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VARIOUS ARTISTS
Calypso At/After Midnight (Rounder)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
The Alan Lomax series takes a turn from the educational to the entertaining. So entertaining, in fact, that you and your children may not even realize just how much education you're getting in the deal.
Lomax is well known as a documenter of the world's various folk musics, but few who weren't around in the 30s and 40s realize he also brought that music to the American public through a series of radio programs. His shows introduced many to the sounds of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seger, Ledbelly and others. In 1946 Lomax held a series of late night concerts in New York City. Dubbed The Midnight Special, these shows were also broadcast live over radio. They'd begin at 11 and conclude at 1 AM, and, sad to say, only one of these concerts was recorded.
Calypso At Midnight and Calypso After Midnight capture the entire show, including the fascinating and educational introductions by Lomax and the three featured artists, Lord Invader, The Duke Of Iron, and Macbeth The Great. These calypso giants were virtually unknown outside their native Trinidad, but Lomax's radio program changed that in a hurry, opening the door not just for these artists but for the entire genre in America.
To say the concert is enjoyable is a gross understatement. It's enthralling. The performers were loose and funny and they obviously had a great time doing the show. Calypso is traditionally storytelling music, and even the introductions to the songs feel like great stories. Besides setting up each song, Lomax and the performers discussed the genre, the lifestyle and circumstances in their homeland, the origins of the various styles of calypso, and even the creation of makeshift instruments. These discussions never went on more than a minute or two before they were right back to the music, yet by the end of two CDs a lot of knowledge has been absorbed.
The two CDs are sold separately, and taken together they present the concert in real time. The fact that it was recorded in 1946 means you can't ask for a whole lot of sound quality, and while the recording is extremely clean, it is definitely on the trebly side, but not horribly so. It's still quite listenable and the spirit of the music comes through just fine. The liner notes are as exceptional as the music, packed with fascinating biographical and historical information and even lyrics with slang explanations. Rounder just about always gives us detail freaks the goods, and this time they've really outdone themselves. We get a slice of history and all the documentation we need to make us better understand what we're hearing. Another great job by a label that always chooses historic importance over the almighty buck.
© 1999 - DJ Johnson