The Fourteenth Case of the Pirates' Radio of the Caribbean

Today we return to the Caribbean with a sampling of rhythms from Puerto Rico, Colombia, the Antilles, and Cuba... and, above all, Haiti. 

The show opens with a set of country sounds from around the region, including cumbia, rootsy Cuban changui, and a taste of Haitian "twoubadou." This is all small group music led by guitar or accordion, popular in the rural communities.

The next set jumps to the big band sound with a selection of Haitian compas from the 1950s and 60s. This style was developed by Haitian bandleader Nemour Jean Baptiste in the mid-50s as an evolution from the popular merengue tradition. Compas slowed the merengue beat and wove melodic horn lines into the spaces created by the slower rhythm, adding a touch of "bourgeois" sensibility, not unlike Cuban danzon. The resulting sound became a sensation, spawning a craze for a new dance step, and influencing music scenes as far away as Cape Verde. In this set we will hear from Baptiste, but even more from his rival Weber Sicot, who evolved his own version of the sound (known as "cadence compas"). We end the first hour today with a fun farewell to the region's country sounds.

The second hour today is focused on more modern sounds from Haiti. These are tracks from the late 60s and beyond, showing how the compas sound adapted to small combo formats while absorbing influences from US soul, funk, and psychedelia; incorporating modern instruments such as organ and electric guitar.