|
Under The Trees pays tribute to Kitchener Trinidad Guardian, Saturday, January 26th, 2008 |
|
Lord Kitchener (1922-2000) was known as the "Grandmaster" of calypso. For more than 50 years he was widely admired for his musicianship, compositions, performance ability and overall support for the calypso tradition. He won the Road March title on ten occasions. Under The Trees Carnival 2008 pays tribute to the calypso icon with two programmes in his memory, the first of which, titled Kitchener Forever, takes place today from 8.30 pm. Featured on the cast of entertainers performing the works of Kitchener are some of the biggest names in calypso and soca. They include David Rudder (who is producing the programmes), Black Stalin, Lord Superior, Bunji Garlin, Faye Ann Lyons and Maximus Dan. Kitchener's son, Kernal, and Patrice Roberts are listed to join the cast for the second edition titled Kitchener Come Back on February 1. The programmes are expected to provide an unforgettable experience for patrons, as a wide selection of Kitch's music will be interpreted by the various artistes in their individual and distinctive styles Kitchener began performing calypsoes in Arima in the late 30s. In 1946 he helped organise the Young Brigade Calypso Tent, which featured a new generation of calypso singers. He won his first Road March title that year with a calypso titled Jump In Line. After the 1947 Carnival season, Kitchener travelled to Aruba, Curacao and Jamaica. In 1948, he left Jamaica on the Empire Windrush, a ship that marked the beginning of large-scale Caribbean migration to Britain. Kitchener remained in England, where he had an active career that included extensive recording for the Parlophone, Melodisc and Lyragon labels. His records were exported in large quantities to the Caribbean, where he remained popular. Some of his records were also popular in West Africa. He returned to T&T for the 1963 Carnival and formed the Calypso Revue. Through this tent he helped many young singers develop their calypso skills. For decades, Kitchener remained a favourite calypsonian among steelbands, due to the catchy melodies and harmonic complexity of his compositions. Tickets for the programmes are available at The Normandie's box office. |