T&T Guardian’s Entertainment Editor Peter Ray Blood has covered T&T Carnival for the past 37 years. He has also covered 25 editions of Barbados’ Crop Over Festival, as well as carnivals in New York, Miami, Toronto, Jamaica and Grenada. In this, the conclusion of his two-part series about Carnival memories, Blood, also an ardent mas player, explores calypsoes, mas and fetes of years gone by.
Calypso memories:
Bahia Girl and Bun Dem
Of my many calypso memories, one that stands out is one Dimanche Gras when calypsonian Crazy insisted that he should swing off the roof of the Grand Stand in the Savannah, by rope, with a monkey on his back as part of his presentation for the calypso monarch finals. It took much persuasion from the fire services officials to convince the Crazy how deadly this stunt would be.
In the calypso arena, competition is fierce, with some bards prepared to stop at nothing in an effort to win a title—even resorting to obeah and necromancy. There are tales of calypsonians actually spending time in the cemetery at night to summon the spirits of the dearly departed to glean a victory. In one popular tent, a calypsonian was overheard complaining loudly backstage about a colleague putting cemetery dirt in his shoes.
Many calypsonians are superstitious and some refuse to even shake hands on the night of a competition, lest some negative karma is transferred to them.
On a humorous note: in 1993, having sent a massive Skinner Park audience into a frenzy with his hit song Bacchanal Time, Blue Boy—now known as SuperBlue—in his exuberance, saw his dentures fall out of his mouth. Without breaking stride, he scooped up the delinquent object and returned it to his mouth without missing a note.
Two of my memorable years of calypso competition were the Calypso Monarch finals of 1986 and 1987. In 1986, composer/singer David Rudder created history by beating the seasoned bards on Dimanche Gras singing The Hammer and Bahia Girl. Not only did he win the coveted title but he also copped that year’s Young Kings title, the Road March with Bahia Girl and The Hammer was the tune of choice of the National Panorama champion Trinidad All Stars.
The following year, Rudder was dramatically dethroned by Black Stalin singing Bun Dem and Mr Panmaker. It was Stalin’s third lien on the title.
Road March pageantry is replete with memorable wins, among them being SuperBlue’s 1980 victory with Soca Baptist, Tambu’s hattrick of 1988-1990, Machel Montano in 1997 with Big Truck and Jumbie in 2007, the 2000 tie between SuperBlue and Iwer George, JW & Blaze’s Palance in 2010, SuperBlue’s Fantastic Friday (2013) and Montano’s Like ah Boss (2015).
Longtime party days:
Fetes for $3 and $15
As a young man, I can recall the fetes for $3 at Teachers’ Training College and Guardian Sports Club on Wrightson Road, as well as the $10 and $15 fetes at venues like Winsure Club (Pt Cumana, Cosmos Club (Edward Street), Carnival Village (now the yellow band maxi hub), Harvards (St James), Paragon Club (Cocorite)and Belmont Community Centre. Unfortunately Paragon Sports & Cultural will not be holding its annual fete this year, opting instead to throw its energies behind a jazz production in July.
The week before the days of Carnival was “fete week,” with fetes being held nightly. Among the more popular were Anyhowers, Tears, Custom Boys, Ice Picks, Soca Village, Brass Festival and Harvards.
There was a time when steelbands ruled the roost as far as Carnival fete music was concerned. I remember one night when Harmonites and Starlift blew away a few of the then established and popular music bands at a fete in PSA. These bands, as well as Ebonites, Tripolians and Tokyo, were some of the steelbands in demand on the fete circuit.
High Mas: The great days of
Minshall art and steelband mas
Memories of mas are so many that it is difficult to select a favourite one or a couple. Coming immediately to mind, however, is that of my long relationship with Peter Minshall and his creations.
One of my most enjoyable years was 1980, the year Minshall produced Danse Macabre and I played a blue devil in Noble Douglas’ section. Any mas with paint, oil or mud is the most liberating experience anyone can have on a Carnival day.
I also preserve lasting memories of Minshall’s Papillon (1982), The River (1983) and Paradise Lost (1977), the latter a band he designed for the late Stephen Lee Heung. It was one of Minshall’s best ever designs in mas.
The ugly side of mas that year was that of rival kings blocking Minshall’s king, Peter Samuel, portraying Tiger Tiger Burning Bright, from parading at the Savannah. He was allowed to perform the costume one week after carnival, at Pan Trinbago’s Champs in Concert, and the costume and its wearer were given a standing ovation by a packed Grand and North Stand.
As a matter of fact, I would probably need an entire book to speak about my memorable Minshall experiences as they are so many. Some of these include his designs portrayed by many-times King of Carnival Peter Samuel, the Humming Bird portrayed by his sister Sherry Ann Guy in 1974, his queen art for Alyson Brown (ie Tan Tan), and his individual designs like Madame Hiroshima from 1994’s Callaloo.
Neither can I forget the portrayals by the late master wire bender Cito Velasquez—his 1959 band Fruits and Flowers being indelibly etched. In terms of portrayals, I also hold on to memories of the breathtaking portrayals by Alfred Strasser, Edgar Whiley, Albert Moore, Colin Edghill, Errol Payne, Hilton Cox, Tony Alleng, Tedder Eustace, Joan Greene, Joan Massiah, Janet Rollock and Rosemary Stone.
One of my most unforgettable Carnival costumes was Rajkumar Boyie, portrayed just ten years ago by Jhawan Thomas, king of Brian MacFarlane’s prize-winning India. Unfortunately, the costume, portrayed on stilts, and depicting Boyie atop a jewelled elephant, collapsed on stage. Thomas also participated on stilts in this year’s King of Carnival as The Flying Dutchman but failed to make Tuesday night’s final.
Like Minshall’s Tiger Tiger Burning Bright, Saga Boy, Tan Tan, Sacred and Profane and Man Crab, Boyie was one of the most original costumes I have seen presented in the King of Carnival competition.
Apart from my Minshall experiences, my mas-playing days included duty in bands produced by Y de Lima Blue Diamonds, Starlift, Pandemonium, the late Wayne Berkeley, Poison, Tribe, Brian Mac Farlane, Fantasia, Legacy and Ronnie & Caro. I also enjoyed playing mas in New York, Miami, Jamaica and Barbados.
I cherish my first year of playing with Berkeley when he invited me to portray the individual The North Wind in the presentation Hero Myth. It was a beautiful silver and black creation. Sending my memory much further back, I recall the epic and iconic portrayals by the late George Bailey, Harold Saldenah, Stephen Lee Heung, Stephen Derek, Raoul Garib and Victor Rique, as well as colourful mas by steelbands like Desperadoes, Starlift, Trinidad All Stars, Renegades and the fancy see bees of Dem Fortunates. A few of the mas bands used to be mammoth and I remember the presentations of Burrokeets, Oaksville and Tico Skinner.
On Carnival Tuesday 1968, there was a near-tragic incident on Independence Square when the truck carrying the musicians of Cassanova fell through the stage at that competition venue. Awaiting the arrival of a wrecker, the musicians took it all in good stride as they struck up the opening bars of Kitchener’s Wrecker, much to the amusement of masqueraders.
Back in the day, a lot of mas was actually made by the masquerader, with Samaroo’s on Observatory Street being the main shopping centre of Carnival paraphenalia for costumery. If you played “big mas” you were furnished with a card in the mas camp, on that card, your deposit—most times in the princely sum of $20—and installments were recorded, until you had paid off for your costume.