067039132732147954" border="0" /></a>Two <a href="http://www.calypsoworld.org/noflash/artists-11.htm" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wilmoth Houdini</span></a> mp3s are available for <a href="http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/05/365_days_140_wi.html" target="_blank">free download</a> from <a href="http://www.365daysproject.com/" target="_blank">The 365 Days Project</a>, hosted by WFMU. The tracks, "He Dead, He Gone Already" and "Moan, People, Moan," were posted by Bob Purse, who adds a colorful encomium to the great Houdini.<br /><br /><blockquote>Aside from having a really cool name ..., he had a vocal style which gives me chills, featuring a wicked vibrato, and an intensity on held notes which expresses as much emotion as just about any singer I can name.</blockquote><p><br />These recordings, which are not available on commercial CD, were transferred from the 1958 vinyl LP <span style="font-style: italic;">Calypso Capers</span>. They were likely recorded in New York in the late 1930s or early 1940s.Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-7088757831746871612007-05-19T10:03:00.000-04:002007-05-24T22:59:51.310-04:00Let's Go Calypso (Somerset)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWe4zRAMqlwwMaIGd7X0MmxnBWALXE6R7JgH5br5imoiPpnBC1mvp3BTHX6wHMPJnDaq0Q9uIo7CAaiP5_0G6iJfanIU0JoWjpMDLzasmQVtG-cJaCY3JRdEV19As7w2RJW5KB_KvNrBd/s1600-h/Let's+Go+Calypso72.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWe4zRAMqlwwMaIGd7X0MmxnBWALXE6R7JgH5br5imoiPpnBC1mvp3BTHX6wHMPJnDaq0Q9uIo7CAaiP5_0G6iJfanIU0JoWjpMDLzasmQVtG-cJaCY3JRdEV19As7w2RJW5KB_KvNrBd/s400/Let's+Go+Calypso72.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066272347925825746" border="0" /></a>Features King Scratch and the Bay Street Boys, ca. late 1950s. "These two acts," the brief liner notes attest, "have long been favorites in the islands and many a tourist has felt the gay and carefree spell they cast with the charm of their readings and infectious Calypso rhythms. This is as much a part of the islands as the palm trees or lovely beaches." Despite a preponderance of cruiseship standards (e.g., "Marianne," "Sly Mongoose," "Jamaica Farewell," "Donkey Wants Water"), the performances are refreshingly "native" and highlighted by raucous percussion. Meaning, these recordings were not prettied up for export. Is good.<br /><br />Fabulous cover illustration, unsigned, uncredited.Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3509520139839081485.post-14213230164437058092007-05-17T23:55:00.000-04:002007-05-24T22:59:51.311-04:00Calypso (Rico)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUdtyLGSeMb4ib0I6akwBHz4eoiTmHOoavUv4j7JZt8ImRn0BAYyDbmBZBNS11Q67nz_JGWvYHg2x558rzKDQlwT3_HX8Sb6yJEHJVlCxPsNM3iQhhPa9MOLFEIZC1vnjzRvEHaAU705o/s1600-h/ricoFrront.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUdtyLGSeMb4ib0I6akwBHz4eoiTmHOoavUv4j7JZt8ImRn0BAYyDbmBZBNS11Q67nz_JGWvYHg2x558rzKDQlwT3_HX8Sb6yJEHJVlCxPsNM3iQhhPa9MOLFEIZC1vnjzRvEHaAU705o/s400/ricoFrront.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065745909489387618" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyh0aBMjnBJu_R0uYcaWs3VzZATlsawrXUaSp6yYzDRxtI8EdSoS0nlm03sIro1k5inxMLRaAT_9iYdJLt2tiiQoXCb4xAgve9QhS2f7qlVFUdnUHDZ8LE-oOwIHNuNJ_03K9riv6vb7yy/s1600-h/ricoFrront.jpg"><br /></a>Irwin Chusidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15226232494945112888noreply@blogger.com0