Harry Belafonte

| The Legacy of Harry Belafonte: When the Colors Come Together

Fascinating how context can convert ‘novelty’ songs into statements of protest. Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)— an amusing exercise in distance miking, but also a traditional Jamaican plantation work song. The magnificently mono Matilda— a jaunty and infectious singalong, but whose lyric details a life in ruins. Musically it’s the punchy 1950s calypsos that delight most; the brass is mambo mad on his signature Angelina, so far back from the beat they’re nearly bumped by the one behind. The slower ballads are more dated, though his version of Abraham, Martin and John is as moving as any, and the collection succeeds in its aim to remind us that Belafonte, now 90, not only had America’s first-ever million-selling LP, but also used the proceeds to support Martin Luther King’s family, finance the 1961 Freedom Rides, and help organise the 1963 March on Washington.