Trouble from Arima

Trouble from Arima
Keith Smith, Tobago News, Thursday, Friday, February 6th, 2009

How time flies-next year will be ten years since Lord Kitchener died. February 11, however, will be the ninth anniversary of his death date. We have lost the man but we still have the legend: How he came to town and during the decades that followed, the "Arima Kid" brought endless trouble-for his rivals

A star in Johnny Khan's Victory Tent in 1944, the House of Lords Tent in 1945, back to Victory in 1946, then came 1947 and a kaiso watershed-the young Kitch teaming up with the likes of Killer, Spoiler, Melody, Wonder, Ziegfield and Pretender to form the Original Young Brigade.

Only for a single season, though. Later that same year he left Trinidad for a trip that took him to Aruba, Curacao, Jamaica, where during their six-month sojourn he and Beginner-bet you didn't know this-had a huge impact on the mento "singers " who were the forerunners of ska, rock steady and, yes, today's rampaging reggae.

Then he was off to England, where he forged a space for kaiso. Fifteen pulsating years for Kitch, gigs in pubs and clubs. the man almost single-handedly shifting the centre of calypso-recording from New York to London.

What a carousing creative time-the triumphant jump-up across the hallowed turf of Lords to celebrate that historic West Indies win over England-Kitch, by then a calypso hero, serenading the stunning achievement of his and our cricketing heroes Worrell, Weekes, Walcott, and, of course, those little pals of mine Ramadhin and Valentine".

Living in London and then Manchester, our hot boy flourished (how did he do that!) in the cold writing and composing and singing "Ghana" said by some to be that country's unofficial anthem, the BBC choosing it a few years ago-Kitch, by now already dead-as the theme for its documentary celebrating that country's 50th year of Independence.

Is white man country Kitch in so, inevitably, he was to rail against colour prejudice, "Black or White'' and "If You're Brown'' even as he kept his ties with distant Port of Spain. Songs as fresh today as if they were written yesterday: "Drink a Rum," "Nora,'' " Mango Tree,'' Kitchener was Trinidad in England, those rib-tickling double-entendre songs: "Ah Bernice'' and "Elsie's River': And get this-the man sending down fiery road march from the loneliness of London!

He came back to Trinidad in 1963 and, boy, that was a nex' tremendous time again. Sparrow was raising dust, having changed the kaiso that Kitch was accustomed to-so the "old man" as those close to him were by then calling him was forced to change his style.

All yuh remember how it was in the sixties-a seta new-style exciting kaiso from men like Sparrow, of course, Melody, Terror, Blakie, Composer, the then Lord Shorty, the emerging Duke, the experienced Cristo, Dougla, dancer-girl Rose, Power, big in voice and talent, and still going strong from the post-war years, Cypher along with Pretender,.

How was Kitch going to make out? Make-out? Man, the man took over, stunning the ever-popular Sparrow who-bet you didn't know this either-was the man who brought Kitch back home-to liven up the space only to see Kitch invade the space that the high-flying "Birdie" must have thought only belonged to him. Eh-heh-well he ended up having to share the roost . Listen, Ah tell all yuh-Kitchener kept stunning them in the sixties. Remember? Well, Professor Gordon Rohlehr, UWI's great calypso researcher will remember for those of you who were around but might have forgotten and re-tell the tale for those of you who weren't. Listen to the man:

"Kitchener miraculously re-inserted himself into Trinidad time, making his own space by dominating the Road March from the mix-Sixties when several new voices, pulsed by the dark-rooted energy of Shadow, successfully challenged him in his kingdom of sound and rhythm: Shadow, Calypso Rose, Poser and surprisingly in the eighties, Penguin...

The constant measuring of Kitchener and Sparrow against each other to the accompaniment of younger voices - Composer, Maestro, Shadow - each seeking in its way to break the hegemony of these two giants, resulted in the Road March's gaining equal prestige with - some might even say greater prestige than - the Calypso Monarchy."

Man, if this was a different country even now we would be planning national multifaceted observances for the 10th anniversary of the silencing of this giant even as we wrapped ourselves in the death-defying luxury of continuing to celebrate him in HIS songs.