This weekend’s premier steelband event is tonight’s Classical Jewels XI (Journey From Jules to Jemmott) being staged by Massy Trinidad All Stars at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (Napa), Port-of-Spain, with a repeat tomorrow evening.
I remember as a young man in the ‘70s Classical Jewels being a must-attend event for my parents.
Back then, sponsored by Catelli, the legendary steel orchestra was under the musical direction of Gerry “Uncle Jem” Jemmott and for the occasion its guest conductors included Paul Hill and Pat Bishop.
As a prelude to this weekend’s concert, All Stars hosted a media reception last week Thursday at its Duke Street panyard. Guests were warmly welcomed by manager Nigel Williams, PRO Daryl Joseph, Jackie McKell, Denise Hernandez, Keith Matthews and Rhonda Allick.
With a photoshoot in progress at one side of the yard of All Stars’ youth orchestra, its senior members performed some of its Classical Jewels XI repertoire including J’Ouvert in ah Band, a piece composed 26 years ago by drummer Jason “Stumps” Lewis as a tribute to All Stars living legend Neville Jules, vocalised by Sheldon Reid. The band’s playing of the theme from the Magnificent 7 movie also evoked much comment from the guests in attendance.
For this weekend’s production All Stars’ musical director Deryk Nurse will serve as its main conductor, aided by guest conductors Kygel Benjamin, June Nathaniel, Jessel Murray, Sule Sampson and Dr Mia Gormandy.
A steelband which continues to maintain its mandate of developing its young musicians many of All Stars’ premier players in Classical Jewels XI, despite their youth, are veteran musicians with the orchestra including Gormandy, who scored some of this weekend’s pieces, Nurse, Benjamin and crackshot tenor player Dane Gulston.
Classical Jewels XI is not entirely all national instrument and guest artistes, beside Reid and Gulston, will include Eleanor Ryan, Rahel Moore and the UWI Arts Chorale.
Of course the All Stars youth orchestra is also an integral ingredient in the mix.
The producers of Classical Jewels XI are playing their cards extremely close to their chests, refusing to reveal the repertoire patrons can expect this weekend. When Classical Jewels V was staged in 1985 patrons were left spellbound by the orchestra’s interpretation of classics by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Bizet and Glinka.
If I can hazard a guess this weekend I am hoping that it performs something from Von Suppe, perhaps one of my favourites, Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna.
What I did manage to discern is that the programme will provide many pieces by local composers performed in a classical manner.
All Stars’ busy-as-a-bee member Staci-Ann Patrick is hoping that Classical Jewels XI will dispell some of the unflattering labels attached to the national instrument and pan musicians.
“For starters,” she said, “we no longer ‘beat’ pan. We are competent musicians who are on par with accomplished musical peers who play any other instrument, be it violin or piano. Trinidadians need to start giving more respect to pan musicians, composers and arrangers.
“I find that the national instrument is being sacrificed, primarily because our people do not put themselves out there to appreciate or listen to pan music outside of the Panorama season.
http://guardian.co.tt/life-lead/2017-11-18/classical-jewels-steelband-music
Replies
The Editor
Trinidad Express
Salutations! Greetings! and Felicitations!
Allow me to thank your Newspaper and reporter Nigel Telesford for his rather crisp and well cadenced report on the “Massy Trinidad All Stars Classical Jewels XI from Jules to Jemmott”concert held on Saturday 18th November last at the Lord kitchener's Auditorium of the National Academy of Performing Arts.
It indeed was another rare gem in the star studded crown of the Massy Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra. To a friend who asked me at intermission what I thought of the programme so far, my spontaneous response was that it is the best thing that has happened to me for the year.
I never, for the life of me, thought that I would have heard a single tenor pan sound like a symphony orchestra. Mr.Kobe Alleyne who played Dr. Francisco Slinger's calypso "Mr. Walker." achieved just that. Much respect to you sir! It was magical.
