Tropicology - Episode 134: Caribbean Cruise

On today’s episode we will be punching the box for latin America… music from the Caribbean will be our theme. My typical approach to music of the Caribbean is to separate the francophones from the hispanophones… I tend to segregate music of the French West Indies from the music of Cuba, Columbia, and the other Spanish speaking countries of the region. Today, however, I am mixing the French and the Spanish… I am putting guacamole on my croissant and I am dipping my empanada in a cafe au lait. Today’s playlist is a great reminder of what a melting pot the Caribbean has been, and how fluidly musical ideas have moved among those cultures. The first set jumps in with some sounds I would describe as pan-tropical… most of these tracks show multiple influences coming together to create regional fusion music. The second set features Caribbean rhythms and traditions working in jazz settings. This is Caribbean descarga with instrumental and vocal improvisations. In the second hour I will offer more modern sounds… hour two kicks off with some latin soul and some urban anthems, music that is more about the melting pot of city life from Caracas to Cartagena. Then we go out today with modern latin fusion and just a bit of funk and disco. That will be your tour of the Caribbean today… a Carnival Cruise that doesn’t make you want to throw yourself overboard.