Seven Examples Of "Jumbie Jamboree" (also known as "Zombie Jamboree" & "Back To Back, Belly To Belly")

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases seven examples of the Caribbean song "Jumbie Jamboree" (also known as "Zombie Jamboree" and "Back To Back, Belly To Belly"). Information about this song is included in this post along with the lyrics to Laurel Aitken's Ska version of this song, and selected viewer comments.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

Thanks to Conrad Eugene Mauge, Jr, the first person to have performed (if not composed) "Jumbie Jamboree". Thanks also to all the vocalists who are featured in this post and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "JUMBIE JAMBOREE" ("ZOMBIE JAMBOREE")
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumbie_Jamberee
"Jumbie Jamberee" is a calypso song credited to Conrad Eugene Mauge, Jr.[1] In 1953 Lord Intruder released the song as the B-side to "Disaster With Police".[2] The song is also known as "Zombie Jamboree" and "Back to Back". In the introduction to the Kingston Trio's version "Lord Invader and his Twelve Penetrators" are incorrectly credited with the song instead of Lord Intruder.

The oldest versions of the song refer to a jumbee jamboree. Jumbies are evil spirits who were thought to cause wild dancing in their victims. The song's references to Carnival also suggest a connection to the Moko jumbie, a protecting spirit figure represented during Carnival on Trinidad by stilt walkers and dancers. The switch to "Zombie Jamboree" occurred very early with King Flash's version with those lyrics coming out in 1956, only three years after "Jumbie Jamboree" first appeared.

Like many "folk" songs, there is unclear copyright in the song and many lines are variable between versions. While many versions set the song in a New York, Long Island or Woodlawn Cemetery, some place it in Kingston or an island cemetery. The third verse is the most variable with The Charmer's version discussing the local food at a previous jumbie carnival parade while Rockapella's version discusses zombies invading various New York City landmarks. The third verse of King Flash's 1956 version further discusses the female zombie's romantic pursuit of the singer.

Notable cover versions
• Back to Back, Belly to Belly" by The Charmer (Louis Farrakhan) with Johnny McCleverty Calypso Boys recorded in 1954.

• King Flash and Calypso Carnival recorded a version of "Zombie Jamboree" in 1956.

 • Jamaican mento singer Lord Foodoos recorded "Back to Back" for his 1957 Elektra album Calypso, an early production by Jac Holzman, who later produced The Doors, Nico and The Stooges among others.

• A version of "Jumbee Jamboree" appears in the 1957 movie "Calypso Joe".

 • Jamaican mento group The Wrigglers recorded "Back to Back" for their 1958 album At The Arawak featuring Ernest Ranglin on guitar.

 • The Kingston Trio recorded "Zombie Jamboree" on their Stereo Concert album in 1958 and on their ...from the Hungry i album in 1959.

 • Harry Belafonte recorded five versions of the song (in 1962, 1964, 1966, 1972 and 1974). It first appeared on Belafonte's The Many Moods of Belafonte and later became one of his signature songs.

 • Lord Jellicoe and His Calypso Monarchs recorded a version of "Zombie Jamboree" in 1962.
• Peter Tosh recorded "Jumbee Jamboree" with The Wailers in 1965. It used the original lyrics of the song (not the Zombie ones), and also added a new chorus based on "De River Ben Come Dung" by Edric Connor (a traditional Jamaican mento song). It released as a 7-inch single and was included on the 1996 CD compilation The Toughest"...
-snip-
Italics are added to highlight the fact that in Caribbean culture "jumbies" are quite different from "zombies". In contrast, a "zombie" is a corpse that has been reanimated, especially by means of a supernatural power or spell.

The summary statement given for Example #5 provides information about the history of "kaiso" (calypso) as well as information about Lord Intruder's 1953 record, the first known recording of this song.

