‘New Life’ for parang music

Eight years ago a group of talented young churchgoers stepped onto the local parang scene with an evidently unique and vibrant sound, which was fuelled by their commitment to “spread the good news of Christ.” With the band having risen to prominence, the public will finally be given the opportunity to bring “Viva Nueva” into their homes with the November 2 launch of their debut album Somos Viva Nueva. The Trincity based Viva Nueva is a three-time champion of the Trinidad and Tobago Music Festival parang category, having placed first in 1999, 2002 and 2004. In addition to this significant achievement the band placed fifth in the 2002 National Parang Association of Trinidad and Tobago (NPATT) annual competition and received awards for best flute, best mandolin, best maracas and best box base.

The 13-member band consists of lead vocalist and percussionist, Leslie-Ann Lavine, vocalists and percussionists, Patricia Joseph, Lisa Parmassar-Bain, Noella Wellington, Fiona Thompson and Terran Eligon, flutist, Michele Nicholas, cuatro players, Dianne Parker and Allison Dias, guitarists, Germaine Gail Palmer and Ricardo Joseph, electric bassist, Trudy Charles and drummer, bassist and percussionist, Kerwyn Bain. “The nucleus of the group came from St John’s Evangelical Music Ministry and the band took different forms from the church choir,” said Kerwyn, who is both a founding member and the former musical director of the band. When asked if the greatest unifying factor among the 13 members was a spiritual bond, Lisa replied, “well we do have a spiritual link to one another coincidentally. Many of our members are currently members of the Catholic Archdiocese and are very active in the church in many different ways.”

Lisa continued, “However I consider our bond to be a love for the music. At times it is very tough because it is really additional to the everyday events of our lives and it takes up a lot of our time. The love we have and the way we play make it all very interesting though. Within the past eight years members have become comfortable enough to give their own input to the music when they see the need to.” The band has moved beyond the boundaries of the traditional parang sound to incorporate Afro-Cuban, and the jazz and folk rhythms of Trinidad and Tobago and South America. Regarding the sound of the band’s music Kerwyn said, “If I had to describe our music in one word it would be dynamic. The basic idea is to bring something different, not just the standard traditional sound. What I say is that when they hear Viva they must stop and listen.”

With a laugh Lisa added, “many times they would stop, and it’s strange because at times you want them to dance but many times people stand and listen in awe to the sound. Today more and more bands are, moving away from the traditional sound but the thing with us is that you may go to an event and hear ten bands that sound very similar then when we come on there is something new, something different. This is the new parang.” Dianne declared that, “based on these things the group is appropriately named “new life”. I really see it as Viva Nueva bringing new life to the art form of parang. Parang is evolving just as many other art forms and some people don’t see it. The music consists of so many different forms and this is why our music is so different. The fusion of different sounds and styles is largely attributable to Kerwyn who had been the musical director of the band for seven years.

“I appreciate all forms of music added to the fact that I’m part of a classical choir. I have also gotten into a lot of Afro-Cuban music in the recent past. In particular the work of Ibrahim Ferrer has been a great influence. For this aspect of the music in particular I have Peter Telfer (Mawasi Experience) to thank. He was the one who introduced me to the use of Afro rhythms. An example of this is the use of the djembe (African drum),” Kerwyn explained. With regard to the launch of the CD Lisa simply stated that, “it is time.” The CD comprises 14 tracks including two instrumentals, a Venezuelan and a Paraguayan folk song, a tribute to Daisy Voisin and five original tracks one of which is a medley of the band’s winning music festival pieces.

“For us to have been together for eight years we have to have the right mix and though some people left the group and others came in I think we have the best combination of members at present. The CD was just the next step for us and next year we will be focusing on entering competitions.”
You can expect to hear a lot more from Viva Nueva as time draws us nearer to Christmas and with a second CD already in their plans, the new life of the “new parang” should become a dominant force on the parang scene. For information contact: Lisa at 681-3329, Kerwyn at 685-9068, Allison at 760-3769 or Gail at 799-0729.