Magic is the only word to describe what took place that night. As the music moved deftly and with precision from towering classics of Custave Hoist’s “The Planets,” Johan Strauss “Persian Marche’, Franz Von Suppe’s “Morning Noon and Night in Vienna” thru Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance” to Gloria Shayne’s “Do You Hear What I Hear? “carols sweetly and sensitively sung by the UWI Arts Chorale and on to panorama winning Ultimate Extreme’s “We Jammin Still “ calypsoca, one ccould not help but feel that God was very present to us all as we listened in rapt attention and awe to the beautiful sounds that came from those well tuned oil drums. (Oh yes, “Oil" I daresay our boom and our bust. Can its musically tuned drums be our saving boom? ) Their players, both present and future generations can only be described as magicians. The lyrics of one of calypsonian Errol Ballantyne (Bally's ) best calypsoes "Dem is Magicians." kept going over and over in my mind. It was like receiving musical therapy of a very transcendent kind.
Much respect is also due to the respective conductors/musical directors, Mr. Derek Nurse the band’s captain, Ms Mia Gormandy, Mr. Sule Sampson, Mr. Kygel Benjamin, the latter named three are all ex and/or present members of the band, Mr. Jessel Murray and Ms June Nathaniel, all of whom brought the magic of the music to life with or without the music score sheet, in some instances. It was surreal.
The very engaging speaking voice of Master of Ceremonies, Mr. Raymond Edwards who with the help of the programme notes,very eloquently knitted the tapestry of the performances in his inimmitable style and panache cannot be forgotten. He too spoke of what these discarded oil drums have achieved.
The stage hands, the box office,the ushers, the front decor of the bands trophies, the cinematographers and their screening of clips of popular films "Star Wars" and "Magnificent Seven" in particular as visual supportive adjuncts while their scintillating musical themes were played by the band made for the totality of the truly entertaining musical experience to a very appreciative audience.
I was very happy to read of the plans of the band's manager. Mr. Nigel Williams. I would like to ask his team and that of the band's sponsor Massy Stores to take a bow. Not resting on their laurels, they should proceed to gain for the country by way of a world tour of the band, a substantial supply of foreign exchange through its export of the total product :”Massy Trinidad All Stars Classical Jewlels XI from Jules to Jemmott.” They would need to produce a million video/cds and sell them to the world. They have the people, the tools, the financial resources and the technology to do this.
I left for last, the most telling and moving moment for me. The Gulston men led by impresario Dad, Dale, together with gifted sons Daniel and Dane remembered my cousin in law, the recently deceased ace Double Seconds player, a member of fifty years standing, Mr. Joseph Long. Their performance of the John Lennon’s classic "Imagine" so sympathetically accompanied by the band just brought tears to my eyes. Fittingly, the family members of Mr. Neville Jules, the band's first Leader and Mr. Jerry Jemmott the founder of the Classical Jewels concerts were duly acknowledged and honoured with awards.
Our Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley’s encore call for the band’s Panorama winning tune of calypsonuian Owen Reyes (The Scrunter’s) "Woman on the Bass" resonated with all in the audience. The players, some of whom had already left the stage obliged and just brought the house down with their earthshaking rendition. Could they be part of your entourage on your visit to China next year Mr. Prime Minister? The comments of the Japanese visitors as reported by Mr. Telesford: ‘Excellent” “Full show Amazing” are ample justifications for such accompaniment.
At 11.15 pm another Massy Trinidad All Stars magnificent Classical Jewels concert therefore came to an end, in a most exhilarating way, as patrons left the concert hall feeling truly blessed and musically massaged by the night of wonderful music played on the well tuned (God bless those inventive, unseen and iconic tuners) oil drums by the one hundred and some gifted and talented stars.
The oil drum music from our country! The only musical instrument created in the twenty first century. What a marvelous invention! What a marvelous people we are. The video CD should be in every home’ or given as gifts to friends and family all year through.
As the band travels around the globe to bring peace in the world and foreign exchange to Trinidad and Tobago,we must let that world know that Trinidad and Tobago is not only about oil and gas. It is also about beautiful music emerging from the oil drums too. Whether or not the oil is down and out,(Bust) as we are now experiencing, the music from the discarded empty but well tuned oil drums is always up and running (Boom)
“And May God bless Our Nation.”
Andre Walker.