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From http://www.mtvhive.com/2013/03/20/walking-dead-soundtrack-zombie-jamboree/
"In Caribbean folklore, jumbies, or jumbees, are evil spirits that can possess people. Sometime around 1953, a calypso singer from Tobago known as Lord Intruder (real name: Winston O’Conner) reportedly performed — and may or may not have recorded — a song called “Jumbie Jamberee,” about finding himself surrounded by dancing jumbies. Note that that’s Lord Intruder, not the earlier, more famous calypso star Lord Invader, who’s occasionally gotten credit for it. (The latter was responsible for writing one of the biggest calypso hits ever, “Rum and Coca-Cola,” an acerbic song about profiting from American G.I.s; here’s his original version.)"

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SONG LYRICS: JUMBIE JAMBOREE
(as sung by Laurel Aitken)

Oh what a jumbie jamboree took place in a Kingston cemetry
Oh what a jumbie jamboree took place in a Kingston cemetry
Jumbies from up north of the island
Some of them are great calypsonians
Since the season was carnival
They ska together in Bakanal
And what they singing
And what they singing

Back to back, belly to belly. I dont care a damn
I dun dead already
Back to back, belly to belly that a jumbie jamboree

One female jumbie wouldn't behave
Look how she jumping on the grave
In one hand'e holding a qwart of rum
The next hand shes beating congo drum
The lead singer starts to make his rhyme
while othe jambies rock their bones in time
One bystander started to say
It was a sight to see jumbie break away

And what they singing

Back to back...

Left to right things was getting sweet
A bystander mash a jumbie feet
One jumbie raise his finger to one
He said mister take care you mashing me corn
The funniest thing I have ever seen
To see jumbie eating salt fish and ackee
I never see more marpy or gingerbeer
That took place at a jumbie parade last year

What they singing

Back to back...


Source: http://www.ska-talk.org/forum/index.php?topic=12714.0;wap2

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
These examples are given in chronological order according to their publishing dates on YouTube with the oldest dated example given first.

Example #1: LAUREL AITKEN-Jumbie Jamboree



therotatingchinmen, Uploaded on Apr 23, 2009
1966.

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Example #2: Lord Jellicoe & His Calypso Monarchs - Zombie Jamboree



Steve, Uploaded on Nov 9, 2009
-snip-
According to a comment on http://www.ska-talk.org/forum/index.php?topic=12714.0;wap2, Lord Jellicoe's version is actually a Mento and was recorded in 1966. A lot of Mentos were advertised as "Calypso" songs since that was the term for Caribbean music that people in the United States were most familiar with. Calypsos originated in Trinidad and Mentos in Jamaica..

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Example #3: Jumbie Jamboree



King Selewa and his Calypsonians, Oct. 6, 2016
-snip-
This examples replaces a sound file that is no longer available.

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Example #4: THE WAILERS - JUMBIE JAMBOREE



いちイチ, Aug 26, 2015

Hot Ska vocal

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Example #5: Jumbie Jamberee Calypso Performed by Antigua Joe



acoustcarchive, Uploaded on Aug 24, 2011

Heres Calypsonian Antigua Joe performing "Jumbie Jamberee" Jumbie Jamberee is a calypso song credited to Conrad Eugene Mauge Jr.[1] In 1953 Lord Intruder released the song as the B-side to Disaster With Police.[2] The song is also known as Zombie Jamboree and Back to Back. In the introduction to the Kingston Trio's version "Lord Invader and his Twelve Penetrators" are credited with the song instead of Lord Intruder.

Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of African slaves, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song. This forged a sense of community among the Africans, who saw their colonial masters change rapidly, bringing French, Spanish and British music styles to the island of Trinidad.

It is thought that the name "calypso" was originally "kaiso," which is now believed to come from Efik "ka isu" 'go on!' and Ibibio "kaa iso" 'continue, go on,' used in urging someone on or in backing a contestant.[2] There is also a Trinidadian term, "cariso" which is used to refer to "old-time" calypsos.[3] The term "calypso" is recorded from the 1930s onwards. The word was bastardized into "Calypso" when the early European settlers put the word into print. (Best known from Homer's epic, the Odyssey, Calypso was a nymph who enticed Odysseus into a cave for seven years.)

