A Constant Battle: Kobo Town and "The War Between Is and Ought"

Kobo Town plays our random tune for today, called The War Between Is and Ought. Founded by Trinidadian/Canadian Drew Gonsalves in 2004, Kobo Town refers to the neighborhood in Port Au Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, where calypso was conceived and first performed. Kobo Town blends calypso music with other Caribbean music, as well as genres such as ska, reggae, dub, rapso, zouk and hip hop. Gonsalves moved to Canada from Diego Martin, Trinidad & Tobago with his mother when he was thirteen. She was a Canadian citizen who was escaping her abusive marriage. He turned to music and poetry to deal with his situation and feelings of exile. He studied history and political science at Carleton University before taking up music as a career. The War Between Is and Ought can be found on Kobo Town's 2013 album Jumbie in the Jukebox. The song uses a traditional santimanitay rhythm to tell the story of two feuding kings.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobo_Town; http://www.cumbancha.com/files/artist_pdfs_general/KoboTown_JumbieInTheJukebox_DigitalBooklet.pdf

Don't Be Afraid - It's Fun: André Tanker and "Wild Indian Band"

Today's raucous song is a Carnival song from the late Trinidad & Tobago musician and composer André Tanker. Starting at the age of seven with a steelpan given to him by pianist Ellie Mannette, he moved on to guitar and cuatro (a type of lute) when he was 12 and 13, eventually playing small parties with musician Ray Holman when they were in their teens. He formed his first band, the Flamingos, and added jazz and Cuban influences while his band played at the Trinidad Hilton. He began to connect with the wider Caribbean music and musicians, which evolved his music to include themes of black consciousness and liberation. He later developed an interest in Indian classical music and was influenced by musicians such as Ravi Shankar. Tanker has been compared to Bob Dylan by Trinidadian calypso artist David Rudder for the influence that he had on the music of his country. This song, Wild Indian Band, refers to the dance and music groups that perform during Carnival season, and can be found on the 1996 album Children of the Big Bang, on the 2008 album Wild, and on all kinds of various artists compilations including Putumayo Presents: Carnival (2001).

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Tanker

Don't Jump on the Bed: Asheba and "No More Monkeys"

We have fun little song today, but don't jump on the bed to it! No More Monkeys is performed by Asheba, a musician who according to his website, strives "to encourage hope and happiness in children of all ages, abilities and background." Originally from Trinidad and now based in Oakland, California, he tells stories of hope and happiness through his music which is inspired by the musical and folkloric tradition of his homeland's calypso. He performs original lullabies as well as uptempo remakes of classic children's songs such as Itsy Bitsy Spider and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. You can find No More Monkeys on his 2004 CD of the same name, and on the 2015 Putumayo various artists release Animal Playground.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Dr. King Might Have Approved: Mighty Sparrow and "Death of Martin Luther King"

It's hard to come up with an upbeat song about an assassination, but Mighty Sparrow did it in our random tune for today, called Death of Martin Luther King. Born in 1935, Slinger Francisco aka Mighty Sparrow is one of the giants of calypso music, and for his lifetime of work has received the highest order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and also was made a officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. He is also known as the Calypso King of the World. Born in Grenada, he moved to Trinidad and Tobago as a small child and initially his love of calypso was thwarted while in Catholic school, where he sang in choir. As a teenager, he joined a steel band, and earned the name Little Sparrow during his early music career for his energetic performances. He later changed his performing name to Mighty Sparrow, and in 1956 he won his first Calypso King competition (he is a multiple winner). He was also a social activist - because he received so little for winning the Calypso King competition, he organized other musicians to boycott Carnival and he claimed to have succeeded in making conditions better for Trinidadian musicians. He also was able to take advantage of calypso's brief popularity, coinciding with Harry Belafonte's Calypso album, in the rest of the world. In the late 70s and 80s, calypso began to be eclipsed by soca, and Mighty Sparrow began performing hybrid music by mixing calypso, soca and local music called chutney. His style is described as witty, ironic and ribald, and he frequently comments on political and social issues, as well as themes of peace, tolerance and concern for the poor. You can find Death of Martin Luther King on his 2001 album Corruption.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

I Heard the Calypso Today, Oh Boy: Kobo Town and "Kaiso Newscast"

Our random song is brought to us by Kobo Town. Founded by Trinidadian/Canadian Drew Gonsalves in 2004, Kobo Town refers to the neighborhood in Port Au Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, where calypso was conceived and first performed. Kobo Town blends calypso music with other Caribbean music, as well as genres such as ska, reggae, dub, rapso, zouk and hip hop. Gonsalves moved to Canada from Diego Martin, Trinidad & Tobago with his mother when he was thirteen. She was a Canadian citizen who was escaping her abusive marriage. He turned to music and poetry to deal with his situation and feelings of exile. He studied history and political science at Carleton University before taking up music as a career. This song, Kaiso Newscast, can be found on Kobo Town's 2013 album Jumbie in the Jukebox. The song opines how simpler the world would be if news was brought to us in calypso, rather than through outlets such as Fox and CNN.  After a short interview with Gonsalves, the song starts at the 2:00 mark.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Chicken Little: Kobo Town and "Joe the Paranoiac"

