Blinky & The Roadmasters - Crucian Scratch Band Music (1990)

Hailing from the U.S. Virgin Islands, saxophonist Sylvester "Blinky" McIntosh and his band play traditional Crucian (St. Croix) dance music and topical songs, called "scratch music" for the assertive presence of the guiro, a dried gourd with ridges that is scraped to produce a percussive scratching sound. The Roadmasters are a full modern ensemble with electric guitar and bass complementing acoustic banjo-ukelele, triangle, congas and a second sax player. Another facet of the fascinating evolution of Afro-Caribbean music.