Champion Steelband Arranger Earl Rodney in the Spotlight - Revisited

[Pan Times]

New York, USA - He is one of the esteemed champion arrangers of the Golden Era of pan. His name, like the other great ones, carries much respect and recognition. And like his fellow famed steelband music panorama arrangers - one name will suffice as an identification marker for life. Earl Rodney will always be known as the champion arranger for and associated with, the great Solo Harmonites Steel Orchestra of Trinidad and Tobago in their glory years. The three-time panorama winner sits down with When Steel Talks for an exclusive interview.

Earl Rodney, who is originally from central Point Fortin, Trinidad joined Solo Harmonites in 1967 where he met Harmonites Steel Orchestra co-founder Hue Loy.

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[odw]

Earl Rodney - Friends & Countrymen // Full Album

David Collymore
11 months ago
Earl Rodney is one of the foundations of Kaiso Jazz, a signature art-form of Trinidad and Tobago. Another part of the foundation is Clive Alexander. These Root Movements of the 70s are the foundations on which the pillars of contemporary Kaiso Jazz is built. I hear the music of Etienne Charles saying, ' Thanks'

 

[lance Seuanrine]

Earl is from Newlands, Point Fortin. He grew up with Maestro ( Allan Gervais); they were  like two peas in a pod. His brother is Mootilal who played "firstpan" for Rhapsody. Earl was the arranger and tuner for Rhapsody but he was closer to Tropical Harmony down there in Egypt. His other brother Ali played guitar for Al Mills Orchestra from Mahaica, Point Fortin. We hardly called him Earl. If you were from Point in those days he was called Bostick. He is still walking around Point. I see him every time I am home.  He is mentioned in my book Limmin Under De La Junette Tree and will be in Who Dey, Who Dey  Manicou Dey  a sequel to the former book. Give thanks Dr. Lance Seunarine

[Richard Lee Wah]

I remember Rhapsody growing up as a little boy in Mahaica, one of the players was Jerry who worked in HiLo and was married to Annette Cave and moved to Toronto. I remember Solo playing Bongo on Jourvert morning an amazing arrangement. The Panorama tempo was hotter than anything I heard before. I believe Earl used to play Bass with the Dutchy Bros. He did some fantastic arrangements for Sparrow and he formed Earl Rodney and Friends. I remember listening him play Seconds with 4 stick in New Lands with Samuel Scipio and Wilfred Woodley. Jason Baptiste was mentored by him and was an extremely talented and musical pannist who adopted 4 stick also I remember an Arnott Sieunarine, don’t know if you are related.

[Hameed Shaqq]

Barney started Jerico, Rupert finish the song, I remember members of the stage side explaing to Rupert how the music should be pharse to match what we had already learnt from Earl......

[(Oscar) Mark Roberts]

Greetings to you my brother; After so many years I felt really sad hearing your statement with regard to the development
of our national instrument,that other than the tonal quality not much has been done to really develop and market the instrument,sad but true.I have often wonder how is it that all the intellectuals,advisors and administrators of past and present administration never saw the potential of our invention as a big revenue earner nationally and internationally or may be they felt the wrong people would have benefited,I wonder.
With regard to appreciation there are nationals who leave our shores with total neglect and disrespect for our culture until they arrive in what they consider to be their newly found paradise, announce that they are from Trinidad and Tobago and the question is posed,can you play the steel pan or sing a calypso, No.so to avoid this embarrassment there are those who now find it appropriate to learn a song or two before leaving our shores even taking a Tenor Pan with them and should they happen to be around when a band is on tour you can always see them at the front of the crowd most vociferous exclaiming,they are from my country you know.What hypocrisy.It seems as though we always need foreign approval before we can appreciate or value our own thing.

[(Oscar) Mark Roberts]

Greetings to you my brother; After so many years I felt really sad hearing your statement with regard to the development
of our national instrument,that other than the tonal quality not much has been done to really develop and market the instrument,sad but true.I have often wonder how is it that all the intellectuals,advisors and administrators of past and present administration never saw the potential of our invention as a big revenue earner nationally and internationally or may be they felt the wrong people would have benefited,I wonder.
With regard to appreciation there are nationals who leave our shores with total neglect and disrespect for our culture until they arrive in what they consider to be their newly found paradise, announce that they are from Trinidad and Tobago and the question is posed,can you play the steel pan or sing a calypso, No.so to avoid this embarrassment there are those who now find it appropriate to learn a song or two before leaving our shores even taking a Tenor Pan with them and should they happen to be around when a band is on tour you can always see them at the front of the crowd most vociferous exclaiming,they are from my country you know.What hypocrisy.It seems as though we always need foreign approval before we can appreciate or value our own thing.

