by Maleeha Sambur
With temperatures reaching into the 70s this week, November in New York is feeling more like June, and the effects of this El Niño-driven seasonal regression are being felt not just in my wardrobe, but also in my headphones, as warm weather tunes mingle with my winter standards. One summer remnant in particular - Exuma's "Rushing Through the Crowd" - is still on heavy rotation.
Over the summer, I stumbled, quite by accident, across a 1972 single by the late Bahamian artist. I was working with a swimwear client, and while shooting at her studio, we found ourselves in need of some props. She pulled out a box of discarded records she'd rescued from the sidewalk, from which we plucked a dusty 45 featuring an illustration of Adam and Eve in a tropical Eden on the label. We put it on, and just seconds into its junkanoo/calypso/freak-folk goodness, I was smiling. If you're looking to deny winter's approach for a bit longer, or just in need of a mood-lifter, this should get you shimmying.