Recorded by Alan Lomax, assisted by Antoinette Marchand

Notes by Kenneth Bilby and Morton Marks

These recordings connect the oldest and deepest layers of Western and Central African music in the Americas, capturing the once-flourishing work song tradition, as well as later developments in Eastern Caribbean popular music in which tiny Dominica has played such a pivotal role. Music in this collection has influenced both soca and zouk, styles that have entered the world music mainstream.