This is historic music in every sense of the term. These priceless recordings take us back to the dawn of the 20th century, and also chart the thrilling preamble to calypso, thus making the point that Trinidad, then a largely unknown quantity on the global stage, was part of the newfangled technology of the gramophone. ‘Small island, big noise’ might be too glib a description of the string bands led by George Robertson Lovelace Baillie aka Lovey, given that the 78s they cut in New York and Port Of Spain were not made widely available. But the fact of the matter is the material has an irresistible charm, as can be heard on no fewer than 65 tracks spread over three CDs here. Originally termed ‘paseo’ the songs of the Lovey band reflected the melting pot that was colonial Trinidad, where waltzes and tangos were standard fare at social functions, though the primary influence of Spanish folk surfaced in guitar motifs as well as sung turns of phrase. Lovey's band is the birth of popular music in Trinidad that would go on to attract audiences in America and Europe in the post-war years. This handsomely packaged and informative release – complete with sleeve notes by John Cowley – is a fascinating document of long-lost sessions that heralded a major cultural revolution.