Versatility In Caribbean Music - English

 

Chapter 1 - English 

In the book Tour de Force, there are several examples of versatility highlighted in Chapter 1. 

Versatility can be portrayed in numerous ways including performance, instruction, leading a choir, or playing in a band or an ensemble. In this blog I have chosen to highlight the countries, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and US Virgin Islands. 

Trinidad and Tobago

While reading the book Tour de Force, I've become absolutelyyyyy fascinated with the representation of versatility in Trinidad and Tobago. In the beautiful country of Trini, as I would call it,  there is an annual event known as Panorama which began in 1963 and is an example of performance in versatility. In a panorama, winners are able to receive both recognition, and prizes. Additionally, during a panorama, steel bands are judged on how well the panners perform and also the level of quality the music performed. I find the name panners as a substitute for players to be so hilarious lol.  

The image below shows a picture of the 2020 national steelband competition in Trini known as Panorama:

https://newsday.co.tt/2022/10/21/carnival-panorama-launches-on-november-5-6/

The video below also shows a short performance of the winners of the 2023 Panorama known as the Bp Renegades. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RixqRLVuhcA

One of the main reasons why I chose this video was due to the uniform they wore lol. I love that they're wearing the flag of Trini on their shirts which would increase recognition as international videos would know that this is a part of the Trini culture. I also chose the video because the music was just so different and energetic. It was almost as if hypnotic features were embedded into the quality of the music. Although I am not familiar with many steel bands, I can understand entirely how they won. 

Jamaica

Another English country in the Caribbean that shows versatility in Music is Jamaica. In Jamaica, there is a plethora of artists that are performers and composers. In the book Tour de Force, Peter Ashbourne is highlighted as a well-known and versatile composer. Peter Ashbourne was born on July 14th, 1950 in Kingston, Jamaica. He was in several groups including Byron Lee and The Dragonaires, Peter Ashbourne Affair, and Peter Ashbourne Group (Discogs, n.d.). He was often a composer of film productions, television and theatrical music. 

The image below shows a picture of Peter Ashbourne:

https://www.discogs.com/artist/432329-Peter-Ashbourne

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENVlNIVMfy0

I chose the video above as it shows Peter Ashbourne live and in action. The video also tells exactly what role he plays in the performance. If you watch the video, Mr. Ashbourne is recognized as the composer and the piano player. 

United States Virgin Islands 

The US Virgin Islands is another English speaking country that highlights the theme of versatilty. A famous composer known as Wilbur "Bill" LaMotta is a prime example of the theme as LaMotta was a composer and a pianist, arranger and organist (Discogs n.d). 

The image below displays a picture of Bill LaMotta:

https://www.discogs.com/artist/2462651-Bill-La-Motta

The video below shows a young girl playing a musical piece composed by Bill LaMotta called Fortitude:

I chose this video because even though it is not Bill in the video, the piece was amazing to listen to.