In the wake of the recent deaths of Earl Crosby and Peter Greaves, last week Thursday, the mas fraternity lost another of its icons with the passing of Keith Carrington, 71. Carrington was stalwart figurehead of fancy sailor band The Mt Hope Connection, an offshoot of Jason Griffith's Belmont band. He also collaborated with Sforzata and Scherzando steel orchestras of Curepe and Malick Folk Performers.
Carrington's daughter, Melissa Carrington-Mc Donald, said that her father had been ailing for some time with heart problems. She revealed that Mt Hope Connection derived its name from Griffith and was a section in Griffith's band, led by Lawrence Carrington, her grandfather.
National Carnival Bands Association (NCBA) president David Lopez said: "Keith Carrington has been producing mas bands for several years, sticking with the traditional mas, more particularly fancy sailors. His passing is a great loss to the mas fraternity, especially when one considers that traditional mas is dying. The NCBA membership mourns his passing and may his soul rest in peace. Condolences to his family and friends."
Fanfare Masquerade & Associates bandleader and veteran masman Peter "Blues" Reynald was Carrington's colleague in the Fire Services, both having enlisted in 1969.
He said: "Keith Carrington brought a section in Jason Griffith's band for a few years before forming The Mt Hope Connection. I know him to be a decent and nice human at work. But, when coming to mas and our culture Keith was extremely meticulous and disciplined. He was a real perfectionist and professional in mas. These positive attributes have been an integral part of his life. In this regard, I am saddened by his passing and also because the things he brought in Carnival no longer exist, in terms of serving and satisfying the mas players."
Carrington-Mc Donald said her father's passing was going to leave a great void in fancy sailor and traditional mas, especially in terms of educating the young. She said: "Students from two American universities used to come to him to do their studies and learn about the traditional mas of Trinidad and Tobago. This was through a student exchange with Malick Folk Performers."
Lamenting the loss of her father, Carrington-Mc Donald said this was further deepened by what some assume is "playing mas" in modern times.
She said: "A lot of the mas we see today was derived from traditional mas. I think we are losing a sense of what mas really is, especially with costumes that look so similar from band to band, year in, year out."
Carrington-Mc Donald revealed that her father was keen on perpetuating the traditional form of mas. She said: "Daddy intended to return to mas in 2018 and do a tribute to all the old sailor mas players. I have a heard a few stalwarts of the band saying that they would make his dream a reality.
But of course, the issue is that there isn't the financial support that big bands get. People love the mas and this is why my brother and I were thinking of modernising the fancy sailor mas, marrying the traditional with the new to encourage more young people to play this type of mas.
"There is a lot that goes into doing a fancy sailor band. Everything is done by hand and we certainly don't import material, and even costumes, from China or wherever. My father was also a perfectionist so everything had to be done in the traditional way of mas making, with no short cuts."
Carrington's funeral was held on Monday at Holy Family RC Church, Mt Lambert and, acquiescing to his wishes, fancy sailors danced in the church and the pallbearers wore sailor regalia. Parang music was also performed outside the church.
Carrington leaves to mourn Melissa, two sons, Keith Clarke and Richard Carrington, a brother, three sisters and three grandchildren.