From the siesta to fiesta, the lifeblood of the Caribbean is in the rhythms of the salsa, calypso and zouk. The author of this book left London for Trinidad seeking to tap some of this bravura by joining a salsa band - the heart of the islands - and this book tells of his experiences. Caught in the exhilaration of carnival in Port of Spain, jamming with a police band in Grenada, witness to the thunderous drumming in the invocation of the god Shango in Trinidad and learning an unfamiliar style of zouk for a one-night stand in Dominica, Shukman's quest to share the musical roots of the people of the islands uncovered a world of powerful eroticism, ritual and mysticism. And on the mainland, the then travel-hardened Shukman was hurled into another world of carnival in the Colombian salsa capital Cali, sang the vallenato in the plaza of the northern town of La Gloria and was awoken in Cartegena to the nightmare of being falsely arrested as a supsected drug trafficker.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
'Wish I'd been with them' --Laurie Lee
'Enthralling' --Matthew Paris
'An admirable travel book, full of vivid portraits ... fascinating ... makes me want to leave at once' --George Melly
Review:
Splendid. A fascinating and unusual book. I enjoyed it tremendously.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherHarperCollins
- Publication date1992
- ISBN 10 0002157403
- ISBN 13 9780002157407
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages256
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Rating