Origins: Jamaica Farewell: History?

Subject: RE: Origins: Jamaica Farewell: History?
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 02 Sep 22 - 04:21 PM

Irvin Burgie as Lord Burgess broke on the scene in 1954 with one of the finest, freshest calypso pop LPs ever. Stinson SLP-62 came out in a 10" version but quickly was reissued on red vinyl as a 12", that size being the wave of the future. Here is the tracklist (some of the tracks may have been reissued on later records):

Stinson SLP-62: Folk Songs of Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad
Carolina Caro
Angelique-O
Choucounne
Panama Tombé
Rum and Coconut Water
Rookambey
Oh, Not a Cent
Old Lady, You're Mashing My Toe

Composer information not given, but some of the above were traditional, or at least not written by Burgie, like the beautiful Choucounne, one of the islands' best-known standards, and Rookambey (a different version was recorded by the Duke of Iron on Stinson). I believe Carolina Caro and Angelique-O are also traditional.   The other cuts may well be by Burgie; some use preexisting tunes (Oh, Not a Cent to the tune of Linstead Market, for example).

Subject: RE: Origins: Jamaica Farewell: History?
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 02 Sep 22 - 08:12 PM

Lyr Req: Angelique-O / Angelico – Auguste Linstant de Pradines, aka: Ti Candio, Ti Kandjo (1879 – 1947)

Depends on what you call traditional I suppose. Most of the songs had not been around all that long at the time. The composers tended to be upper-middle class, art house types. Not that there is any thing wrong with that; American Katherine Dunham comes to mind.

I think you'll find most, if not all, of the tracks were covered by one or more American record label.

Subject: RE: Origins: Jamaica Farewell: History?
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Jun 23 - 10:00 AM

choucoune was first recorded by katherine dunam in 1945. for folks out there who want my story of this song this recording does not exist anymore more. when yellow bird became famous madeleine keef and alun sherwin wrote the words we know today for the norman luboff choir in 1957.at the same time harry belafonte recorded don't ever love me written by irving burgie who had recorded yellow bird but did not think to give it to belafonte at all. harry had a string of hits like banana boat song and iland in the sun but i don't think don't ever love me made the charts at all when i first heard this song it was on a cd of harry's music and that is how i first heard don't ever love me. just early on this year harry belafonte died.

Subject: RE: Origins: Jamaica Farewell: History?
From: meself
Date: 26 Jun 23 - 11:39 AM

I'm rather surprised at people knocking Belafonte for whatever he may have said in his stage patter about hearing some song on the wharves of Jamaica, or whatever - the man was a professional entertainer, not a professor of history or folklore, nor was he testifying under oath. He was creating a mood with music and story to provide an hour or two of escape for his audience, which is what most of them paid for. If we're going to start dismissing every performer who spouted some BS from the stage, we won't be left with many.