Saturday night, St. Thomas offers two audience enticements that are as different as can be, yet both in keeping with the enduring cultural music heritage of the Virgin Islands. Before there was dancehall, before there was reggae, before there was even soca, the Caribbean had The Mighty Sparrow, and the Virgin Islands had the LaMotta brothers and the Caribbean Chorale. And this is what it's all about.
Calypso royals in the stadium
On the stage at the Lionel Roberts Stadium, the program has the very contemporary title of "A Calypso Explosion," but this is not a boom-bass program aimed at kids. The headliner is the last grand of the genre, The Mighty Sparrow — of course, with his Troubadours. With the passing in February of his archrival Lord Kitchener, this will be an emotional outing for many middle agers, to say nothing of seniors. On the other hand, the concert is by no means entirely a nostalgia tour.
The other visiting artists sharing the stage with Sparrow are Calypso Rose and Shadow, attractions in their own right, and the local line-up is about as impressive as you can get: St. Thomas's Imaginations Brass, St. John's Cool Sessions Brass, and our own once and current crowned heads of calypso — the reigning Whadablee, Ras Regg, Louis Ible Jr., and the Mighty Potter. And, just for laughs, throw in Robert Luke as well.
Sparrow, born Slinger Francisco in a Grenada fishing village on July 9, 1935, moved with his family to Trinidad in his second year of life. From an early age he was influenced by musical forms ranging from the Gregorian chants of his boyhood in Catholic school to the hits of the day by Nat "King" Cole and Sarah Vaughan. He made his debut at the age of 19 as a contender in Trinidad's professional calypso tents. A year later, in 1956, he had his first huge hit, "Jean and Dinah," still a staple of the vintage calypso repertoire. "Don't Go Joe" and "Obeah Wedding" also won wide following and places of honor in the annals of the genre.
But the most indelible impression Sparrow made musically may have been his 1957 "Carnival Boycott," a political statement which led to fundamental changes in the way Trinidad's annual calypso competition is organized. He gets credit for changing the very structure of the musical idiom — from a confining 12 bars to a free form allowing the lyrics to dictate the framework as well as the notes.
Known affectionately as "the Birdie," Sparrow has been making annual stops in the Virgin Islands on his international tours for decades. Many of his concerts have been at the Reichhold Center, but when you need more seats, you opt for the stadium instead. He was one of the prominent mourners at the funeral in February for Aldwyn Roberts, Lord Kitchener. As V.I. Calypso 2000 paid tribute to Kitch, so, undoubtedly, will the performers in Saturday night's concert.
It probably needs to be said for the continentals: This is a night when you need not fear for feeling uncomfortable at the stadium. These are artists with an international following that spans cultures and generations, encompassing the enduring excellence of a musical genre that not only has deep roots but appears to have a secure future, with tradition-bearers among the up and coming generation. Just like The Mighty Sparrow four decades ago.
There's been little promotion of the concert except for radio spots and posters on power poles, but count on it: The place will be packed. On the other hand, there's always room for a few more. They say the show will begin at 7 p.m. — and last, of course, "until." Tickets are $15 in advance (there's still time) and $20 at the gate. Outlets are Asfour/Tutu Park Mall, the Bridal and TuxedoCenter, International Records and Tapes, the Mobile Food Vendors Association/Vendors Plaza, both Modern Musics and Nisky Pharmacy on St. Thomas; and at Connections on St. John.
The Caribbean Chorale in the garden
Also dating back to the 1950s, the Caribbean Chorale has gone through successions of conductors, accompanists and members, but it has continued to present Christmas and spring concerts — as well as the annual sing-along "Messiah"in Advent — for as long as most of us can remember, and then some. Many of the performances, again, were at the Reichhold Center, although in recent years the Memorial Moravian Church has been the venue of preference. Saturday's concert will be the group's first appearance in the intimate, open air setting of Tillett Gardens.
Now in its third year under the direction of Lois Hassel-Habteyes, with Verdell Porter as accompanist, the chorale will present a program encompassing sacred works, spirituals, pop standards, folksongs from around the world, and Virgin Islands compositions. In addition to music by the full choir, the concert will feature performances by its Women's Ensemble, the Children's Chorale and a trio consisting of Reuben and Raymond LaMotta and Herman Lynch.
The opening segment includes two musical settings by Randall Thompson of poems by Robert Frost — "The Road Not Taken" and "Choose Something Like a Star." In the second section, the Children's Chorale will perform "The River Rolls On."
(The youngsers shared the stage with St. Thomas sons Ron Blake and Dion Parson to sing the song with local vocalist Cynthia Saunders at the 21st Century jazz concert at the Reichhold Center last December. They'll also be singing it on Saunders' forthcoming CD, which is being produced by another native success story, Jon Lucien. "Jon was here recently on vacation," she says, "and we went into the studio here at Wayne Samuels' Hot Productions and recorded the children's voices as background to the song.")
After the Chorale concert intermission, a sure highlight of the night will be the performance of three St. Thomas compositions — "Love for My Virgin Isles" by Ray LaMotta, "My Virgin Isles" by Franklin Jarvis (words) and Junior Wallace (music), and "En Mis Islas Virgenes" by Ray LaMotta. The plan had been for LaMotta on piano, his brother Reuben on bass guitar and Jarvis on drums to be the guest artists. However, Habteyes says, Jarvis recently relocated to the mainland, and so Lynch will be sitting in on congas instead. And, she adds, "This will be Raymond LaMotta's last performance before moving to Florida."
Again, there is a notion of nostalgia about this musical event, along with the opportunity to pay tribute to artists who have made enduring contributions to the musical heritage of the islands. But also, again, there is the element of enthusiasm for what remains and is yet to come. The Children's Chorale is a crowd pleaser. It, and its parent (in some cases grandparent) organization will be looking for a crowd to please.
This performance has had little publicity, due in large part to the fact that the media rely heavily on the information provided them. Concert time is 8 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children, payable at the entrance.
