Caribbean in America 1915-1962

No niche is too specialist for France's Frémeaux label. This release contains a whopping 66 tracks. But then again, American curiosity about the exotic rhythms emanating from the islands south of Florida has lasted a long time. Calypso, beguine, mambo, merengue and blues feature, with stellar figures such as Charlie Parker and Fats Domino sharing the bill alongside lesser known and novelty artists. Some of the recordings on the first CD (covering 1915-1952) are low-fi and a bit thin, but we still get a sense of the swing of the early tango- and ragtime-influenced roots music. Soon the quality picks up, and the beat and vocals turn wilder and more African. The second CD takes us to 1957, with cool calypso in the ascendant, saxophone to the fore and jazz freeing up the shape of songs – as on Parker's cover of ‘Begin the Beguine’. By the third disc, the vibe is sultrier and more experimental. Quirky inclusions include the original ‘One Love’ by Marcus Garvey – sadly, not some proto-reggae but a fragment of a famous speech – and actor Robert Mitchum not quite but very nearly murdering the calypso ‘Take Me Down to Lover’s Row'. All told, a fab anthology of largely unsung excellence.