A MESHING OF CULTURES

"Things do not change; we change." Thoreau: "Walden" I make no apology for returning to the prolonged engagement and long delayed marriage of the country’s two major cultures. The recent incorporating of the African Jimbay bass and the Indian tassa with the steel pan, which saw Petrotrin Siparia Deltones placing first in the small bands category in the preliminary round of Panorama and third in the semi final on Sunday at the Queen’s Park Savannah provides hope for an early marriage.

Deltones’ Musical Director, Carlton Alexander, has demonstrated that no matter how distinctive each cultural component part may be, nonetheless the bringing together of all of the parts into a desired whole has possibilities, way beyond culture, that need to be pursued.

Alexander, an architect by profession, as is his brother, the legendary jazz pianist, Clive "Zanda" Alexander, literally transformed the Allison Hinds, Machel Montano Calypso, "Roll it", when in arranging the song for Deltones, he clearly sought to combine the African and Indian pulse.

He had been successful three years ago with Preacher’s "Dulahin". This time, however, it was a slightly different approach in which he effected a combination of percussion drums, deliberately employing tassa drums for the desired "rolling" effect of "Roll it" a tune with an appeal to the young and young at heart.

The end result was the fashioning of his arrangement around the African drums and the tassa, in the end continuing the paving of the way for an emerging musical experience. Meanwhile, marketing both the message and the Petrotrin Siparia Deltones has been the band’s Public Relations Officer, Peter Aleong, a pan aficionado and long time pan musician himself, a messenger who is able to interpret the message faithfully.

In turn, a meshing of cultures, not only African, Indian and Trinbagonian, but Chinese and Japanese as well, is represented in the use of the Jimbay bass. I should state at this stage that I am spelling Jimbay phonetically. When a Chinese cultural group sponsored by the Government of China visited Trinidad and Tobago sometime ago, the Chinese musicians employed the Jimbay bass as one of their standard instruments.

When it is considered that the Petrotrin Siparia Deltones Steel Orchestra had approximately 35 players in the Queen’s Park Savannah for the semi final round on Sunday, and the band utilised some three tassa and six African drums, including the Jimbay, the cultural meshing by Deltones may be better appreciated. Generally speaking, people, particularly the traditionalists do not like change, and very often, consciously or unconsciously, resist that change..

Long, long after the sounds of the last notes of this year’s Panorama will have died away, there will be a general acceptance of the change.

This in much the same way that acceptance of the steelband, considered a virtual pariah in the 1940s through to the 1960s, has finally taken full root.

Acceptance of the meshing of the several cultures with the only musical invention of the 20th century - the steelpan - will come, however stubborn and feet dragging the resistance. It will take time.

Some readers will no doubt recall that several years ago tassa drums had been employed to back up the singer, when "Curry Tabanca" stormed into the Calypso market place. Admittedly, their use had been seen as appropriate to the tune because of the first half of its name. Today, in Deltones both tassa and Jimbay, Indian and African drums are being used to complement the steelband instrument.

It may be that the people will have to be educated with respect to the importance of their use, and the overall good for the nation and its people to incorporate the drums of the two major cultures into the national instrument.

Mindless attitudes which act as needless restraints on issues which go far beyond culture will have to change.