Sixteen Carnival Hits

Mighty Sparrow and Lord Kitchener

album cover

Step Out with the Caribbean Parade Masters

For a time in the 1950s and '60s, calypso was the hottest ticket to bliss in the Caribbean. Built on a propulsive, carefully calibrated dance rhythm, its upbeat vibe spread through the streets of Trinidad and Tobago, then to England and the U.S. (where, in 1956, Harry Belafonte had a huge hit with a record called Calypso). This collection, which gathers Carnival hits from two prolific legends, shows how diabolical calypso was at its peak. It can be appreciated as soaring, irrepressibly joyful party beats, but if you listen closely you'll pick up social and political messages, incendiary calls to consciousness that prefigure the similar bent of reggae.

The songs here represent some of the modern era's grabbiest "Road Marches" created for the annual Carnival parades and competitions. Lord Kitchener (real name: Aldwyn Roberts) emerged in the late '40s, the Mighty Sparrow (Slinger Francisco) followed in the mid-'50s, at the moment when the basic outlines of calypso were solidifying. Rival bandleaders and singers, they'd compete to create the tune that would be "the" hit of each year's festivities—to win, a composer had to have a singable theme and at least a glance at current events. The set begins with Sparrow's endlessly catchy 1956 entry, "Jean and Dinah," and moves through hits from the next two decades; in addition to being an excellent introduction to calypso, it shows how the style changed with the times, absorbing the jaunty horns of Louis Jordan in the '50s and a bit of Motown exuberance in the '60s. (Calypso changed again in the late '70s, with the intense vocals of what was called "soca," or soul-calypso; cue up "Sa sa yea" to hear an early example of that.)

The personalities of the artists come through vividly: Kitchener, who was established when Sparrow arrived on the scene, is affable and genteel, a showman who relaxes everyone while exhorting his rhythm section to do the hard work. Sparrow, who earned his nickname for flitting around the stage (most calypsonians plant themselves in front of the mic when they sing), is more risqué and also more daring musically. Both sound like they're smiling almost all the time, and though the lyrics refer to the concerns of the poor and the struggling, when you listen to these Carnival songs, you begin to believe it's possible to saunter through any hardship.

Genre: World, Trinidad
Released: 2000, Ice
Key Tracks: "Jean and Dinah," "May may," "Mama dis Is mas," "Sa sa yea".
Catalog Choice: Mighty Sparrow: Hot and Sweet. Lord Kitchener: Klassic Kitchener, Vol. 1.
Next Stop: Various Artists: Calypso Awakening.
After That: Duke Ellington: A Drum Is a Woman.
Book Pages: 503–504