Episode 140: Pirates' Radio of the Caribbean

Today we are returning to one of the frequent show themes here at Tropicology… sometimes I like to throw together sounds from different parts of the Americas in a theme I call Pirates’ Radio of the Caribbean, or P-ROC. P-ROC is a chance to showcase some of the many children in the American musical family that resulted from the union of African and European musical traditions. Playing these sounds together helps us hear the cross-pollinations that happened across the region… and beyond. For example, I almost always include music from Northern and Northeastern Brazil in these playlists, because, unlike samba, this Brazilian music does show direct influences from Caribbean sounds like Cumbia, Merengue, and Cuban Son. Sometimes my P-ROC playlists focus on a unifying theme, like the influence of African drumming or Spanish guitars… other times my playlist is more of a patchwork, and that is the case today. The show is divided into four sets with very different themes… first up I’ll be playing a set dedicated to Cuban son. Mostly Cuban music here, but we will hear a pair from the Dominican Republic. After that we’ll move to French speaking Caribbean for a sampler of compas, cadence, biguine, and other folk music of Haiti, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. Hour two will start with a variety of Caribbean sounds based on African drumming traditions, then I’ll bring the accordion to front stage for a final set of Brazilian forro mixed with Cumbia from Colombia. We’ll hear mostly country style tropical music on today’s show, although there are some sounds here I would describe as countrypolitan.