[Sante']

Thanks When Steel Talk. Earl ''Bostick''Rodney is one of the best there is and one of the greatest there will ever be. I remember as a boy listening to Tropical Harmony pan side in Point it was sweet music. With so much latin flavour,That is some thing that will stay with me for the rest of my life. We who knew the group of pan men at that time, will also remember his good friend Allan ''Maestro'' Gervais, Better known to his friends in Egypt Village as ''Stro''. When we use to hang on the block while Allan tuning under the mango tree, the best thing that could happen is to see Bostick going to check him, better yet if rain starts to fall. You know the lime done. These two guys will go into the shed, Bostick on Double seconds with four sticks, Stro on the bass with one stick and the rest is history. I could go on and on about a great man a great arranger and a great pannist. I was happy to be at his backyard jam for the 2009 Borough weekend,together with his good friend Jason Baptiste. We must not forget the talent that came out of Poin Fortin. Go ahead and start the book. God bless.

[GospelPan]

I am also an admirer of Earl Rodney, but I would like to see someone write something about him in a book. There are too many great pioneers who have contributed in a great way to the pan art-form, yet we only hear the half of it...a book will remedy this. I recently watched Mr. Rodney at work in Radoes panyard, arranging Ray's composition of "RocketMan", which incidentally was written in my living room as we watched Usain Bolt destroy the competition and become the fastest man in history. It would be nice if someone at least gathered information on Mr. Rodney so that in the future a book can be written to immortalize him and his work.

[ed cee]

Nice of When Steel Talks to give recognition to a somewhat forgotten steelband arranger named Earl Rodney. Members of the band, Solo Harmonites, myself included, used to call him Barney. And, I remember very well how passionate he was about having his music played to perfection, and as crisp as humanly possible. Earl stormed onto the scene with Solo in 1967 doing "Pajama Suit", but, in my humble opinion, it was "The Wrecker" in 1968 that did everybody in. I still remember it to this day and always talk about it. Looking menacing in army greens and with bases painted blue and white to match the Royal Crown Cola logo, Solo mash up the savannah on preliminaries day and had tongues wagging. Bertie Marshall introduced plastic canopies to steel band in 1965 to cover Highlanders pans from the heat of the sun as the band paraded the streets, but it was Solo Harmonites that perfected its use when in 1968, they had green canopies made out of a strong canvas in the hope that the sun would be kept out, the sound would be retained, and which would look very pretty, yet belligerent, and showing that Solo meant business. Canopies so low [no pun intended] that the players could not be seen, all you were hearing was the beautiful, melodious, spine-tingling arrangement of this cool, calm, quiet, unassuming individual. He went on to win, was 3rd in 1969 with another scintillating arrangement of Sparrow's "Bongo", and crowned it all off with successes in 1971 [Play Mas] and 1972 [St. Thomas Girl[], two Kitchener compositions. He started the the 1974 piece"Jericho", but due to a personal issue, brought in Rupert Mark, better known to us as "The Priest" to finish the work. The crowning glory was that Solo Harmonites won the panorama that year, so I would say that he won three and shared in the other victory. I have always admired his calm, collective nature and have always appreciated his contribution to the overhauling of Steelband Panorama in T&T. For, after the licking he inflicted on all challengers in '68, with that large and powerful complement of frontline pans, about 30 tenors, even the then great Guinness Cavaliers had to pay homage and respect to Earl" Barney" Rodney, supreme arranger of Solo Harmonites Steel Orchestra. My heart goes out to you my brother. Indeed, I salute you.

[VINCENT HUELOY LILA YIP YOUNG]

dear ed. i do not remember you, but you described the events pertaining to the canopies acurately. they were designed by (dec. skull) and myself hueloy. solo has re- united, we are playing ,smooth sailing by de fosto, everyone is in high spirits. check out my pg. in fb. (pan jazzkaisoca) you will see recent pic. and vids. also send and tell me who you are in the private message box. take care.