In the 500-page book published in tandem with this two-disc compilation, which was produced in conjunction with the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, musicologist Bruno Blum highlights the two-way traffic that saw Caribbean performers influence American music and the American styles that inspired their Caribbean counterparts, with lasting effects in each direction. Shuffle format brings constant directional changes. Disc one offers landmark calypsos from Kitchener and Sparrow, Ernest Ranglin's guitar jazz, rhythm and blues from Don Drummond and some Bahamian goombay, as well as Cuban dance music and Bob Marley's debut single. Disc two opts for tamer calypso adaptations by the Andrews Sisters, Harry Belafonte and Robert Mitchum, Chet Atkins' guitar adaptation of El Manisero and a range of recordings that impacted Jamaican artists, including Fats Domino's Be My Guest, Duke Ellington's Caravan and Barbie Gaye's My Boy Lollipop.
David Katz – Mojo Magazine
