Beginner’s Guide to the Caribbean

In a compilation¬exhausted market, do we need yet another Caribbean greatest hits set? The short answer would be no, unless it’s of the highest quality. How then does the Beginner’s Guide to the Caribbean fare? Spread over three CDs, the first is titled ‘Vintage Caribbean Sounds.’ You’re quickly besotted by Orchestral Overtures’ pugnacious Latin calypso, with its honking trumpet, and the impeccable Puerto Rican orchestra of Cortijo Y Su Combo. The golden period theme continues with Joe Trouillot’s ‘Le Coq Chante’ and Issa El Saieh & Guy Durosier’s ‘Magie Nan Caille, reminding us of the elegant pre-compas Haitian big band sound. Then we arrive at Jamaican mento. The infectious percussive shuttling of Lord Composer & the Silver Seas Hotel Orchestra’s ‘Hill & Gully/Mandeville Road’ is followed by Louise Bennett’s moving, gospel-inspired ‘Linstead Market’. The pace and quality does not let up, with the set ending with the spaghetti Western calypso jazz of ‘Tabu’, by the Cyril Diaz Orchestra. These orchestral patterns and vocal-driven classics make way for the electrified ensemble work of the next 20 years, where Colombia, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic dominate. Obscure gems include the rural cumbia ‘La Pava Congona,’ featuring jaunty accordion and buoyant bass, and a sentiment-drenched bachata from Zacarias Ferreira, with poignant mandolin lines. Perhaps the most riveting moment comes from Martinique’s chanteuse, Joby Valente, with her trademark chant ‘Disk La Rayé’, intertwining the meringue with the French island’s biguine rhythm.

The final instalment, ‘From Reggae to the Carnival’, has the haunting, throbbing music of jouvert morning and the thick drum orchestras of the Antillean vaval. The CD ends with tried and tested Jamaican ragga, and vintage reggae from, as you would expect, Bob Marley. The long answer to that opening question, then, is this: here’s a stirring, impressive and commendably sourced tour of musical excellence.