Calypsonian Sugar Aloes is now calypsonian/businessman, with his title as manager of the Calypso Revue Tent, and his business needs Government financial help to survive.In short, Aloes is a far cry away from the now deceased manager Jazzy Pantin, who had capital to run the tent whether or not he received funds from whoever was the ruling Government. Under Pantin and Kitchener, Aloes was afforded the privilege to render his compositions any which way he thought was appropriate.
Jazzy Pantin turned down many political calypso compositions which he thought did not enhance his programme, sometimes he was proven incorrect, but Government funding was never an issue because he was denied business and funds by various ruling governments in an effort to muzzle his show. The most the powers could have achieved was to deny him venues, causing him to bounce around all over Port-of-Spain.
Aloes' decision to reject Bodyguard's composition was a financial business one. Sugar Aloes can no longer, as manager of the Revue, attack his old foes or encourage his cast members to do likewise. In short, the game has changed, and he is now at the mercy of Government funding to run his business.
He was popular for his stinging attacks against the then opposition parties, but now the destruction of Aloes and the Calypso Revue tent is an accident waiting to happen. During their managerial reign over the Calypso, Revue Pantin and Kitchener stood up for him, and notified the complainers that Aloes was a member of the Revue cast, and he will be singing there, come boycott or no funds. Manager Jazzy Pantin was always of the opinion that the art form will be protected regardless of the circumstances.
Aloes' colleague Weston "Cro Cro" Rawlins, a die-hard attacker of the system has already been thrown to the wolves, and maybe, just maybe, if we have a change in Government, Mr Rawlins might be the man on the gravy train, and Aloes could be the man left standing in the rain.
Each and every tent manager knows that this procedure is an established fact, but they are dancing around the media interviews because declaring that this is a fact could also be placing them on a suicidal mission as far as funding is concerned, and most if not all at the present time cannot fully fund their business. Check how many calypso tents opened and close down within two to three weeks of the Carnival season.As the old saying go, Aloes is now caught between a rock and a hard place, and he is out there for the taking.
The late Jazzy Pantin and I have discussed these situations back and forth over dinner during his yearly visits to us in New York, where he complained of the complexities and political intervention in the calypso business, and he warned that without capital and having to depend on the system, a calypso tent manager can be brought to his knees.
Colman Gardner,
via e-mail