Trouble in Arima ...Young Kitch kickstarts the Grandmaster’s centenary

Trouble in Arima ...Young Kitch kickstarts the Grandmaster’s centenary
Michael Mondezie, Trinidad Express, Wednesday, April 20th, 2022
https://trinidadexpress.com/newsextra/trouble-in-arima-young-kitch-kickstarts-the-grandmaster-s-centenary/article_222de3e0-c0a6-11ec-a9df-3bbb3c13eb5a.html

Like father...: Kernal “Kitch” Roberts, son of the Grandmaster Lord Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts), performs on Monday night at the Arima Angel Harps panyard during the celebration of 100 Years of Kitch, a production of the Arima Rebranding Team (ART) and produced by SAO Soca Awards Ltd.

It was as if Lord Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts) had returned from the afterlife to perform at his own centenary, when Kernal Roberts took centre stage at the Arima Angel Harps panyard on Monday night.

Roberts, who bears a striking resemblance to his late father, brought Kitchener’s brilliance and magic to the Olton Road panyard with a familiar shake of the arm and enthusiastic family-patented kick of the leg.

Fondly called Young Kitch, the acclaimed soca singer/songwriter/music producer dug deep into his father’s extensive reper¬toire to unfurl a get-up-and-dance medley that included the Grandmaster’s “Sugar Bum Bum” (1978), “Bee’s Melody” (1992), “12 Bar Joan” (1991), “Toco Band” (1999) and “Love in the Cemetery” (1962).

The display drew vociferous cheers of approval from a large feting crowd, among them Arima MP and Minister of Planning and Development Pennelope Beckles and D’Abadie/O’Meara MP and Minister in the Ministry of Education Lisa Morris Julian.

“It was remarkable, it was real nice. The vibes of the panyard last night, boy it was yap up in Arima last night. I am totally pleased it couldn’t go any better, the Arima people came out and they had a great time, he would have loved it,” Roberts told the Express yesterday.

Robert’s emotive performance brought the curtain down on a weekend of celebrations put on by the Arima Rebranding Team (ART) and billed as 100 Years of Kitch.

ART first paid tribute to the departed calypso icon with a concert at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts on Saturday night, San Fernando. The party then moved to Arima on Easter Monday, exactly 100 years to the day of Kitchener’s birth on April 18, 1922, in the Eastern town. Kitchener died on February 11, 2000, after a severe infection brought on by a blood disorder that resulted in organ failure. He was 77.

Emotional - experience

Colin “CJ” Jackman, producer of the 100 Years of Kitch, alongside ART chairman Henry Saunders and James Toussaint, said putting together the two events was a very emotional experience. Jackman, who was also born in Arima and worked alongside Kitch before migrating to the United States, said “the pressure was on to make the tribute perfect”.

“It was a very emotional experience. I had to make sure it came out spectacular, so I didn’t stray to far from the performers from the (Kalypso) Revue. Everyone did their part to make sure it was a great show, and I have to say the Police Band was immaculate,” Jackman told the Express yesterday.

On Monday, Kitch’s protégés, calypso stalwarts Sugar Aloes (Michael Osuna) and Crazy (Edwin Ayoung) also paid musical tribute to a man who gave them both their first calypso stage at his Kalypso Revue tent. Aloes first moved the dancing crowd with Kitch’s 1968 Road March winner, “Miss Tourist”, and 1990 hit, “Iron Man”. Crazy, meanwhile, opted for Kitchener’s 1954 classic, “Wife and Mother”.

Veteran soca acts Derick Seales “Dr Kitch” (1967), Tony Prescott “Rain-O-Rama” (1973) and Eddie Charles “No Wuk For Carnival” (1994) also tipped a hat to the man who still holds the record, at 11, for the most Road March titles in the history of Carnival in T&T. All acts were backed by the Police Band.

Fitting tribute

Earlier, Skatie (Carlos James) drew favour from the noisy crowd with a Kitch medley of his own, selecting “Mystery Band” (1993), “Trouble in Arima”, “Curfew Time” (1986) and “My Pussin” (1965).

Abu the ¬Entertainer’s rendition of Kitch’s 1987 hit, “Kaka Roach”, and Impulse’s (Wayne Modeste) performance of Kitch’s comical “Sparrow Mango” (1977) were also both well received.

Parang queen Alicia Jaggasar and soca parang king Baron (Timothy Watkins) showed Kitch’s love for the yuletide season, with his timeless Christmas classic, “Drink A Rum”. Pannist Dane Gulston, meanwhile, paid fitting tribute to the man who produced more music for the national instrument than any other calypsonian, with Kitch’s “Pan in A Minor” and “Old Lady Walk A Mile And A Half” (1953).

Jackman, owner of the International Soca Awards franchise, said with better Governmental and corporate funding, other fallen music icons of this country can be honoured in a similar way. The Florida-based promoter, however, credited San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello and Beckles for getting involved in the days leading up to the two shows. Former culture minister Joan Yuille-Williams was also instrumental in the success of the Kitchener tribute, he added.

“We have to celebrate them and we can celebrate them, but we need the funding from Government and corporate T&T. We did with this with 99.9 per cent no initial Government assistance.

“Once we can get the funding and support from Government, we can produce a lot more shows likes this. I believe a lot of producers (in T&T) have the ideas to do shows like these, but if you don’t have the funding it is just an idea.

“Hopefully we can do more because I love Trinidad and Tobago and our culture and after so many years promoting abroad I want to come home and give back,” Jackman concluded.