Come Sunday, August 7, Trinfinity Arts will feature popular southern composer/calypsonian Selvon Noel (Mistah Shak) as the headline act for More in de Mortar, to be staged at Kaiso Blues Cafe, 85 Woodford Street, Newtown, at 7 pm.
Mistah Shak is one of those rare artistes who comes along every so often with a penchant for stirring up the social and political cauldron, with blistering calypsoes like 2014's universally popular Bois. You can say he is cut from the same cloth as outstanding calypsonians in the same vein as Brother Valentino, Watchman and Explainer, and calypso composers like Winsford Devine and Christophe Grant.
Born in San Fernando, Mistah Shak and family moved to Siparia when he was three years old. Since then, Siparia and its environs have meant home for him. A bona fide "country boy," he said: "The rooting and grounding through which I experienced life, and the rest of the world, is Siparia."
Mistah Shak has always loved and had an affinity for calypso. "I have been in love with calypso practically all my life, because I've been interested in music in general all my life," he said.
"I was brought up in a very musical family on both sides. Beside being genuine lovers and consumers of good music and culture, many of my family members were (and some still are) musicians, composers, creators and performers in their own right. Calypso was a very big and influential part of that.
"Most, if not all, of my family have always been more than just kaiso lovers. A few of them are real aficionados of the art form, so the interest for me was natural–so much so that I view kaiso very differently from any other type of music, and actually more than simply another musical genre.
"To me calypso represents the very pulse and essence of everything that is Trinbagonian. The beat, topics, melodies, lyrical content, construction...every element of kaiso represents how we walk, talk, laugh, cry, experience and interact with life across the board. If there was to be a genre of music that is supposed to constitute the soundtrack(s) of every single second, every imaginable scenario, every possible dimension of life in the world through the mind, eyes and perspective of any Trinbagonian, that music would be, and is, calypso.
"Not even soca or chutney or any of the other derivatives could be so defined, as they are all offshoots of the root. And what they have become only represents isolated moments in the journey. Kaiso is the total, all-encompassing journey and experience; the full picture, every single day, all day."
Describing himself as "a private individual," music truly makes Mistah Shak's world go 'round.
"My major hobby is and always has been primarily music, before it became a serious profession" confesses the artiste. "The only thing that actively rivalled that, for an extended period of time, was basketball, and although I haven't actually played for a very long time, I remain an avid basketball lover and a lover of sports in general....Otherwise, I try to keep my private and family life just that, private."
So, how did this music-loving, southern country boy get into composing his own material?
"Some of my family members did their own share of composing all kinds of music over the years, and I always experienced that, and eventually realised I had a knack for it, even doing so extemporaneously at times. So much so, that to this day, it is one of the reasons why, whenever I compose, I don't ever write lyrics down. I may document them afterwards either out of necessity or whenever the thought hits me that I should have some of these lyrics documented somewhere just for posterity's sake, but when I compose, I never write lyrics down on paper.
"My experience with the late Ashford Joseph, however, pushed my composition skills and the desire and purpose with which I compose into another dimension.
"Of course, in addition to that, all the great artistes (kaisonians, reggae artistes, pop and R&B artistes, etc) who really connected with and moved me, were the ones who composed.
"That wasn't any conscious decision on my part, I just always happened to feel very moved by the artistes who happened to be composers. Their music seemed to have as unique and dynamic a vibe and identity as the artistes themselves, so much so that you could often identify such as artiste's work even if someone else might be rendering it, and that was always important to me."
Mistah Shak has mixed feelings about social and political commentators of calypso.
"Well, your question depends on who you class as today's social and political commentators, what time period you demarcate as 'yesteryear'...Because there are some who many may consider social/political commentators who may really not be expressing their own true thoughts, feelings or points of view that they have internalised, analysed and developed a position on.
Likewise, there are some who many may class as being of 'yesteryear' who, in truth and in fact, can be, and are still, very relevant and potent, but the fickleness of our estimations relegate them to 'yesteryear' commentators.
"Of the few who I personally consider true commentators, most of them are quite effective and relevant to the present time. But our increasingly shallow and shifting 'modern' parameters may cause the work and worth of many to be underestimated and overlooked in the now. The passage of time shall bear out their real value and 'separate de sheep from de goat'."
Mistah Shak has always been a student of serious, hard-hitting social and political commentary in calypso. He said: "Personally, that really wasn't a consciously hard and fast decision at all. In my formative years, songs with strong messages and purposeful lyrics were primarily what I seem to be drawn to.
That doesn't mean that I didn't then or don't now enjoy a good humour, or a well constructed double-entendre, or a heartfelt love song, and as a matter of fact I have songs that fit into all of those categories that many people are not as familiar with, hence the reason for my More In D Mortar concert concept.
"However, as my personality and musical journey developed, I wanted to make music first and foremost that could move me as much as it could move the intended listeners, while at the same time contain messages that could really mean something to people beyond the actual moment of hearing it or listening to it; to really uplift and elevate them mentally, spiritually and emotionally without necessarily having to make them or tell them to 'jump'.
"I wanted to create music that I could be proud of, and music that I think could be in sync with who I see myself to be; both personally and musically, and that would be aligned to what I believe my musical purpose to be. Most importantly I try to stay current and relevant and, when you consider that, as well as the historical intent, purpose and characteristics of kaiso, my calypso compositions are often inspired to be within those realms. But, as I said, they are not the only types that I do and do well, but those are the ones that have been mostly highlighted thus far."
Mistah Shak intends making good calypsoes and music for as long as he can. He said: "My major dream and aspiration is really to just keep making music that is meaningful and uplifting to people, and hopefully over time my work and my journey in music can be worthwhile enough at some point to inspire and encourage some young person or people who may have the desire, and get the inspired calling, to live through music, especially if they're called to go against the grain and the status quo.
"As far as calypso is concerned, I really hope that all of us, as Trinbagonians, can reach to the point where we truly recognise just how important and relevant calypso music can be and in fact is, to our very existence in the world as a people.
Mistah Shak's handpicked guest artistes for More in de Mortar include Sharlan Bailey and Darryl "D Saint" Mendoza.
MORE INFO:
Call 769-5173/302-4045