Sparrow and De Girls - Mervyn Taylor - Symposium to examine Sparrow’s career

-
Mervyn Taylor


Four distinguished presenters brought different perspectives on Mighty Sparrow’s phenomenal career at the symposium focused on the legendary artist, that took place Friday evening, April 8 at Medgar Evers College, presented by the Trinidad & Tobago Folk Arts Institute, in collaboration with the Medgar Evers College School of Professional & Community Development.

The four presenters were billed as Prof. Lawrence Waldron, who teaches art at City College of CUNY; Winthrop Holder, an educator who is also author of the Classroom Calypso: Giving Voice to the Voiceless; poet Mervyn Taylor, whose poetry continuously engages the Caribbean culture spectrum; and attorney Khalick Hewitt, whose avid interest and research in calypso and steel band dates back to his youthful days in Port of Spain, Trinidad.


See more

Related Content

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When Steel Talks (WST) extends Happy Birthday greetings to panist and steelpan tuner Ansel Joseph

-
Image
Ansel Joseph November 1st When Steel Talks extends Birthday Greetings to panist Ansel Joseph With thoughtful observation, critical analysis and keen understanding - Ansel Joseph brings his over sixty years of dedication to the steelpan artform and culture as a skilled panist, lecturer, touring musician, steelpan craftsman, tuner and manufacturer. Moreover, through his vast experiences and encounters he raises the pertinent issues to the way forward and meeting the challenge of growing the Art form. See article Related content : Pan As A Developing Art Form Ansel Joseph - the Panman of Phoen...
Read more

Remembering the late Colette Modeste on her birthday - scholar, educator, panist and member of Women in Steel

-
Image
  Colette Modeste Birthday - June 27th Colette Modeste Women In Steel in Antigua, with the late legendary arranger Dr. Jit Samaroo (striped top) - Colette Modeste is second to Samaroo's left Colette Modeste, at right Related content: Educator & Panist Colette Modeste has passed Women In Steel Set to Represent New York at the 2004 edition of The World Steelband Music Festival Women in Steel -- bio The late Colette Modeste with Women in Steel
Read more

Esther Batson - Women's Month - Their Voice, Their Life, Their Dreams, Their Passion, Their Story

-
Image
  "...the biggest challenge facing women in pan is the public not realizing - or not accepting them yet; although they enjoy it [pan music]. When they have their programs they do not attend... so the finance is not there. And they would attend foreigners' [performances].... They won't [attend the pan performances] because you see they can walk into a panyard and watch them practice....So that is the greatest challenge - to get the public to realize - here is an artform, and they should pay for it. So they [pan players] practice freely, until the wee hours of the morning, and get no remuneration.  -- Esther Batson Music Educator Esther Batson was one of the stalwarts in the steelband culture of Trinidad and Tobago, and adjudicated steelband competitions internationally. Ms. Batson passed away on June 18, 2010 in Trinidad. Responsible for the mentoring and development of several of the country’s noted steelpan talents, it was Ms. Batson’s initiative of cultural exchanges whi...
Read more

‘But de judges tief!!’.... -- Revisited -- The job of Panorama Judging Realities and Myths

-
Image
Victor Prescod - Performer, Educator and Adjudicator - In the Spotlight On judging, Victor believes that one of the things that needs to be looked at is the criteria for judging.  “Many times persons fault the adjudicators for results, but the adjudicators can only work within the established criteria. And - competition is a strange thing when it comes to music. Because, there are some who say competition stifles creativity - and in a sense, it may. Once you enter a competition there are criteria. And if you are hopeful of being successful in the competition, then you need to address the criteria. What I have found is very often - the arrangers of music for pan, may not fully understand the criteria under which they are being judged. So that - arrangers are creative, so they get into a lot of the creativity which does not necessarily address the criteria...” In speaking directly to the competing arrangers, V...
Read more

Roach to be honoured with Caribbean Artistic Development award in the U.S.A.

-
Image
Global: Three years ago, the visionary Tobagonian Nevin Roach showcased ingenuity during the challenging heights of the COVID-19 lockdowns, giving birth to PanoGrama , the world’s first online steelpan competition. The inaugural event drew thousands virtually on Instagram, gaining popularity in subsequent years. Now, Roach is set to receive the 2024 Young, Gifted & Black (YGB) Entrepreneurial Award for Caribbean Artistic Development. At its core, PanoGrama is a testament to the power of simple yet innovative ideas. The solo competition united the international steelpan community, providing a platform to showcase exceptional talents. However, PanoGrama's impact extended far beyond entertainment and became a highly anticipated event globally. Since the inaugural event, Mr. Roach expanded the competition to encompass holistic development. He secured international television deals, reaching a potential audience of over one million, and fo...
Read more

Calypso’s “Kitch” of the Day

-
Image
Calypso’s “Kitch” of the Day by Von Martin written for the “WASHINGTON POST” February 20, 2000 published at the request, and with the expressed permission - of the author If Aldwyn Roberts, the calypsonian known as Lord Kitchener, had been born in a metropolitan country instead of the island republic of Trinidad and Tobago, he might have been considered one of the greatest composers of this century.I wrote for the Washington Post commemorating “Lord Kitchener.” This was done in 2000 using material from an interview I did with Kitch in 1988. I think its a doozy. Cheers, Von But then he would not have contributed so much to calypso music. For more than 50 years, Lord Kitchener, who died Feb. 11 at the age of 77, gave calypso some of its wittiest and most infectious musical compositions. Calypso, a genre grounded in the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago, is both poetry in music and editorial in song. Calypso songs praise or condemn their subjects. The lyrics tell of the life of th...
Read more

Who is Clive Zanda? Clive Zanda Speaks...

-
Image
Clive Zanda: Clive Zanda Is Here With 'Dat Kinda Ting' -- from back cover notes Professionally, I am an architect planning consultant; but essentially, a composer/improviser. If there is any truth in the statement that 'architecture is frozen music, then these disciplines naturally complement each other.' I was born in Siparia, County of St. Patrick, South Trinidad, on June 15 , 1939, into a musical environment. My father Richard Alexander, is a shoe-maker by trade, a guitarist and choir master by vocation; my mother Louisa, is a gospel singer. We all sang in the church choir, where I played the guitar. Later I was exposed to the piano.The next phase of my musical development started when I began 'liming' with the Bill Ken Thomas Orchestra. Not long after I got an opportunity to play bongos in the Choy Aming Orchestra where I met trumpeter Erroll Ince and we both planned to migrate to the U.K. with a view to furthering our musical careers. During this period (1...
Read more

When Steel Talks (WST) extends Happy Birthday greetings to veteran panist Imari Bactowal

-
Image
  Happy Birthday to  Imari Bactowal December 14th To simply say that Pan is a major part of her life would be an understatement. She is wrapped in the arms of the proverbial Pan-Jumbie - with no escape. In an exclusive interview with When Steel Talks - panist and performing artist Imari Bactowal shares her reflections, experiences and views on Pan, and the steelpan art form overall. Related content Meet Imari Bactowal - Brooklyn, New York Imari Bactowal with Sonatas Steel Orchestra
Read more