Kind Regards

Jim Clark
All rights are reserved on this video sound recording copyright Jim Clark 2011

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Example #6: Back to Back, Belly to Belly [10 inch] - The Charmer with the Johnny McCleverty Calypso Boys



TheRealDJGIBS Published on May 8, 2012

Digital archive of Monogram / Rhythm 78RPM single M-930 B;
Back To Back, Belly To Belly by The Charmer with the Johnny McCleverty Calypso Boys

℗1954 Monogram Records Inc. (USA) / Phonodisc Ltd. (Jamaica)
-snip-
Selected comments from this sound file's discussion thread:
TheRealDJGIBS, 2012
""Jumbie Jamboree" (aka Zombie Jamboree) was first performed by Lord Intruder at the 1953 Carnival in Port-of-Span, Trinidad. This is the first recorded version I am aware of. It was later covered by such artists as Lord Foodoos, The Wigglers, Kingston Trio, Harry Belafonte and others..."

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Bikey Hendricks, 2013
"Big man chune...Louis Farakhan dis meh boy."

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silverderf, 2013
"The Charmer was Louis Farrakhan ! True. Look it up."

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TheRealDJGIBS
in reply to silverderf
"Ya that's a pretty well know fact, at least those who knew him as The Charmer. He was born Louis Wolcott and joined the NOI in 1955. He was later appointed the Muslim surname Farrakhan by Elijah Muhammad himself."
-snip-
Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan is the leader of the Nation Of Islam, an African American religious group. Here's the summary statement from another sound file of this same record:
"Lord Charmer (Louis Farrakhan): The Charmer Back to Back, Belly to Belly Louis Farrakhan mento", vinyhilist, Uploaded on Sep 10, 2011 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SDoHciRlok
"Louis Farrakhan was born Louis Eugene Walcott in the Bronx and was raised in Boston's Roxbury West Indian community. His mother immigrated from St Kitts in the Twenties. His father was a New York Jamaican cab driver. Louis showed musical talent from an early age, became an accomplished violinist and performed on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour. And here is Mr Farrakhan, tearing it up on violin. http://youtu.be/7xvJlxqHh28

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Example #7: Harry Belafonte - Zombie Jamboree (Back to Back)



Jose Alfonso Del Rio, Published on Oct 20, 2014

Artist: Harry Belafonte
Album: The Essential Harry Belafonte
Release: October 4, 2005

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Very Old Reference To John Canoe & Aunt Sally Stuffed Figures In The Caribbean

Edited by Azizi Powell

I recently came across an online copy of an April 11, 1886 New York Times article on 19th century West Indian culture that includes a reference to John Canoe and Aunt Sally stuffed figures. To date, I've not found any other information about John Canoe or Aunt Sally stuffed figures in the Caribbean or elsewhere. Note: I'm not referring to the United Kingdom pub game of "Aunt Sally"* and I'm very unsure if that pub game relates in any way to the customs that are referred to in the brief portion of that above mentioned article.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pub_games#Aunt_Sally

I'm posting the excerpt from that newspaper that I'm referring to as means of increasing awareness of it among individuals in the general public who may be interested in this subject.

I assume that individuals who study 19th century or earlier Caribbean history (and/or African American history) particularly as those histories relate to Jonkanoo already know about this article. And it's possible that those researchers have come across other references to stuffed figures of John Canoe, Aunt Sally, or other stuffed figures among people of African descent in those geographical areas or in any other part of the Americas. I'd love to learn more about this subject.

