• 1. Cocoanut
      • 2. Begin the Beguine
      • 3. Kingston Town
      • 4. Never on Sunday
      • 5. Coqui
      • 6. Choucoune - Yellow Bird
      • 7. Mr. Benwood Dick
      • 8. Palo Palo
      • 9. Mambo Jambo
      • 10. Maquinolandela
      • 11. A Certain Smile
      • 12. Bamboushay

      Bamboushay! It's a West Indian dance step and a call to celebration, and it gives this Michigan State student ensemble its name. The steel drum is made by carefully hammering the bottom of a metal oil barrel until it is capable of producing a variety of melodic tones and a strong percussive beat. Under the guidance of musical director Gene Bluestein, Bamboushay demonstrates the versatility of the steel drum, playing lively dance tunes from the West Indies and throughout the Americas. Bluestein's liner notes describe the history of the steel drum and discuss the arrangements used on the recording.

      Other Releases on Smithsonian Folkways

      MatmosReturn to ArchiveSmithsonian Folkways
      It contains sounds sourced from dozens of LPs, from Sounds of North American Frogs to Speech After the Removal of the Larynx, Sounds of Insects to Voices...
        Charles Cha Cha ShawInto MorningSmithsonian Folkways
        Charles "Cha Cha" Shaw released his first solo album on Folkways in 1976 after having performed and recorded trumpet for pop and jazz icons like Curtis...
          Steel Band ClashSteel Band ClashSmithsonian Folkways
          Recorded in 1955, three sixteen-person steel bands—Big Shell, Brute Force and Hell's Gate—come together to provide a sampling of lively music...
            Lead BellyLead Belly Sings Folk SongsSmithsonian Folkways
            Vital 1940s recordings of 15 songs featuring Lead Belly performing solo and accompanied by Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston, and Sonny Terry. 
              Sarah Webster FabioJujus - Alchemy of the BluesSmithsonian Folkways
              Super-tough funky, funky, funky female proto-rap poetry from Sarah Webster Fabio. Killer! Armed with an incredible rhythm section this album is a classic...
              • – The hand that rocks
              • – Sweet songs
              • – Juju for Grandma
              • – Chromo
              • – Still, a Red Hot Axe
              • – If we come as soft rain
              • – Jujus/Alchemy of the blues
              • – Jujus/Alchemy of the blues (instrumental)