80.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesQUELBE TRAMP DELIGHTS FESTIVAL CROWD

QUELBE TRAMP DELIGHTS FESTIVAL CROWD

Dec. 28, 2003 — A small but enthusiastic crowd Sunday night danced behind a truck composed of the "masters" of quelbe music — the official traditional music of the Virgin Islands. As the throng of about 50 people wound its way from the Frederiksted Post Office down Fisher Street and King Street to the "Bradyville" Festival Village, the sweet sounds of the old-time music enticed many more revelers to join the dancing along the route.
James "Jamesie" Brewster, Sylvester "Blinky" McIntosh, Camille "King Derby" Macedon, Alec "Junie" Bomba, Raymond "Who-fa" Richards and Paul Horsford were some of the musicians atop the truck strumming guitars, banjos and squash, blowing the sax and ringing the triangle to produce the rhythmic beat of quelbe to the delight of onlookers and participants.
Delegate Donna M. Christensen and her husband, Ollie, were among the onlookers waiting to jump into the action. "I look forward to the quelbe tramp because of the old-time music, and there's a good mix of young and old — it's a community event," said Christensen, who also wished everyone a happy festival.
"I'm sure it's going to be a wonderful week of festival … I'm l looking forward to the village and the food fair on Wednesday," Christensen said as she started dancing behind the band.
It was Rachael Fenske's first time in a quelbe tramp. Although she and her family live on St. Croix, they never participated in festival before. "I was bound and determined to see the quelbe tramp, but I didn't know we were going to be in it," she said. "We really wanted to participate in festival this year, and we are having a great time!"
Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone, whose bill to declare quelbe the official music of the Virgin Islands, also participated in the tramp. He said that he came to St. Croix on Sunday to participate in the cultural night and the quelbe tramp. "I came to support and promote the legislation and to let everyone in the Virgin Islands know that we are serious about this music and that it means a lot to the people and could mean a lot to the economy." The bill was recently passed in the Senate, and Sen. Malone said the governor told him he would sign it into law.
Sunday night's tramp may become part of a documentary on quelbe music — a collaboration between local writer/producer Kathleen McManus and award-winning filmmaker Andrea E. Leland of Chicago. The documentary, called "Jamesie, King of Scratch," is an archival project focused on the traditional music of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The project will include a 60-minute video documentary and a collection of oral histories. "I wanted to film tonight to capture the excitement of the quelbe tramp and the carnival lights as we go down the streets of Frederiksted," McManus said.
At the Festival Village the traditional music continued with the sounds of Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights and a performance by the St. Croix Heritage Dancers.

Back Talk

Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name, and the city and state/country or island where you reside.

Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice… click here.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.