The Art of the Soca Arranger

The first section of Chapter Four explores Frankie’s early training and the musical influences that shaped his development as a calypso/soca arranger. The story turns to his arranging process and philosophy, focusing on the specific methods he used to move from the skeletal melody he received from a calypsonian to a full-blown arrangement ready for recording sessions with the rhythm section, the horns, and finally the vocals. Questions of overall form, harmonic language, and melodic improvisation that characterized his most popular arrangements are explored, as are his approaches to composing introductions, instrumental band choruses, and codas. Frankie ruminates on the process of “finding the arrangement” inherent in a song through contemplation of the lyrical message and overall mood of the material presented to him. The question of composing versus arranging is explored.