Kobo Town brings us the random song for today, called Joe the Paranoiac. Founded by Trinidadian/Canadian Drew Gonsalves in 2004, Kobo Town refers to the neighborhood in Port Au Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, where calypso was conceived and first performed. Kobo Town blends calypso music with other Caribbean music, as well as genres such as ska, reggae, dub, rapso, zouk and hip hop. Gonsalves moved to Canada from Diego Martin, Trinidad & Tobago with his mother when he was thirteen. She was a Canadian citizen who was escaping her abusive marriage. He turned to music and poetry to deal with his situation and feelings of exile. He studied history and political science at Carleton University before taking up music as a career. Joe the Paranoiac can be found on Kobo Town's 2013 album Jumbie in the Jukebox.

Dreaming of Home: Kobo Town and "Diego Martin"

An homage to a hometown is our random tune today. Diego Martin is the hometown of Toronto-based musician Drew Gonsalves, who formed the Caribbean group Kobo Town in 2004. The band's name refers to the neighborhood in Port Au Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, where calypso was conceived and first performed. Kobo Town blends calypso music with other Caribbean music, as well as genres such as ska, reggae, dub, rapso, zouk and hip hop. Gonsalves moved to Canada from Diego Martin, Trinidad & Tobago with his mother when he was thirteen. She was a Canadian citizen who was escaping her abusive marriage. He turned to music and poetry to deal with his situation and feelings of exile. He studied history and political science at Carleton University before taking up music as a career. Diego Martin can be found on Kobo Town's 2013 album Jumbie in the Jukebox.

It's Only a Flesh Wound: King Fighter and "He No Dead Yet"

Today's song comes from King Fighter, a legendary calypso musician from Guyana. The stage name of Shurland Wilson, he got his performing name because he had been a boxer known for fancy footwork before starting his music career. He began by singing boleros and love songs before switching to calypso, where he made his name. He made a number of records in the 1950s and 60s which were released in the Caribbean and in Great Britain. King Fighter passed away in 1999 in Grenada, but as this song attests, because of his music...he no dead yet. He No Dead Yet can be found on the Smithsonian Folkways 2000 release Calypso Awakening.

Hometown Blues: Kobo Town and "Diego Martin"

My hometown is always within me, and I can't escape it even if I wanted to. My hometown is the beacon that pulls me back to my beginnings, and my dark place where many of my life's difficulties and tragedies were first conceived and realized. My hometown is the quiet place where I find beauty and joy. My hometown is where I still hear the sounds of my childhood - the endless roar of the ocean, the low moaning of buoys, the wind whipping through the cypress trees. My hometown is where rain, sun and fog combine to create a kaleidoscope of rainbow colors in sunlight sparkling through dew on a blade of grass, and in an instant wash everything out in hues of gray as the mist settles in. My hometown is where my family lives, and where all our shared histories come together and part ways. My hometown is where I came of age. My hometown is where I achieved some of my greatest early achievements, and made some of my greatest early mistakes. My hometown is a part of me, and I will always have it with me.

An homage to a hometown is our random tune today. Diego Martin is the hometown of Toronto-based musician Drew Gonsalves, who formed the Caribbean group Kobo Town in 2004. The band's name refers to the neighborhood in Port Au Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, where calypso was conceived and first performed. Kobo Town blends calypso music with other Caribbean music, as well as genres such as ska, reggae, dub, rapso, zouk and hip hop. Gonsalves moved to Canada from Diego Martin, Trinidad & Tobago with his mother when he was thirteen. She was a Canadian citizen who was escaping her abusive marriage. He turned to music and poetry to deal with his situation and feelings of exile. He studied history and political science at Carleton University before taking up music as a career. Diego Martin can be found on Kobo Town's 2013 album Jumbie in the Jukebox.

Globalquerque Video 3: Calypso Rose and Kobo Town (Trinidad & Tobago)

This video is of calypso legend Calypso Rose appearing with Kobo Town on the Roy E. Disney Stage at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico for Globalquerque 2014. Born McArtha Linda Sandy-Lewis, Calypso Rose has written over 800 songs and has recorded 20 albums. She dominated the Calypso Queen title for 5 years running (1972-1976) as well as garnering other awards and honors. Despite having health problems due to cancer in the 1990s, she still tears it up at 74 and, in the song after this one that I recorded, she actually twerked a little on stage. Kobo Town is led by Canadian-Trinidadian Drew Gonsalves, and the band blends calypso with ska, reggae, dub, rapso, zouk and hip hop, among other genres. Formed in 2004, the band has released two albums. The latest, Jumbie in the Jukebox, was released in 2013.

I recorded this video with my Samsung Galaxy on September 29th, 2014. I was sitting in the balcony to the left, so was able to get a wide shot. However, Calypso Rose kept moving out of the shot and one thing I've learned about shooting video is that it's best not to pan back and forth. The sound is okay, given that I was above the speakers. I hope you enjoy it.