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For a number of years in the nineteen sixties , Southern Marines played at the Fire Services dance in San Fernando on Carnival Sunday night , then went directly to the road for J'ourvert.It was almost a tradition .I remember as a youth liming outside the fete one Carnival Sunday night (we had little money , and the small fee of a couple dollars was a lot for us).Marines "mash up de place" with this Dutchy Brothers tune which was popular at the time .The Dutchy Brothers of San Fernando, Trinidad were the sons of an Immigrant from a neighboring Dutch colony, a saxophone player called Leonard "Dutchy " De Vlugt.As children, they were musical prodigies, regularly appearing on children musical radio shows (Auntie Kay's show, for example), and as they grew, their band became one of the top dance bands in the Caribbean during the fifties and sixties.The Latin Calypso sound was very popular in Trinidad and Tobago in the nineteen fifties and sixties, and one of the biggest hits of that era was "Caremelos" by the Dutchy Brothers.Led by Pete De Vlugt on saxophone, the band included his brothers Eugene on bass, Orville on guitar, and Ottmar , a pianist whose virtuosity often led the band musically.Legendary tenor panist , guitarist and rock steady innovator Nerlin "Lynn " Taitt was also a band member at one time .I should also mention the trumpet player of this band.He was not a brother , but was a mainstay that helped create the band's sound. I believe he was called Canterbury . Any info about him will be appreciated .He deserves the recognituon.The Dutchy Brothers band was one of the most popular bands with the youth of T&T in the late fifties into the sixties.
Comments
Great info, Edward. Thanks.
The Dutchys.. there is so much to say. The tune was recorded in 1961with with the twist in mind the label says so.The band was excellent at playing Latin American music, this one by Sonora Matancera is by far the most popular.There were also tunes from a Cuban bans Orquestra Aragon.The was a second recording that came out on an LP, but falls short of this recording. Nerlin was a pan man first, second and third, so much so that during rehearsals for the up and coming band competition, Brassorama, he responded to a call to the pan. Orville, under Ottmar's guidance had to learn to play the guitar from scratch] in three days.
The trumpeter was Norbert "Scanty" Scanterbury
There's lots more, maybe later. In any case I did a lenghtly comment sometime ago
Teddy
Remember this so well. We had the best orchestras in the sixties and seventies. Made teen years so damn sweet. Thanks for the memories.
I remember Chancellor real well, Gons.
A feller named Louis Bryce formed a band in Marabella. and I was a member of the rhythm section. It was a pretty good band , too.
We had a complete horn section, and my friend Michael Alleyne, who was also captain and arranger of our steelband called Scarlet Symphony played a pretty good alto saxophone.
Michael was also a member of the national Steel Band of that era.
Louie Bryce so appreciated Chancellor's talent, that he took him from Library corner, cleaned him up gave him a place to stay and made him a member of the band.
And oh, what a fine trumpeter he was.
But he was also crazy.
We had a fine band uniform shirt made, and started playing in fetes , and even played on the Sunday morning radio show.
Unfortunately, before too long, Chancellor was back on the library corner, dirty and unkempt as before, but sporting our band shirt.
They say he went foreign and worked real hard, and sent all his money to his woman.
As he was returning to Trinidad, she was flying out with the "horner man"
They say he had a real bad tabanka.
it drove him crazy.
But boy, could he blow that trumpet!