Calypso, Trinidad’s urban folk music, developed as a mixture of the musical traditions of African slaves, brought to the island by force, and the island’s Spanish, French and Martinquan settlers. Although already well known by the end of the 19th century, its golden age arrived in the 1930s, when it became the first musical genre from the Caribbean to become a craze on dance floors across the globe. These light dances, however, were inextricably intertwined with serious social issues, and so the more significant calypso singers were also considered narrators of history. In the second half of the 20th century, calypso underwent a fusion with soul, rap, reggae and other dance music, but there are few stars who scintillate on the stage like Lord Mouse And The Kalypso Katz. An American, Lord Mouse assembled his Berlin-based, sixteen-member "Katz band" – possibly the world’s only Calypso big band orchestra – from musicians from seven countries. Four years later, they launched their debut album, Go Calypsonian, which immediately became a great favourite of world music radio. And no wonder, it has everything: a mighty wind section, a contingent of "Kitty-cat" vocalists, street-tough lyrics and seductive rhythms – with a pure, live sound unadulterated by electronic devices – all combining to keep audiences in an unrelenting state of rapture. It’s no lie: The golden age of calypso is right now. Presented by: Palace of Arts

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