Bigford –Now is the time

Bigford held a CD launch for the media and her friends on Friday evening at the Kaiso Blues Cafe at Woodford Street, Port-of-Spain.

The evening was electric and the singer knew everyone in the audience by name, including Minister of Agriculture Clarence Rambarath and his wife Camille.

Born to Shine consists of 11 songs, all hit songs from the past and from the pen of Trinidadians.

Bigford said her late friend Raf Robertson always told her: “If you have nothing to say, say nothing but when you have something to say just do it.” She felt that after ten-odd years in the business she had something to say and thus recorded an album.

Bigford felt the timing was right because of the stage she is at in her life. “It is also a reflection of where I am,” she said. The CD was launched two days before her 43rd birthday.

Having grown up listening to the music of Trinidad and Tobago, she felt it best to do our music.

The album got its name not only from the Carol Addison 70’s hit but because Bigford’s father forever told her she was born to shine.

Songs on the CD include Sparrow’s No Money No Love, Shadow’s One Love, Ras Shorty I’s Who God Bless, Winsford “Joker” Devine’s Progress, Oliver Chapman’s Crying Easy, Ella Andall’s Missing Generation, Merchant’s Be Careful, KMC’s Soul On Fire, Mac and Katie Kissoon’s And the Lord Said, Bigford’s favourite Can You Love Me by Arthur Marcial and the title track Born to Shine.

This is by all means a collector’s item which will breathe new life into some TT classics pulling a generation into music of our past and putting the music on the international scene.

Without hesitation Bigford said Born to Shine is in dedication to Patti Rogers a friend and mentor whom she misses daily. Rogers died last year.

When it came to musicians on the CD, a smiling Bigford said: “I had international musicians to chose from but I felt that there is no one better to understand and interpret our music but our people.

Added to which I have been working with these guys for some time and we have a synergy.

They know me and I know them –Michael “Ming” Low Chew Tung (keys), Theron Shaw (guitar), Rodney Alexander (bass guitar), Anthony Woodroffe (sax/flute) and Khalen Alexander (drums).

The musicians who arranged the songs are Ming, Theron and Rodney while the CD was produced by Ming.

The two-day studio sessions came from Jason Dasent’s Overdrive Recording and the singer says she’s very pleased with the product.

She and her husband Shurllan Griffith were executive producers.

On Friday, Bigford thanked the creator for giving her health and told the audience she knows she has come a long way. Reminiscing on the days when she sang for $100 and a burger brought laughter from the audience.

There’s something about Bigford which draws you into her aura, she possess a brilliance, radiance and a charisma which goes with her talent. That broad smile just invites you to “hear me”.

The sultry singer started with And the Lord Said and by the second song, Progress, the audience was singing. During her version of Be Careful the sound of Woodroffe’s haunting alto sax kept the audience tuned in and focus.

Ming’s fingers were dancing on the ivory as Bigford performed Ella Andal’s Missing Generation invoking a vision of the original singer.

Guitarist Shaw was in a zone by himself as Bigford did One Love, he was joined by Woodruffe and together with the singer they turned the place upside down.

Bassist Rodney took lead on Crying’s Easy as Bigford went through the lyrics and bets were taking place in the audience as to who composed the song.

The spotlight stayed on Shaw as the Kalyan hit Can You Love Me came around, Bigford presented Marcial with a copy of the CD when she was finished singing.

Shaw continued in the lead when she sang Say a Little Prayer.

Just about two hours after the start, Bigford finished off with Born to Shine but the audience was not ready for her to leave and called her back. She obliged and performed Mavis John’s Use My Body (Tony Wilson).

Still wanting more, the audience called her back again and she invoked some spirits with a lively version of Mariam Makeba’s Pata Pata and had the audience dancing and singing.

She left the stage well satisfied that she has come of age as the people has shown their love and admiration for the singer.