In this carnival town, with its own strong repertoire of street music, it is of particular interest to know what sounds move the revelers through the streets and parties of the Caribbean island carnivals. The rhythms of soca music, the up-tempo, infectious carnival music of Trinidad & Tobago, are akin to those of New Orleans and would be enjoyed by many of us here. Unfortunately, soca records have never been easily available in New Orleans.
In the past year the situation has changed, due to Eddy Grant, the Guyanese-born musician who now lives in Barbados. A successful recording artist in his own right (remember “Electric Avenue” from a few years ago?), Grant has been using the fortune he amassed to buy the rights to old Caribbean music dating back to the mid-1930s. Making good on his promise to begin reissuing much of this long unavailable material on his own Ice label, Grant has not only begun by releasing wonderful compilations of old calypsos by the Caribbean’s two most successful calypsonians, Mighty Sparrow and Lord Kitchener, but has also signed a distribution deal with U.S.-based RAS Records (a reggae label with vast distribution throughout New Orleans and the country) that brings these records right to our doorsteps.
For most New Orleanians, the most interesting of the first Ice-RAS releases will be Soca Carnival ’93, a disc that in 12 songs gives a nearly complete picture of the party music from this past year’s festivities in Trinidad & Tobago. This collection sums up everything that was good about the ’93 Carnival, from the well-crafted soca numbers to the controversial jam and wine tunes (songs short on lyrics but heavy on rhythm and “outside” influences like reggae dancehall). Arguably, a few important songs are missing here, but this LP nonetheless delivers non-stop enjoyment from beginning to end.
If only one other record is sampled from this current batch of Ice releases, I highly recommend the magnificent Roaring Loud, Standing Proud, a re-recording of past calypsos by the legendary Roaring Lion. The originals of these songs date back as much as five decades, but the new recordings are fresh and masterfully arranged by Eddy Grant. Lion is one of the master calypsonians of T&T; the clever, witty lyrics to the tunes found on this disc testify to his skills as a songwriter. Original versions of many of his calypsos from the pre-WWII era can be heard on the essential Calypso Carnival 1936-1941 (Rounder Records). One word of warning to buyers: the vinyl versions of Lion’s Ice release are plagued by dramatic variation in volume from song to song.
Those willing to go even further might check the other unbeatable release in the Ice offerings, 16 Carnival Hits: Mighty Sparrow & Lord Kitchener. Captured here are the original versions of 16 of the 18 road marches that have been written by these two kings of calypso. Hearing the quality of lyricism and musicianship on these early road marches, spanning 1956 to 1972, one can easily hear the clever balance of yesteryear between lyric and music, and bemoan today’s trend toward harder music to the detriment of lyrics. This collection is a gold mine to any calypso lover as well as to anyone who would like to discover the kind of songs that have struck the fancy of Trinis during past carnivals.
The road march, by the way, is the song that is the most popular for “jumping up” in the streets and fetes during carnival. Different from the Calypso Monarchy contest in which the winner is chosen by a panel of judges in a formal series of competitions, road march is a true indication of the people’s choice. Every mas band (masquerading carnival organization) is accompanied by one or more sound trucks carrying either a DJ or a live band. Regardless of what tunes these sound trucks might play as they slowly wind their way through the streets of Port of Spain on Carnival Tuesday, they are certain to play their choice for road march as they pass the various judges’ stands located around town. The judges’ sole duty is to tally the number of times they hear each song and to announce the winner on Ash Wednesday. Since 1956, Kitch has been the ultimate road march king with ten wins (his tenth win, “Flag Woman,” is not included on the disc), with Sparrow holding second place with eight wins (his eighth, “Doh Back Back,” is also missing).
A number of other Ice-RAS releases are also available. The best is the three volume set featuring original recordings of pre-1980s material by Sparrow, but also offered are reissues of eight older LPs by Eddy Grant. The Carnival ’93 releases by both Sparrow (Dancing Shoes) and Superblue (Bacchanal Times) may also be of interest, but the best cut from each of these LPs can be found on the highly recommended Soca Carnival ’93.
Finally, two very different tastes of Barbados carnival style are also offered. Square Roots by Square One are a mindless jam and wine with ten exhortations to wind your waist and roll your bum bum. Soca Trinity, on the other hand, is a sampling of great soca from three Bajan calypsonians, Gabby, Grynner and Bert “Panta” Brown. This LP provides a nice blend of styles, plenty of cuts strictly for musical pleasure and another fine batch where the lyrics are worth hearing.