Calypso at 90

Was celebration time in the Pinto family... as my Dad's younger brother scored 70. While I could not make it to the party due to prior commitments, social media (WhatsApp, in particular) ensured that we were updated with the significant happenings of the day. One thing there was plenty of at the party, was jamming up. The music clips that I received included some of the favorite Pinto songs from down the years... and some new ones as well. I spotted guitars, the ukelele and the cahon there as well. 

And among the various songs that played, I'd guess there would've been at least one, if not more, Caribbean (or should I say, Calyso) song that played at the party. Let go down to the Island In The Sun with the King of Calypso - Harry Belafonte.

Harry Belafonte celebrated his 90th birthday on March 1st. And his Calypso album was possibly the first million selling LP (long playing record) by a single artiste. And his possibly most popular song of all is about my favorite fruit... The Banana Boat Song...

Did you hear about the teacher who asked a student to spell 'banana'? The little girl stood up and responded, B-A-N-A-N-A-N-A-N-A-N-A-N-A..... The teacher interrupted her and asked her what she was doing. The little girl's reply was: "Teacher, I know the spelling... but I don't know when to stop!"

Do you know what the girl's name was... I think she was Matilda.

Or was it Angelina?

Among all the islands in the Caribbean, the best known is possibly Jamaica... One of the Harry Belafonte songs I sung in my childhood days was Jamaican Farewell.

Whether in the Caribbean or right here in Mumbai... the drink that keeps us cool is coconut water... Well, here in Mumbai, I haven't really seen any Coconut Woman.

Possibly the best tribute to the 90-year old Harry Belafonte is this compilation The Caribbean Disco Show by Lobo.

The Calypso Medley has been a staple at all our parties and even jam sessions at college and even the choir especially picnics... The dad had a special version of the song with a funny ending... and he'd have everyone in splits with this song... Man Smart, Woman Smarter...

TRUST YOU HAD A GREAT 90th BIRTHDAY 

HARRY BELAFONTE

We hope you make it to a hundred and three...

PS. By the way, there is a singer who celebrates her 100th birthday this month... Do you know who?

International Workers Day - Want a Work Song?

1st May is observed as International Workers Day or Labour Day in some parts of the world including India. While there is some political event associated with it, the Catholic Church also celebrates the feast of St. Joseph The Worker.

To celebrate all the workers, let's think about all the workers who toil to make our life run normally. Besides all the work they put in, they lighten their load by lifting up their spirits in song - Work Songs. 

Being in Mumbai right now, my daily mode of transport is the Suburban Rail Network. My regular station is called the Harbour line and extends to Panvel which is a good distance away. The Central Railway has just upgraded the power systems a couple of weeks ago, and on Friday introduced a 12-car train on this line. Every Sunday most of the train services on the Central Railway are 'blocked' to implement improvements on the lines. While the entire country was observing Labour Day, the railroad workers were in their position working. Here's my favorite 'Railroad' 'Work Song'. This version won the boys of Our Own English High School Sharjah a prize at an Inter-School competition, a couple of years ago. It's part of my collection since I had a part in training them, and also accompanied the group. 




Fruit is a favorite in my household. While the flavour of the season is the Alphonso Mango, the one fruit we enjoy round the year is the banana. While in the UAE, we enjoyed Chiquita bananas from the Philippines. Most of the bananas in the world come from the Caribbean where they sing this Work Song - 'The Banana Boat Song'.

Do you know any Work Song? Come on, have your say... SONG.

Big Bands, Calypso, Rock and Pop - on Stage, in Movies and the Small Screen

It's a new month... a changing season... and a great day for Musical Birthdays.

From 1904 to 1994, the 1st of March has been a first day in the life of some great musicians and singers who have left their mark (and still do) on the musical preferences of young and old. 

First, let's get "In The Mood"

Any lover of the Big Band sound would have heard of Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, just perfect to get you 'in the mood'. While most of his tracks get you 'swinging', the Moonlight Serenade gets you in quite a different mood. 

Take a trip from America down to Caribbean islands and the classic Calypso sound made famous by 89-year old, Harry Belafonte. Had a couple of songs featured in the 1988 comedy 'Beetlejuice'. 

Hope that didn't really startle you. Moving on from movies to TV and my favorite Crime shows that has versions for three of the major American cities - Las Vegas, Miami and New York and now has a series on the newest city - CyberCity. CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) themes to the three city versions were all by The Who - headlined by Peter Townshend and the birthday boy today - Roger Daltrey. Here's are the CSI themes.

With the dollar sign in her name, Ke$ha raked in loads of the greens with her debut single, 'Tik Tok'. I know of a person who'd replace his 'S' with the '$' especially when writing to the marketing team of the company. $trange Chap.

The youngest one on this list of Musical Birthday, is this 22 year-old who's currently on the charts - Justin Beiber. 

Liked the dance steps on this track, especially after a weekend of Dance Events. 

Have a wonderful day... a lovely March... and keep the Music alive.