Here's that portion of that article that I'm referring to:
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F70F1FFB355A1A738DDDA80994DC405B8684F0D3
WEST INDIAN WITCHCRAFT; SOME REMARKABLE SUPERSTITIONS OF THE NEGROES.OBEAH MEN, JUMBIES, DUPPIES, JOHN CANOES, AUNT SALLYS, ROOSTERS' HEADS,SPIDERS, GROUND GLASS, AND POISONS.
New York Times April 11, 1886

..."negroes are so constituted that they must have something tangible to worship and believe in-something they can see and feel....

They are wonderfully fond of stuffed figures. Nearly all their ceremonies have a figure worked in in some shape or the other. For instance, look at “John Canoes”. They rarely have a festival without a John Canoe, the stuffed figure of a man, that is treated with great respect. Sometimes they have two of them, which they consider father and son – John Canoe senior and John Canoe junior. If John is by any possibility left out Aunt Sally is substituted. She is the same as John, only, being a woman, she is not treated with the same respect. She is carried to the place of merry making, laid out on a board, like a corpse, amid cries of “Here comes Aunt Sally; poor Aunt Sally! she’s dead. They take" [end of online article]
-snip-
I believe that the name "John Canoe" is a folk etymology form of some African word such as "Egungun", the Yoruba (Nigeria) word for "the collective spirits of the ancestral dead." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egungun-oya. I wonder if "Sally" is also a folk etymology form of some African word for a revered female masquerading spirit. I'm aware from my reading that "Aunt" was used as a title of respect for older women, including Black women, i.e. "Aunt Jemima". Also, I'm aware that in antebellum United States -and I presume in 19th century and earlier Caribbean- the title "Aunt" served as a substitute for "Mrs", a title that was reserved just for White women, (The title "Uncle as it related to Black people served as a substitution for "Mr" for the same reasons, i.e. "Uncle Remus" and "Uncle Ben").

Warning- I'm really guessing here, but I also just came across this February 2009 article "The Owu-Aru-Sun Festival Of The Kalabari Kingdom In Rivers State [Updated With More Pictures]"
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/guest-articles/the-owu-aru-sun-festival-of-the-kalabari-kingdom-in-rivers-state-updated-with-more-pictures.html

I wpnder could "Sally" be a folk etymology form of "Sekiapu", although that article indicates that "Sekiapu" means "dancers" and those two words spelled or pronounced the same.

I won't speculate any further. I know that I know too little about this subject. However, I'm hoping that some people who do know about this subject will some information with me and others via this blog or otherwise.

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RELATED LINKS
Here's another very interesting online reference that I found about early Jonkanoo practices in the Caribbean: http://books.google.com/books?id=_lmFzFgsTZYC&pg=PA249&lpg=PA249&dq=john+canoes+figures&source=bl&ots=N7OyxmVupb&sig=rzcT8u2Z5Yg2jBJVb9PWvYm1c0U&hl=en&sa=X&ei=EvrJUurTHK3JsQTVzoCgDQ&ved=0CGsQ6AEwCg#v=onepage&q=john%20canoes%20figures&f=false Dictionary of Jamaican English edited by Frederic Gomes Cassidy, Robert Brock Le Page, page

That page of that book also refers to "John Crayfish" who is a rival of John Canoe. Also, on page 4 of that book there's an entry for "Actor Boy" (also called "Koo Koo") who is one kind of John Canoe figure.

The important distinction I'm making between the 1886 New York Times article and this dictionary entry is that the former refers to stuffed figures while the latter refers to people acting out certain roles in their observations and/or celebrations.

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There are several YouTube videos of the Owu Arusun Festival. Among those videos is this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upxBu8p_oYo
KALABARI OWU ARUSUN FESTIVAL PART ONE

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All copyrights remain with their owners.

