 Various Artists A solid collection of traditional Bahaman song, recorded in 1995 for Smithsonian Folkways. Unlike other recent field recordings by that label (Cuba in Washington, for example), this one is lively and enjoyable, not coming off like an exercise in academic research. I'm partial to old field recordings (I'm a huge fan of the Alan Lomax Collection on Rounder), but these performances rank right up there with some of the great classic Lomax tapes. The sound is clean and present, and although the performances are contemporary, they are preservationist in style, not reflecting any modern influences. A good percentage are a cappella quartet arrangements, with other tracks featuring accordion, percussion, and various stringed instruments. The a cappella stuff is great, very close to the doo wop and gospel quartet music lineage – "You Ain't Hurryin' Me," "Rain Children," "Sloop John B," "Dry Bones" – a mixture of songs well-known and unknown, done with a buoyant spirit that is really hard not to like quite a lot. The disc is paced remarkably well, alternating faster-tempo tracks with slower ones and a cappella stuff with guitar-accompanied performances. "I'm Going Home on the Morning Train" by Israel Forbes is a highlight, very bluesy, one of the many tracks that underscores the broad influence that Bahaman music has had over African-American music. Over the long haul, this sixty minute disc is perhaps a bit much to sit through, though in smaller increments it's very enjoyable. Not what you would immediately think of as music from the Bahamas (no steel drums, for example), but a good representation of a very joyous musical culture. The CD, as with all Smithsonian releases, comes with a very thorough book with detailed notes, but I say, take off those bifocals and just enjoy the music, egghead.
Review by Ed Klang |