All Stars Classical Music legacy on show

By Lara Pickford-Gordon

snrwriter.camsel@catholictt.org

The Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra (TASSO) is taking the public on a musical journey through time in Classical Jewels XIV, which takes place November 29 and 30 at the National Academy for the Performing Arts, Port of Spain.

“This year, we are looking at the journey Trinidad All Stars has taken from 1935 to today, and that is our Classical music journey,” said Creative Director of the Classical Jewels show, Dr Mia Gormandy-Benjamin. This year’s show is extra special as it coincides with TASSO’s 90th anniversary of musical excellence through the national instrument.

Classical music was introduced into the band’s music repertoire by Neville Jules, the band’s captain, tuner and arranger, who took the music of Bach and Beethoven and gave it a Calypso tempo. This became known as the ‘Bomb’ tune. In those days, players could not read music but were dedicated to getting the music right.

The first Classical Jewels was under the baton of Fitzgerald ‘Jerry’ Jemmott in 1974 and sponsored by Catelli Trinidad Ltd. He envisioned pannists reading and playing Classic music with accuracy and gaining musical dexterity and discipline. That discipline continues to be honed through hours of practice.

In an interview at TASSO’s Duke Street base, Gormandy-Benjamin said Classical music has played “a very important role in the development of the band”.

She acknowledged Jules’ role in advancing Classical music through the ‘Bomb’ tune and later contributions of Jemmott and Nelson Villafana.  Others adapting Classical music for pan were: Gillian Nathaniel-Balintulo, Rudy Wells, Deryck Nurse and Leon ‘Smooth’ Edwards.

Gormandy-Benjamin said Classical music came into the steelpan music “as a way to sort of gain acceptance from the middle and higher classes in Trinidad and Tobago especially after TASPO (The Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra) visited Britain [1951] and had a fantastic response and so Classical music has played a very important role in the development of steelpan.”

Classical music also develops the players’ skill as versatile playing is required.  Gormandy-Benjamin explained: “You are required to change your dynamics so you have to play really softly and then all of a sudden really loudly and you have to end a roll at a specific time or you have to play very quick runs where you’re the only one playing it or your section is the only one playing it. These types of musical practices then lend its way then to developing a player”.

Gormandy-Benjamin said the youth orchestra was formed in 2015 and their members look forward to playing in Classical Jewels. She added: “Many of our young persons actually read [music] as well because we have a number of UTT [University of Trinidad and Tobago] students and graduates of UTT within the orchestra and that’s how we can learn music so quickly because everything is written, we can share it via score.”

The opening of the Trinidad All Stars Music Academy in 2023 is helping more players be musically literate.

Gormandy-Benjamin, at nine years, began as a junior player and grew up with the band. She has gone on to earn four Music degrees including a PhD and credits All Stars for her own development as a player.

Growing up with the band

Also growing up with the band is 23-year-old Nalo Elie who will be performing in his third Classical Jewels. He has arranged music for the St Francois Girls’ College Steel Orchestra and is the Assistant Musical Director for All Stars’ Youth Steel Orchestra.

His parents are All Stars members and played in Classical Jewels. His spark to learn pan music came from All Stars performing at ‘Steelpan and Powder’.  “Seeing the energy on the road Monday and Tuesday” sparked his interest. His father said he could join after writing the Secondary Entrance Assessment Examination. He became a TASSO player in 2013 and performed at Panorama in 2015. Elie played his first Classical Jewels as a member of the junior orchestra. “I was the captain at the time. So, my first Classical Jewels with the big [senior] band would have been in 2019…it was amazing”.

Elie said Classical Jewels is a “peak” experience for a player in a steelpan orchestra. He highlighted the difference between preparing for the Panorama competition and for Classical Jewels in which multiple Classical pieces with varying levels of difficulty must be learned.

“…this definitely needs practice, you can’t cut no [sic] corners…you really need to focus, because you are playing technical music and at the same time you’d be looking up at the conductor to look for cues, and you also have to play with a lot of control, you have to be able to control your volume and stuff like that”.

TASSO Public Relations Officer, Stacy-Ann Patrick said from 1940s-1950s, there was a “long-term commitment in the heart” of Neville Jules and his friends to bring Classical music to the streets of Port of Spain.

“God gave us a gift, and our players are using that gift because we see that as being our avenue of hope, of improving our community and our nation,” she said.