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The Devil, Jumbies, And The "Shut De Door"(Keep Out The Devil) Song

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post serves as a companion to "A Cultural Critique Of The Song "Shut De Door" (Keep Out De Debil) http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-cultural-crtique-of-song-shut-de-door.html

In this post I've included excerpts from several online articles that provide explanations of the Caribbean/African and Western European folk beliefs that make up the "Shut De Door" song, i.e. that

Oh, Satan is an evil charmer
(Shut de do, keep out the debil)
He's hungry for a soul to hurt
(Shut de do, keep the debil in de ni-eet)
And without your holy armor
(Shut de do, keep out the debil)
He will eat you for dessert

(Shut de do, keep the debil in de ni-eet)
Shut de do, keep out de debil
You shut de do, keep de debil in de ni-eet
Shut de do, keep out de debil
Light de candle everything's alright
Light de candle everything's alright

http://www.metrolyrics.com/shut-de-do-lyrics-randy-stonehill.html

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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SELECTED EXCERPTS
(These excerpts are presented in no particular order. They are numbered for referencing purposes.)

Excerpt #1
From http://www.life123.com/holidays/halloween/superstitions/elizabethan-superstitions.shtml "Elizabethan Era Superstitions" By Jennifer Maughan
"Elizabethan superstitions reflect the fears and beliefs of British citizens in the 1500s and early 1600s. The era is distinguished by a long period of peace, as well as a stable and successful overall population. Exploration, art, literature and expansion brought new ideas-both interesting and scary-to the common person. These superstitions blend pagan traditions and international folk tales with seemingly supernatural explanations of events...

Witchcraft And The Devil
People in the Elizabethan era were deeply religious and felt a real fear of the devil and witchcraft. Because there were no scientific explanations for events such as sick animals or bad luck, they blamed witches. Elizabethan witches were believed to cast spells and to keep certain magical animals, such as cats (especially black ones), bats and frogs. The color black was linked to evil, as were the numbers 7 and 13. The devil was thought to roam freely, and saying "Bless you" when someone sneezed was thought to keep the devil from entering their body."

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Excerpt #2
From http://classroom.synonym.com/beliefs-devil-during-elizabethan-times-5371.html
"A Force for Evil
To Elizabethans, the influence of the Devil on human affairs was almost as prevalent as that of God. While God was a force for good, the Devil was a force for evil. The Devil was believed to be able to take on whatever form he chose, human or animal, to tempt his victims to do wicked things. Many people believed that ghosts, too, were the Devil in disguise. One of the most famous Elizabethans, William Shakespeare, refers to this belief in his play ''Hamlet.''…
Demonic Possession

Alongside the idea that certain people might make pacts with the Devil, the Elizabethans believed the Devil could forcefully take possession of an innocent victim. In Shakespeare's ''King Lear,'' one character claims to have been possessed in this way by no fewer than five demonic entities. It was commonly believed that the Devil could enter a victim through his mouth as he sneezed, and that this could be prevented if another person said "Bless you." This is one superstition that has survived from Elizabethan times to the present day."

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Excerpt #3
From http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2008/06/08/a-study-into-jumbies/ "A study into jumbies" June 8, 2008 By Rustom Seegopaul

[Regarding Guyanese folklore]

..."THE OLE HIGUE
O le Higues are also known as “Fire Rass” or Angeli. The ole higue is always a woman. It is said that she sucks the blood of unsuspecting victims as they sleep. Her favourite victims are young children and babies.

The ole higue’s distinguishing feature is the fact that, during the day, she lives among other Guyanese as a somewhat introverted and quiet old lady. At night, this seemingly harmless old woman removes her skin, places it gently in a calabash, and travels across the sky as a ball of fire heading to the home of her intended victim.

To enter the home she shrinks herself and enters through the keyhole.

There have been countless sightings of these balls of fire all over the country, and many people still have a staunch belief in the reality of the ole higue.

There are three ways to dispose of an ole higue. The first is to turn the key while she is trying to get through the keyhole. Even today many people still lock their doors and then turn their key to a horizontal position to allow an ole higue to make it partway into the hole.

