The variety concert hosted by Women of Culture at Palms Club, San Fernando, last Saturday, lacked just one ingredient-bigger patronage. Women of Culture comprises a group of women residing in San Fernando, who came together in 1997 to stage an annual event in an effort to raise funds to help care for calypsonians in need.
Members include Drina Paul, Lystra Cummings, Ann Marie La Borde, Bernice McKenzie, Marie Diane Dupre, Lennox London and Goslyn La Borde. The venue, which should have been packed to capacity with calypso lovers for such a worthy undertaking, was just about half-filled. This caused one patron to make the instructive comment that Black Stalin was on target with a statement he made in a song about the "part-time lovers" of our indigenous musical art form.
Those in attendance, however, were treated to four hours of first-class entertainment from a competent cast with abundant talents. Vocalists Victoria Cooper, Anika Collins, Kathleen Rosal and Bernard Brereton delivered their choices with grace and poise, while youngsters Renaldo and Rivaldo London (cousins of former San Fernando Calypso Monarch Brian London) offered performances that embodied the spunk and spirit of good, old-fashioned calypso singing.
Rivaldo is the reigning San Fernando Junior Calypso Monarch. Pannist Darren Sheppard showed off the melodic range and tonal quality of the PHI (percussive harmonic instrument) in a sparkling showcase of the late Kitchener's (Aldwyn Roberts) Sugar Bum Bum, accompanied by Emile Fortune on keyboard, Billy Joe Saunders on bass, and Alpha Simpson on drums.
The PHI is the very first electronic pan created and patented. It is what is known in the music world as a MIDI controller, and provides the player with access to a limitless range of instrument tones, including steelpan, piano and sitar, as well as a range of percussion tones.
The occasion was a special one for members of the London family present, as Brian's mother, celebrating her 73rd birthday, was paid public recognition by the event's host and presented with appropriate tokens of appreciation. Brian, in acknowledgement, recalled growing up in a home that was always, and still is, filled with laughter and love. His mother, he said, was the person who inspired his calypso-singing career.
His performance of Doh Complain: Come Plain on the playbill's second half earned the night's only encore. The 2012 composition, which took him to the final of the national calypso monarch competition, was updated to reflect current occurrences in the society, with particular treatment given to Sugar Aloes' (Michael Osouna) appearance on stage at the PP Government's recent anniversary celebration in Chaguanas.
Brother Valentino (Emrold Phillip), Baron (Timothy Watkins) and Black Stalin (Leroy Calliste) also contributed popular songs from their extensive repertoires, delivering excellent performances, with superb musical accompaniment provided by Kenny Phillip and 90.1 Degrees. Chorus duty was performed by Kathleen Rosal and Ramona Pompey, while the show's host was Damian Melville.
