Travels with My Trombone

At age 27, amateur trombonist Shukman ( Sons of the Moon ) left his native England for the Caribbean, which had captivated him on a trip eight years earlier. Three weeks before the height of Carnival--Trinidad's Mardi Gras celebration--he was hird to play in a soca (soul-calypso) band called the Blue Ventures. The job became his ticket to all-night parties packed with revelers and fueled by sexual energy and rum; his feverish prose aptly conveys the heated climate, as well as his own elation and overwhelming fatigue. When Lent began, Shukman went to Grenada, Guadeloupe and Dominica to play reggae, zouk (the music of the French Caribbean) and more calypso. Later, he made his way to mainland Colombia for salsa and folk music, but tension haunted his visit, which ended with his wrongful arrest on a drug charge. A continuous soundtrack seems to accompany every adventure here: Shukman joins local outfits for gigs or casual jam sessions, and frequently passes shops and taxis blasting tropical music. Buoyed by sensual imagery, this vibrant travelogue presents a potpourri of islands and musical styles. (May)