The rustling of the key should wake the tenant, who can then turn the key fully and crush the ole higue. It is said that the next morning a pile of bones should be seen on the doorstep.

The second way is to find its skin in the calabash where it is stored and put hot peppers in the skin. An ole higue who tries to wear this skin will be burned by the pepper. The ole higue is very miserly, and the last way to catch the ole higue is to spill rice grains on the floor in front of the front door to the house. As the ole higue enters your house, she will be forced to count every rice grain before she can pass. It is better to make sure there is a large helping of rice on the floor and no bags in sight.

This is because the ole higue will have to pick up the grains with her right hand and place counted grains in her left hand. Her hands can only hold so many rice grains, and it is only a matter of time before the grains begin to fall back to the ground and the process begins again. When the homeowners awake the next morning, they should find a very tired and incredibly distressed ole higue counting rice. This is when the homeowners will beat the woman to death with a broom."

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Excerpt #5
From http://www.luckymojo.com/devil.html
"Can the Devil be a bringer of good luck? Yes, indeed, according to old European traditions. This devil -- known variously as Old Nick, Old Scratch, Old Split-Foot, and Der Teufel -- did not begin his career as the "Satan" (adversary) of Christianity and Judaism or the "Prince of Darkness" and "fallen angel" popularized by John Milton in his epic poem "Paradise Lost" (1667 - 1674).

The old Devil is a Teutonic woods-spirit, an ogre-like trickster who may desire to eat human flesh, but is often friendly to wood-cutters and footloose soldiers. In Germanic folk-tales like those collected by the Grimm brothers, he is usually described as living out in the woods with his aged grandmother who combs his hair to put him to sleep at night. Among Americans of Anglo-Saxon heritage, he is sometimes said to have a wife who quarrels with him.

In the area of Central and Eastern Europe comprising Germany, Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, the Devil was never fully absorbed into the Christian mythos as Satan but remained as he had always been, a slender, horned, bearded, fur-covered half-man of the woods. Under the regional names Krampus, Schwarze Peter (Black Peter), and Knecht Ruprecht (Ruprecht the Servant), he accompanies Saint Nicholas on his rounds of gift-giving, originally on December 6th, but eventually on Christmas Day, December 25th. In the early part of the 20th century it was the custom during December to send humourous Krampus postcards to friends...

This old Devil was a spirit of untamed nature who loved music and in many ways resembled the half-human Greek god Pan. Like the West African deities Ellegua and Legba, he could be met with at a crossroads, where he would make pacts -- but unlike these deities, he was described in folktales an unpredictable ally, and a rather dim-witted foe who was easily and humourously outwitted. Coincidentally, he also resembled the Guatemalan crossroads deity Maximon, known as San Simon, for he took a special interest in the affairs of drunkards and gamblers...

When Christianity overtook the native Teutonic religions, the Devil acquired some new attributes. In one of the Grimm's tales, "The Devil's Sooty Brother," he actually lives in Hell, where, for a term of work stoking the hellfires, he grants a veteran soldier a comfortable life in the here-and-now."...
-snip-
Interestingly enough, I haven't found any online references yet to any Caribbean custom of lighting a candle to keep out the devil or evil spirits.

Also, as the website given as Example #5 demonstrates, there are long held traditions in the many cultures of lighting certain colored candles to achieve a certain result or results. whether that result is good or evil. However, I think that Randy Stonehill's references to lighting a candle are based on the overarching belief that the devil (or evil spirits) are most active in the dark (and at night). Lighting a candle dispels some of the darkness, thus keeping away those evil spirits. A related belief that light= God/Jesus is the basis of such Christian songs as "The Light Of The World Is Jesus". Unfortunately, the belief that good = light and bad = dark influences the way some people have viewed White people and People of Color, especially Black people and other People of Color who are dark skinned.

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This concludes this sampling of online material on the devil, jumbies, and the "Shut De Door" song.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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Visitor comments are welcome.