By: Nikki Birch
The first law of soca music, according to Machel Montano, is: “it’s dancing time all the time.” And in his Tiny Desk Concert, the “King of Soca” provides irrefutable evidence to support that statement.
Montano’s performance is the first to bring soca, the high energy dance music of the Caribbean, to the Tiny Desk. The genre was born in Trinidad and Tobago in the early 1970s when calypso artist Lord Shorty (who later chose the name Ras Shorty I) added traditional Indian percussion instruments and rhythms to calypso music — itself a fusion that incorporates elements of African, Venezuelan, French and American music.
A proud Trinidadian, Montano’s contribution to soca has earned him awards and recognition since his youth. His career began in earnest when he was 7 years old, and by the time he was 10, he’d shared the stage with Calypsonian pioneers and icons, most notably performing at Madison Square Garden with Mighty Sparrow, Lord Kitchener and The Mighty Shadow.
Indeed, Montano’s Tiny Desk Concert was representative of his 40-plus-year career and, to the delight of those in attendance, included some of his biggest hits: “One More Time,” “Famalay,” “Like Ah Boss” and “Soca Kingdom.”
Guests who attended Montano’s performance came ready to fête! They jumped, they wined and they waved the flags of their respective Caribbean islands up high, singing along word for word.
SET LIST
“One More Time”
“Dance With You”
“Fast Wine”
“Like Ah Boss”
“Famalay”
“Soca Kingdom”
MUSICIANS
Machel Montano: vocals
Dwain Antrobus: keys
Duane Williams: effects
Bayete Williams: keys
Damien Neblett: bass
Melvin Alick: drums
Kyle Peters: guitar
Modupe Onilu: percussion
Rhys Thompson: percussion
Etienne Charles: trumpet, flügelhorn
Lamar Robinson: background vocals
Michael Chandler: background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Nikki Birch
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Alanté Serene, Mitra I. Arthur
Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro
Photographer: Sofia Seidel
Tiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer, Kara Frame
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
#nprmusic #tinydesk #machelmontano
