Canboulay riots
The chantwell became a calypsonian in the 1920s and calypso became widely popular throughout Trinidad and the Caribbean in the 1930s. Harry Belafonte, a Jamaican-born artist, became hugely successful throughout the world with his 1956 "Calypso" becoming a million seller. During the 1960s, calypso was merged with Indian music and later soul and funk to become soca.
Miss Calypso
"Variety" reviewed one of Angelou's live calypso performances, a gig in Chicago at Mr. Kelly's nightclub during much of December 1956. Hal Spector quoted the review in the album's 1957 liner notes. Stef, the "Variety" reviewer, called Angelou's act "sizzling" and a "unique creation in the jazz world when everything progressive is expected to be on the cool side". He called the song "Polymon Bongo" "recitative" and complimented its conversational nature with the drums. He commented on the intimacy and sharpness in Angelou's performance of "The Heat is On", a song she wrote but one that does not appear on the album. He called "Calypso Blues", written by Nat King Cole and Don George, "an artfully simple welding of idioms" and another song she composed, "Scandal in the Family", "standard Trinidad calypso stuff" and reported that her performance of it "rocked the house".